Baba ganoush, curry leaf oil and pine nuts
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Helen Graham's take on this delicious Middle Eastern roasted aubergine dip incorporates a little bit of white miso paste to add depth of flavour, and comes served with a swirl of vibrantly green oil infused with curry leaves and some pine nuts. The leftover curry leaf oil keeps well in the fridge, and would be excellent on top of natural yogurt, labneh or hummus.
Ingredients
- 1 head of garlic
- Maldon salt to season
- 2 large aubergines
- 20ml of lemon juice
- 60g of tahini
- 1 tsp white miso
- 1/4 garlic clove
- 20g of curry leaf sprig
- 600ml of vegetable oil, plus 1 tbsp for roasting the garlic
- 15g of pine nuts
Equipment
- Barbecue
Method
Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6
Trim the top off the garlic bulb to reveal the cloves inside. Season with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of oil, wrap in tinfoil, then roast for 35 minutes until nicely softened and golden
- 1 head of garlic
- Maldon salt to season
Set aside to cool completely, then squeeze the head to release the roast cloves from the papery skins and discard the skins
Grill the aubergines on either a BBQ or an open gas flame. Pierce each aubergine several times with a sharp knife and set it over the flame. You want to grill the aubergines on each side until totally charred and soft. Once grilled, set over a colander in the sink for an hour
Once cool, peel and discard the skins. Return the aubergines to the colander and press down with a ladle to extract as much of the bitter liquid as possible
Blend aubergine with the lemon juice, tahini, miso, fresh garlic, roasted garlic and salt until completely smooth. Taste - you may want to add more lemon or salt, depending on the size of your aubergines
- 20ml of lemon juice
- 60g of tahini
- 1 tsp white miso
- 1/4 garlic clove
- Maldon salt to season
To make the curry leaf oil, blend 10g of curry leaves together with 300ml of oil and transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then set aside
- 10g of curry leaf sprig
- 300ml of vegetable oil
Once cool, strain and discard the solids. This will make more than you need but is a great thing to have in the fridge!
Toast the pine nuts by setting a small pan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts until golden brown, tossing occasionally - about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool
- 15g of pine nuts
In a small pan, heat the remaining 300ml vegetable oil to 180c. Fry the remaining curry leaves for a minute or two until slightly transparent and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen towel
Smooth the baba ganoush onto a plate, ensuring there's a well in the middle. Pour in the curry oil and garnish with the toasted pine nuts and curry leaves
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Baba ganoush, curry leaf oil and pine nuts
