Burnt Aubergine Dip with Aromatic Crunch – Green Kitchen Stories

The answer behind almost every great tasting aubergine / eggplant recipe is to roast it longer than you think. That is absolutely the case with this charred aubergine dip known as Baba Ganoush. By roasting the aubergine until the skin is black and collapsed, you get lovely burnt tones, buttery soft flesh, umami complexity and zero bitterness. Then you either mash it with a fork or give it a quick whizz in the food processor with tahini and oil. All in all, a pretty straight forward super delicious spread.

Our twist is in the topping. Inspired by a courgette spread in Noor Murad\’s instagram story and a photo of a creme fraiche dip generously covered with furikake from Healthyish, we knew that we wanted to add crunch to our dip. So while the eggplant is roasting we make an aromatic oil with spices and seeds in it. The oil gets mixed into the spread and the crunchy seeds sprinkled on top. It is simply great. Tasty and crunchy! Once you start adding crunch to your spreads there is no going back. Well, there is, but you will always feel like something is missing. We used seeds here, but almonds or other nuts would also be great. We swirled in some yogurt into the spread to give it a bright and tangy contrast but if left out, the spread is vegan.

May is the perfect season to make spreads like these, not only because the first aubergines are here, but also because there are tons of other vegetables in season that are particularly tender tight now and taste best eaten raw and dunked in dips and spreads. Radishes, cucumbers and carrots are all classic dipping vegetables, but don\’t forget raw beetroot and endive on a veg platter. This flatbread would also be great. So, heat up your oven, bbq or gas hob and start blazing your aubergines.