Maltabal recipe

Ingredients (4p)

• 480 g roasted eggplant (about 800 g raw)
• 1.5 g garlic
• 72 g Turkish yogurt
• 6 g lemon juice
• 2 g salt
• 1 g cumin
• 1 g paprika
• 1.5 g sumac
• 16 g tahini
  Green tarator
• 34 g water
• 8 g lemon juice
• 1/4 bunch of parsley
• 1 g of salt

About Moutabal

Moutabal comes from m’tabale, which actually means “seasoning with. It has become synonymous with this eggplant dip, but it can actually be made with a variety of vegetables. Pumpkin dip is also actually a m’tabale. Traditional recipes use tahini and yogurt along with a little garlic with the eggplant, which makes it nice and light. The tahini also comes on top in the form of green tarator (tahini parsley sauce) in a nice pattern, because in the Middle East we want our food to be a treat for the eye as well. This dip is a regular part of the classic mezze table.

How do you make it?

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Grill or roast the eggplants for about 20 minutes until soft and tender. Remove them from the oven and let cool briefly. Cut them open and scoop out the flesh.
2. Grate the garlic or crush it with the blunt side of your knife.
3. Briefly mash the eggplant meat with the other ingredients.
4. Make the tarator: mash the parsley with the water until very fine. Mix the parsley puree with lemon juice and salt into the tahini until it forms a creamy, smooth green sauce. If necessary, add a little extra water if the sauce is too thick.
5. Toast the 40 g coarsely chopped almonds in a pan until golden brown. Chop the rest of the parsley very finely.
6. Spread the maltabal in a nice layer on a plate, drizzle the green tarator and olive oil on top, and garnish with the almond flakes, parsley and Aleppo pepper.