Middle East Recipe : Baba Ganoush (Grilled Egplan Dip) & Crispy Spiced Tortilla Bread ala Dentist Chef

Resep Roti Tortilla dan Baba Ganoush (Terung Bakar)

Baba Ganoush and Crispy Spiced Tortilla, Heavenly pairs !!!

Baba ghanoush (Arabic بابا غنوج bābā ghanūj, bābā ghanūj, baba ganush, baba ghannouj or baba ghannoug) is a Levantine dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with virgin olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means “father of coquetry”, which has been interpreted to suggest that it was invented by a member of a harem, although “ghanoush” may be a personal name.

Baba Ganoush: It’s smokey, savory, nutty and delicacy!

A popular preparation method is for the eggplant to be baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste. Often, it is eaten as a dip with khubz or pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is usually of an earthy light-brown color. It is popular in the Levant (area covering Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Kurdistan, Egypt, and Israel)

In Syria and Lebanon, baba ghanoush is a starter or appetizer; in Egypt it is mostly served as a side dish or salad. It is made of eggplant blended with finely diced onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables. It is made of roasted, peeled, and mashed eggplant, blended with tahini, garlic, salt, white vinegar and lemon juice. Cumin and chili powder can be added. It is normally served with a dressing of olive oil and pomegranate concentrate. In the traditional method, the eggplant is first roasted in an oven for approximately 30 to 90 minutes (depending on the size of the eggplant) until the skin appears almost burnt and the eggplant begins to collapse. The softened flesh is scooped out, squeezed or salted to remove excess water, and is then pureed with the tahini. There are many variants of the recipe, especially the seasoning. Seasonings include garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, mint, and parsley. When served on a plate or bowl, it is traditional to drizzle the top with olive oil.

In Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines, Baingan ka Bhurta is a dish similar to baba ghanoush. It is similarly prepared by grilling eggplant over open charcoal flame to impart a smoky flavor to the flesh. It is then cooked with an assortment of spices, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. It is commonly served with breads like paratha, roti, and naan.

I serve the baba Ganoush with tortilla bread.  Flour tortilla to differentiate it from other uses of the word “tortilla”) is a type of thin flatbread made from finely ground wheat flour. Originally derived from the corn tortilla (tortilla in Spanish means “small torta“, or “small cake”), a bread of maize which predates the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, the wheat flour tortilla was an innovation after wheat was brought to the New World from Spain while this region was the colony of New Spain. It is made with an unleavened, water based dough, pressed and cooked like corn tortillas.

Flatbread tortillas have been eaten for thousands of years in north, northwest and northeast Mexico, where they are a staple, as well as many southwestern US Native American tribes. More recently, other countries have begun producing them to serve the expatriate Mexican market and the growing demand for Mexican food, particularly in North America, Europe and Eastern Asia

Ingredient :

Baba Ganoush :

• 2 medium eggplant
• 1/4 cup tahini, i make my own, just blended 1/2 cup toasted sesame seed and 1/4 cup olive oil, strained with cheese cloth,
• 3 garlic cloves, minced, i use 3 tsp Mc Cormic garlic powder
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• white pepper powder, to taste
• salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 pomegrate

Spiced Crispy Tortillla Bread:

• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4  tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cups water
• a pinch of baking powder
• a pinch of garam masala spice
• a pinch of dried herbs ( dill, oregano & parsley)

Instruction:

Baba Ganoush:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a stovel.
• Prick the eggplant with a fork or a metal chopstick in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.

• Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

• Let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.

• Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
• Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.
• Add the  tahini, the garlic, the lemon juice and mix well.

• Season with salt n pepper, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
• Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley and pomegrate
• Place the olives around the sides.
• Serve at room temperature.

Crispy Spiced Flour Tortilla:

• Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.
• Mix in the olive oil with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal.
• Add the water and mix until the dough comes together.
• Place  the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Divide the dough into a thumb sized and roll each piece into a ball.

• Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla.

• Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden.

• Flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side.

• Continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.