Moutabal recipe: Lebanon's smoky aubergine dip

Moutabal is Lebanon's smoky aubergine dip, built on charring the vegetable whole over live flame until the flesh collapses into something closer to ash than vegetable — the char is the point, not a flaw to mask.

It's one of the dishes on the opening menu at Loris, the Beirut restaurant chain that opened its first UK site at Selfridges this month, where it arrives thinned with olive oil and a scatter of pomegranate. This version is Amuse Kitchen's own, built for a home stove or barbecue rather than a restaurant charcoal grill.

Ingredients

The char is the point, not a flaw to mask.

• 2 large aubergines (about 600g)
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Seeds of 1/4 pomegranate, to serve
• A few mint leaves, to serve

Method

1. Set the aubergines directly over a gas flame, a barbecue, or under a very hot grill, turning every few minutes, until the skin is fully blackened and blistered on all sides and the flesh has visibly collapsed, 12 to 15 minutes. Direct flame is what gives moutabal its smoke; an oven alone will not do it.
2. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate, and leave for 10 minutes. The trapped steam loosens the skin from the flesh, making it easier to peel cleanly.
3. Peel away the blackened skin and discard it, keeping as much of the smoky flesh as possible. Drain the flesh in a sieve for a few minutes; aubergine holds a lot of water, and a wet base will not sit well on tahini.
4. Chop the flesh roughly, then mash with a fork rather than a blender. A food processor turns moutabal into a uniform purée and strips out the texture that separates it from baba ghanoush.
5. Stir in the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Taste before adding more lemon or salt; the balance should tip slightly toward smoke, not acidity.
6. Spread onto a plate, pull a spoon through the surface to make a shallow well, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, the pomegranate seeds and mint.

A tahini ratio worth adjusting

Moutabal is close kin to baba ghanoush, but carries more tahini and a looser, chunkier texture. Some cooks fold in a spoonful of yoghurt for extra tang, a workable swap when the tahini runs heavy.

Serve it with warm flatbread, or alongside grilled meat straight off the coals, the way it tends to arrive at Lebanese tables.

Can I make moutabal without an open flame? Grill the aubergines under a very hot oven grill instead, turning often; the smoke will be lighter, but the collapsed texture still works.