I am obsessed with middle eastern flavours and that includes the warming spices, aubergine and garlic. Did you know that aubergines are full of soluble fibre and that property helps lower cholesterol?
Obviously, this is negated if the aubergine is deep fried! Aubergines or eggplants have a deep purple colour due to a chemical called nasunin which protects the fats that make up our cell membranes. Many people may not like aubergines as they can be slimy owing to the soluble fibre.
But having them in a dip can pave the way to consuming them in a more palatable way whilst still reaping all the
health benefits.
Roasting the garlic and aubergine lends a smokiness to this dip and allows the use
of a whole bulb of garlic without the flavour of garlic overpowering the dish. If you do not have red rasa el hanout you can use any sort of middle eastern spice blend you like. I like to keep a bunch of crudites out on the countertops on weekend mornings to force everyone in the family to eat the vegetables throughout the day. However, this yummy dip means that there is no forcing involved!
Garlic is part of the allium family along with onions and leeks for example and has potent antioxidant benefits and is a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, Vitamin C and selenium. However, if you don’t consume garlic because of religious reasons or have an intolerance you can swap the garlic out for 1/8th teaspoon of asafoetida (It’s a pungent spice so be careful in adding more) If you can’t find red rasa el hanout, use any middle eastern spice blend that you like.
Ingredients
3 medium sized aubergines
1 medium bulb of garlic
2 tbsps. unsweetened soya yoghurt or any other unsweetened plant yoghurt
Juice and zest of 1 lime
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tsps. red rasa El hanout
Salt to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Wash the aubergines and arrange them on the baking tray and wrap the whole garlic bulb with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Allow the aubergines and garlic to cool and once cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh of the aubergines into a blender jug and also the roasted garlic cloves, leaving behind the papery skin.
Add all the other ingredients to the blender jug and blend until smooth and creamy. Add a tbsp more of plant yoghurt if required to get the dip to the right consistency.
Adjust the seasoning to taste and the dip is best served warm and can be reheated in the microwave.
Enjoy!