When I was growing up, everything cooked on the barbeque was intentionally a bit charred. After we’d finished eating, Mum would always bring out the eggplants and put them straight over the coals to make baba ganoush. Lebanese people do the best eggplant in the world, I reckon, and charring really brings out their bittersweet flavour.
When I worked at Est Est Est and other fine-dining restaurants, everything had to be this beautiful golden-brown. I remember barbequing some wings like that for my family and everyone said, “Can you put these back on? They’re not cooked.” It was so funny.
When we opened Rumi, we had a little $60 charcoal barbeque that we bought at a Middle Eastern shop, and we used that for the first 10 years. There was never any question about whether we might use a gas one – I think the gas ones are ridiculous.
Recipe: Rumi’s baba ganoush, by Joseph Abboud
Makes 400g
Prep time: 5–10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes cooling
Ingredients
2 large eggplants
2 cloves garlic
Sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon nigella seeds
Method
Preheat a charcoal or gas barbeque to high.
Trim the green tops off the eggplants and prick all over with a knife, then place on the barbeque and cook, turning frequently, for 15–20 minutes, until the skins have blackened and the eggplant is very soft.
Transfer the eggplant to a colander to drain and set aside for about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove the blackened skins and place the caramelised eggplant flesh in a bowl.
Place the garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar and crush with the pestle to a fine paste. Transfer the garlic to the bowl with the eggplant and add the olive oil, tahini and lemon juice. Whisk the ingredients together to help break up the eggplant and achieve a chunky finish.
Transfer the baba ganoush to a plate or bowl. Make a well in the centre using the back of a spoon and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Sprinkle with the nigella seeds and serve with your favourite bread.
