Caramelized Eggplant Hummus

5 from 6 votes

A classic hummus base topped with caramelized eggplant, this eggplant hummus has a great rich flavor without losing the traditional hummus taste. Serve this with pita or flatbread, crackers, or crudité for a tasty snack or fun main.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: people

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $10

Equipment

Food Processor You can use a blender in a pinch, but a food processor is the ideal tool.

Ingredients

Hummus Base

1 can Chickpeas (19oz) - Drained and rinsed
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Lemon juice - juice of 2 lemons, approximately
¼ cup Tahini
1-2 Garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste

Caramelized Eggplant Topping

2 Asian eggplants - Cut into 2" long strips on the bias
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt

Garnish

1 tbsp Cilantro - chopped
1 tbsp Honey
1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
1 tsp Sumac
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice

Instructions

In a food processor, place drained and rinsed chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and big pinch salt. Process and scrape the sides down. Because lemons have varying levels of juice, you may need to add more lemon juice to taste. If the hummus is too thick, add more olive oil to loosen it up.
Process until very smooth. When you think you're done processing, process for another 2 minutes. Trust me, this is how you get the creamiest hummus ever. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spread hummus in a bowl or plate.
To a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, carefully add the eggplant strips. Season with a big pinch of salt. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your frying pan. Do not overcrowd the eggplant. Fry the eggplant strips for 2-3 minutes on each side. You're looking for a deep brown caramelization to develop on the eggplant flesh. Spoon warm fried eggplant strips over hummus.
Optional Step: make hot honey by infusing the Aleppo flakes and honey together in a small saucepan on medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, hot honey (or simply just honey and Aleppo pepper flakes), sumac, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Notes

See the blog post above for step-by-step recipe photos.

Some important ingredient notes:

Chickpeas: canned chickpeas work really well here. Be sure to drain and rinse them carefully before using for the best flavor.
Eggplant: while another variety of eggplant can be used, I really recommend seeking out Asian eggplants if you can get them. If not, choose the smallest regular eggplant available, which will have slightly thinner skin and less seeds.
Tahini: use a tahini you like the taste of. Hummus isn't the right place to try to hide the flavour of bad tahini!
Spices: the spice topping can be changed based on your personal preference, but the combination of Aleppo chili pepper, honey and sumac is out of this world. You can certainly use regular chili flakes if you can't find Aleppo, however, use less as regular chili flakes tend to be spicier than Aleppo flakes.

Nutrition