the perfect baba ganoush recipe?

13 years ago

With the passing of the owner of our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, perfect baba ganoush seems now a mere dream. Not liking the big purple eggplants, I planted a milder green. After roasting, I sieved the mixture to remove all seeds. The baba ganoush at the restaurant had no seeds. All the recipes I've tried don't come close and they insist on ingredients without proper measurements. How much is 4 cloves of garlic, how many tablespoons of grated? How much eggplant, lbs just won't do. I need to know how many cups, etc. to use of the eggplant puree. The garlic I grow may be a bit strong too. Would roasting it make it sweeter but still retain the garlic flavor? Any hints would be appreciated.

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Comments (5)

lindac
13 years ago
Cooking and recipes are not like chemical formulae...the ingredients vary as you have noted with the size of the garlic cloves.
But the flavor of the cloves also varies...some "hot" some mild. and you can measure eggplant but it will never be the same...some may be higher in moisture content...some lower.
All in all it's going to come down to you tasting as you go and creating the dish you remember. The lack of seeds may very well have been due to the eggplant used or the parts of the eggplant used or the age of the vegetable.
A recipe is only a rough guide.
Linda C
jimster
13 years ago
puzzlefan,

It will be very difficult for anyone here to help you duplicate a baba ganoush we have never tasted. We can each offer a recipe for what we judge to be out favorite, but they will all be different. Can you describe that perfect baba ganoush verbally? Probably not. In that case we are groping in the dark. Sorry about that.

Jim
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paulines
13 years ago
Roasting the garlic will add a nutty sweetness to the BG. Also, make sure to use a good quality tahini. It's kind of trial and error with amounts, but at least you can eat the mistakes ;)
ruthanna_gw
13 years ago
I learned to make baba from a Lebanese woman I met years ago at our farmers' market. I have only used the dark purple eggplants and can't give you the type of measurement you're requesting but I can give you some cooking tips.

In our area, the baba has a somewhat smoky flavor, achieved by grilling or broiling the outside of the eggplant, same as you would for roasted red peppers. (Some restaurants who add the commercial liquid smoke would go straight to the roasting.)

You can grill it until it's cooked all the way through, or cut it in half and finish roasting in a 375 degree oven, cut side down on a greased cookie sheet. When it soft, cool it cut side up until it's cool enough to handle.

Start scraping out the pulp with a spoon. You'll see that the seeds run through the eggplant in long vertical strips. If you gently coax out the strips, there's no need to do anything to the pulp other than mash it.
arley_gw
13 years ago
I love garlic, but I gotta say in baba ganoush it's very easy to overdo it. Start with the minimal amount and adjusting the amount upward as needed.

the perfect baba ganoush recipe?

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lindac

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