Mutabal and Middle Eastern gastronomy lovers would say that mutabal is always perfect, but with the heat and aubergines at their best, mutabal is ideal, perfect and delicious as a starter for a summer meal.
The mutabal is a cream or pâté made mainly with aubergines, very similar to the well-known humus that is made with chickpeas and very typical of Syria and Lebanon. Its preparation is simple and it is a very healthy dish, fresh and vegetable that can be eaten at different times of the day.
The simple preparation of mutabal
As in many other dishes, the raw material is very important. The aubergines should be medium in size and fleshy.
First of all we must roast the aubergines in the oven. At an average temperature of 200º and wait for your skin to start burning. That is the best time to finish baking the eggplants. It is the moment that the cooking inside the eggplant is complete.
Once the baking is finished and when they are not hot, we will peel them. It is the moment that we must remove all the seeds from the aubergines. It is not complicated, they are a few rosaries of seeds that are in the central part of the fruit.
The original mutabal is not crushed and the fruit is simply mashed with a fork or similar. Currently it is crushed automatically, if so, it is best not to leave it excessively fine. To the dough we will add a little lemon juice, salt, a little garlic to taste and a generous jet of olive oil. We will also add a little tahini or tahini, a paste made with sesame seeds that accompanies humus and mutabal and is already found in many supermarkets and stores.
Now all we have to do is make a homogeneous mixture similar to that of a pâté. To eat it, Arabic bread is ideal, but also vegetables such as carrots that allow us to spread it. The mutabal is a great starter and accompaniment to lamb, beef or chicken.
