afoona
Moutabal – Eggplant and Tahini Spread
Salads

Moutabal – Eggplant and Tahini Spread with homemade tahini sauce

A classic roasted eggplant spread with tahini, olive oil and lemon. Rich in smoky flavors.

⏱ 2 hr 9 min🍽 4 servings 🌍 Middle Eastern👩‍🍳 Afoona🧩 4 parts

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

  1. 1
    Arrange the eggplants on a baking sheet.
    Baking pan
  2. 2
    Roast the eggplants whole in a hot oven (220–250°C / 430–480°F) 30–35 minutes, turning (whole eggplants: up to an hour), until the skin is blackened and the flesh completely soft.
    OvenBakeware
    💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
  3. 3
    Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly and leave 10–15 minutes.
    Bowl
    💡The steam in the covered container separates the skin from the flesh, so it comes off easily. Don't rinse under water: the smoky flavor washes away with it.
  4. 4
    Peel off the charred skin and drain off the liquid (leave the eggplant in a colander 15–30 minutes).
    Colander
    💡Drain the roasted eggplant 15–30 minutes: its bitter juices dilute the salad.
  5. 5
    Chop the eggplant flesh with a knife.
    KnifeCutting board
    💡Chop with a knife, not a blender: that way fibers and chunks remain, and the texture doesn't turn to mush.

For the Tahini sauce

  1. 6
    Mix the tahini and lemon juice and season with salt.
  2. 7
    Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.
    💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
  3. 8
    Mix the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and season with salt.
  4. 9
    Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

To assemble

  1. 10
    Gently mix the eggplant with the tahini sauce, so that some chunks remain.
  2. 11
    Top with the olive oil, paprika and parsley.
205calories
5 gprotein
6 gcarbs
16 gfat
● protein 11%● carbs 13%● fat 76%

Per serving, servings (calculated for this version)

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⚖ About the ingredients

🔧 Tools needed (6) · 🍳 One cooking vessel

  • Oven · 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Toaster oven (Fits one small pan; good for small batches) · Air fryer (Small batches only, no runny batters) · Pot (Only for covered stews on the stovetop, no browning on top)
  • Baking pan · Also works: Glass / ovenproof baking dish (None) · Disposable pan (None)
  • Cutting board · Also works: Plate (Large plate, dulls the knife)
  • Knife · Also works: Food processor (Fast, less control over size) · Kitchen shears (For herbs/dough)
  • Bowl · Also works: Pot (None)
  • Colander · Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)

By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.

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