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Babaganoush

I can eat brinjal every day, I love it that much, and I enjoy it best baked, curried, fried, and grilled.

When I first heard of Babaganoush I was highly intrigued. It had the colour of hummus but the texture of smashed avocado. I tried a recipe online and then I started tweaking it to my taste.

Now, whenever I come across good bringal I buy it in bulk and make Babaganoush. I usually freeze it and whip it out on days when I feel for Pita bread. That combination coupled with a few olives and some good feta makes for a delicious supper.

Did you know: Brinjal, also commonly known as aubergine and eggplant has more nicotine - yes you read correctly - than any other edible fruit . It’s part of the nightshade family and can sometimes trigger a psoriasis flare. Brinjal is also a berry by botanical definition.

Ingredients

3 brinjals

3 tbsp Tahini (I buy mine from Pick n Pay)

3 teaspoons of crushed garlic

Juice of 1 lime/1/2 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

A pinch of xylitol/sugar

A handful of coriander

  1. Grill brinjals in the oven at 180 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Leave the skin on and turn every 30 minutes so it chars evenly on all sides.

  2. Let the brinjals cool slightly and remove a small portion of the skin very carefully on one side. With a spoon, scoop out the flesh and don’t worry if some black charred bits fall into the flesh.

  3. Chuck all that in the blender with your tahini, garlic, lime juice, olive oil salt and pinch of xylitol.

  4. Blend well and garnish with coriander and drizzle with more olive oil.