Baba Ganoush with no oven??

Nottoobadyet

Hi all,

I am having some people over for a falafel night tonight and wanted to include baba ganoush on the menu. The only problem is that our oven is on the blink and we dont have a grill!

Is there any way to cook the aubergine to give it that smokey taste on the stove top? We could use the microwave but i imagine it would end up tasting quite bland. If we went that way, what could we use to compensate for the lost flavor?

All ideas gratefully received!!

jackieglasgow

you could try BBQing it, or if its too much hassle to light the barbie for just that, buy one of those wee disposable ones you can get them for a £1 in the £1 shops just now.

samanthaneww2d

jackieglasgow wrote: »

you could try BBQing it, or if its too much hassle to light the barbie for just that, buy one of those wee disposable ones you can get them for a £1 in the £1 shops just now.

thats exactly what i was going say

lizzyb1812

Have you got a griddle pan or a heavy frying pan to do them on. On a griddle pan brush the slices lightly with oil and griddle both sides. Same with the pan. Don't oil the pan. It will create a bit of smoke but that's what you want isn't it? Worth a try with a slice or two anyway. Peel first if you don't want the peel. They might not go as soft but would be smoky.

puddy

you can use the hob if its gas, just means you have to stand there holding the aubergine with a fork twisting it over the flame until all the outside is black and smoky, then you cool it and scrape the centre out

puddy

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Have you got a griddle pan or a heavy frying pan to do them on. On a griddle pan brush the slices lightly with oil and griddle both sides. Same with the pan. Don't oil the pan. It will create a bit of smoke but that's what you want isn't it? Worth a try with a slice or two anyway. Peel first if you don't want the peel. They might not go as soft but would be smoky.

no, baba ganoush is made by making the whole aubergine blackened but the inside mushy, so you keep it whole and then peel off the skin and mash up the inside

lizzyb1812

Puddy - yes, I know - that's why I said they might not go as soft. I was trying to get to the smoky taste more than the texture I suppose.

sleepless_saver

puddy wrote: »

you can use the hob if its gas, just means you have to stand there holding the aubergine with a fork twisting it over the flame until all the outside is black and smoky, then you cool it and scrape the centre out

I've done this and it works brilliantly. I sit it on top of the flame and move it around with tongs till it's all done. You get the lovely smoky flavour and it takes a surprisingly short time to cook through. I wouldn't use the oven now.

Nottoobadyet

Thanks all! I ended up buying 3 quite small aubergines instead of a big one (easier to find the small ones here in Uganda anyway), lightly brushed them with oil and put them in a heavy frying pan on a high flame, turning as they charred. I dont think it would have worked with a big one, but these turned out lovely and once I had scraped the flesh out of the skin no one would have been the wiser.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!