Baba Ghanoush

Living in London (when I'm not at University) there are cuisines available from all over the world. One of my favourite restaurants is based in the seedy part of Soho, Yalla Yalla serves up authentic Beirut street food. Found down a small alley I only discovered the place after a friends recommendation. Dishes from the menu include Baba Ghanoujj (charcoaled aubergine dip), fattoush (salad that's includes crispy pitta bread and sumac) and Lahem Meshoue (charcoal grilled marinated lamb skewers). I never had a bad meal here and the beers (Almaza Lebanese beer) aren't bad either.

To accompany a recent barbecue I decided to recreate Yalla Yalla's Baba Ghanoujj. Whenever I have ordered it here they garnish it with fresh pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. In my recipe I have included pomegranate molasses. It has sweet and sour notes and can be purchased Waitrose. Sesame seed oil isn't traditionally added however I love the nuttiness and flavour the oil has.

Ingredients...

• 2 medium aubergines
• 4 heaped tbsp of tahini (sesame paste)
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 clove of crushed garlic
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil (if you don't have any, just replace with olive oil)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses 
• Seeds from half a pomegranate
• 2-3 fresh mint leaves

Method...

Bake or grill the aubergines until the skin turns black. Once their centres are soft scrape the flesh out into a bowl, discard the skin. Mix in the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, sesame oil and the salt and pepper until everything is well combined. Place in the serving bowl, drizzle on the pomegranate molasses then sprinkle on the pomegranate seeds and tear the mint leaves on top.

Top Tip...
Make sure the aubergine skins are scorched all over, this is necessary to achieve that smoky flavour.

Serving Suggestion...
Serve alongside warm flat bread or pitta.

Enjoy!