Ingredients
Aubergine
- 3large aubergines
Sauce
- 100 gtahini
- juice of 2 lemons
- 3 clovesgarlic, crushed with salt
- 150 gthick yoghurt
- salt
To finish
- olive oil
- pomegranate seeds
- chopped parsley
- sumac
- a few whole walnuts, optional
To serve
- warm flatbread
- olives
- raw vegetables
Directions
- Turn them with tongs until the skin is blackened and blistered all over and they have collapsed inward. Take the skin genuinely black, not merely brown.
- Prick them once or twice first so they do not burst. This takes 15 to 20 minutes over a flame, and the flesh inside should be completely soft. Put the charred aubergines in a bowl, cover, and leave them 10 minutes.
- Peel off the blackened skin and pull out the stems. Now the step that decides the texture: put the peeled flesh in a colander and let it drain for at least 20 minutes.
- Press it gently with the back of a spoon to help it along. Chop the drained flesh with a knife rather than blending it. Chop, do not blend. A food processor whips it into a pale smooth paste and mutabbal should keep some texture and stay flecked and irregular.
- Crush the garlic to a paste with salt in a mortar. Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, which will seize and thicken, then loosen it with a little cold water until smooth.
- Fold the tahini, garlic and yoghurt through the chopped aubergine. Add the yoghurt last and fold rather than beat, so it stays creamy rather than going thin. Season with salt and taste, adjusting the lemon until it is sharp. Spread it in a wide shallow dish and make a well in the surface with the back of a spoon.
- Pour olive oil generously into the well and scatter pomegranate seeds, parsley and sumac over. Serve at room temperature with warm bread, and never straight from the fridge, which flattens the smoke entirely.
Technique
- The yoghurt is what distinguishes many Jordanian and Syrian versions and it is not universal.
- It keeps two days covered in the fridge and should be brought back to room temperature.
- Large glossy aubergines with tight skin give the best flesh.
Substitutions
- Labneh in place of yoghurt, which is thicker and richer.
- A grill or a very hot oven if you have no flame, accepting less smoke.
Variations
- Baba ghanoush, depending on where you are standing.
- Without yoghurt, for a sharper tahini-only version.
- With walnuts and pomegranate molasses, which is Aleppan.
History
Distinguished locally from baba ghanoush by the tahini; scooped with bread at every mezze table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mutabbal?
Mutabbal is a salad & side from Jordan: smoked aubergine whipped with tahini, yoghurt and lemon. Distinguished locally from baba ghanoush by the tahini; scooped with bread at every mezze table.
How long does Mutabbal take to make?
Mutabbal takes 20 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Mutabbal?
Yes, within limits. Labneh in place of yoghurt, which is thicker and richer. A grill or a very hot oven if you have no flame, accepting less smoke.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mutabbal?
Prick them once or twice first so they do not burst. This takes 15 to 20 minutes over a flame, and the flesh inside should be completely soft. Put the charred aubergines in a bowl, cover, and leave them 10 minutes.
