Ingredients

• 3 medium size eggplants
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper (or to your taste)
• 1 handful of coriander leaves (cilantro) or flat leaf parsley
• A few shakes of smoked paprika
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 black olive for garnish (optional)
• Salt

Steps

• Step 1

  Place the egg plants over a medium heat flame. This can also be done under a broiler or in an oven, but the flame gives the best results. Keep rotating the eggplants until you see their skins nicely blistered.

• Step 2

  Half fill a large bowl or container with cold tap water. Add the blistered hot eggplants to cool down in the water. Leave for approx 10 to 15 minutes. While still in the water, using your hands, peel the blistered skins off. Remove the stems and place on a cutting board, cut the egg plants in half or quarters and place in a sieve to drain the liquid. This should take approx 15 minutes. Throw the liquid away.

• Step 3

  Using a food processor (or simply a potato masher, or even a fork) add the eggplant to the container along with the minced garlic, Cayenne pepper, Tahini, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Blitz by pulsing a few times. A little bit of texture is preferable, but blitz longer if you like it smooth.

• Step 4

  Transfer contents to a serving plate and create a spiral using a spoon. Add a drizzle of olive oil in the indented spiral. Add a few shakes of paprika and some roughly chopped coriander (cilantro). Garnish with a black olive.

Little Tips

You can also add a tbsp of Greek yogurt for a creamier texture.

Great with toasted Pita bread.