Mutabal or Moutabal is a creamy roasted eggplant dip with an irresistible smoky flavor. It tastes similar to roasted eggplant dip (Babaganoush) with a few minor differences, including the addition of yogurt.
This Moutabal recipe can be prepared with a few whirls of your food processor. It's a healthy and delicious vegetarian dip that everyone will love! It is enjoyed throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean region including Lebanon, Syria, and Armenia.
Eggplant (aubergines) are loved throughout the Middle East and are used in many recipes including mixed vegetables Iraqi dolma, pickled eggplant, Melitzanosalata, and a layered eggplant dish called Tepsi.
Mutabal is often served as part of a meze platter (Middle Eastern word for appetizers) with Lebanese tabbouleh, in a falafel wrap, manakish, ful medames, and tirokafteri. You can also just serve it with veggies, and Middle Eastern bread.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Mutabal takes around 25 minutes to prepare.
- This recipe is vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free!
- If you can't find tahini, you can easily make some with sesame seeds, olive oil, and a food processor!
- Mutabal can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- This healthy vegetarian dip recipe can be served with sliced veggies to cut down on both calories and carbs.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Eggplant: Also known as aubergines. Choose a few medium-sized eggplant without blemishes or dents. Avoid larger ones that have more seeds in them.
- Tahini: Tahini can be found online, in most health stores, and Middle Eastern markets, or you can make your own with this easy tahini paste recipe!
- Yogurt: Choose from plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, or homemade yogurt.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is used both in the dip and drizzled over Moutabal.
- Garlic: You'll need two fresh garlic cloves, never bottled!
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice or lime juice is preferred but bottled lemon juice can be substituted. I also like to add the zest to add a bright, citrusy flavor.
- Seasoning/Spices: I only add sea salt, however, black pepper, paprika, and cumin are sometimes added.
- Garnish: Chopped parsley is commonly used as garnish. Pomegranate seeds are also scattered over the dip and provide a nice crunchy texture. Other popular additions include diced tomatoes and olives.
- Optional: For a spicier dip, hot chili peppers can be added to the ingredients before they are blended.
🔪 Helpful Tools
🍆 How to Make Mutabal (Eggplant Dip)
Step 1: Wash and dry eggplant, then roast over an open flame until charred on the outside and soft and squishy on the inside. This can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. If the eggplant doesn't cook all the way through, slice them in half, drizzle with oil, and cook a little longer in a skillet or over a pizza pan.
Pro Tip: If you don't have a gas stove, you can use a cast iron skillet, a BBQ grill, or the oven. Ideally, an open flame is preferred and provides the smoky flavor that this dish is known for!
Step 2: Set roasted eggplant aside in a colander until cool enough to handle. Peel eggplant, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and allow the bitter juices to drain for a few minutes.
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Step 3: Add eggplant flesh to a food processor bowl and top with lemon juice and zest, olive oil, tahini, minced garlic cloves, and yogurt. Season with the remaining sea salt and pulse until chunky or smooth and creamy, depending on your preference.
Pro Tip: If you don't own a food processor you can use a mortar and pestle, which is the traditional way to mash the pulp.
Step 4: Spoon the aubergine dip into a shallow plate or bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the dip and garnish with chopped parsley or mint and pomegranate seeds.
Pro Tip: Another way to plate this dip is to make indentations with the back of a spoon and fill the indentations with olive oil.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve Mutabal at room temperature or refrigerate with baked pita chips, seed crackers, or sourdough discard crackers. For a healthier option, serve with fresh veggies (cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, and sliced bell peppers).
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The main difference between Mutabal and Baba Ganoush is that Baba Ganoush is made with tahini paste while Mutabal has both tahini and yogurt.
Mutabal is a Middle Eastern eggplant dip made with roasted eggplant, yogurt, tahini, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It is commonly garnished with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.
Moutabal is made with roasted eggplant, while Hummus is made with chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Both also contain tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. However, Moutabal also contains yogurt.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Store leftover dip in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Pomegranate molasses can also be added or drizzled over Moutabal!
- Feel free to add additional spices, for example, black pepper, cumin, or paprika.
- To make this dip vegan-friendly, the yogurt can be left out.
🧆 More Mediterranean Recipes
📖 Recipe
Mutabal (Eggplant Dip)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplant 1½ lbs
- 1¼ teaspoon sea salt (divided)
- 1 medium lemon (juiced and zested)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup tahini paste
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
Garnish
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (or mint)
Instructions
- Wash and dry eggplant, then roast over an open flame until charred on the outside and soft and squishy on the inside. This can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. If the eggplant doesn't cook all the way through, slice them in half, drizzle with oil, and cook a little longer in a skillet or over a pizza pan.
- Set roasted eggplant aside in a colander until cool enough to handle. Peel eggplant, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and allow the bitter juices to drain for a few minutes.
- Add eggplant flesh to a food processor bowl and top with lemon juice and zest, olive oil, tahini, minced garlic cloves, and yogurt. Season with the remaining sea salt and pulse until chunky or smooth and creamy, depending on your preference.
- Spoon the aubergine dip into a shallow plate or bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the dip and garnish with chopped parsley or mint and pomegranate seeds.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve Mutabal at room temperature or refrigerated with toasted pita wedges, pita chips, or whole grain crackers. For a healthier option, serve with fresh veggies (cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, and sliced bell peppers).
Notes
- If you don't have a gas stove, you can use a cast iron skillet, a BBQ grill, or the oven. Ideally, an open flame is preferred and provides the smoky flavor that this dish is known for!
- If you don't own a food processor you can use a mortar and pestle, which is the traditional way to mash the pulp.
- Another way to plate this dip is to make indentations with the back of a spoon and fill the indentations with olive oil.
- Store leftover dip in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Pomegranate molasses can also be added or drizzled over Moutabal!
- Feel free to add additional spices, for example, black pepper, cumin, or paprika.
- To make this dip vegan friendly, the yogurt can be left out.
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