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A touch of the Arabian Nights on your plate? That’s exactly what these oriental wraps with grilled vegetables taste like. They are accompanied by a creamy and spicy aromatic Baba Ghanoush. A true feast for the senses, as so many flavors are combined in this delicious and quickly prepared dish. Really the absolutely perfect menu for your next barbecue with friends. In that sense, on the wraps, ready, go!
Oriental wraps with Baba Ghanoush & grilled vegetables
What is Baba Ghanoush you may ask yourself now?
Baba Ghanoush is – similar to hummus – an eggplant purée which is mixed with tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, garlic, and cumin to make a creamy dip. As you may have noticed, the ingredients are very similar to those of classic hummus. Instead of chickpeas, simply use eggplants. To get the full flavor of the eggplant, you grill it and skin it. Alternatively, you can also prepare the eggplants in an oven with grill function.
As wraps, I used beetroot wraps from Beetgold (product sample). The wraps consist of 80% beetroot juice leftovers. This is another reason why the wraps are not only healthy and wholesome but also vegan, gluten-free, low-carb and rich in fibre. The remaining ingredients are 100% natural. Personally I like the wraps because they are a prime example of an upcycling product. A great, tasty, and healthy product is created from the supposed waste of juice production. And food waste is avoided, which is exactly what I want.
Oriental wraps
Actually, the idea for this recipe came to me in a very unspectacular way. I simply had an unspeakable desire to eat Baba Ghanoush. Don’t ask me why, but somehow hummus always wins the race at home. Baba Ghanoush practically never makes it on our table. And since eggplants are in season right now, it seemed like the perfect time to finally conjure up a Baba Ghanoush again.
That alone was not enough to get us full though. As we still had these wraps and some fresh vegetables in the fridge, this idea for oriental wraps with grilled vegetables and Baba Ghanoush was born. OK, I admit it, most of the recipe, was born by looking in the fridge. And with what was still around and needed to be used up, I conjured up these aromatic wraps.
How to make the perfect Baba Ghanoush
Eggplant is one of those vegetables that, in my opinion, only taste good if a) prepared properly and b) seasoned appropriately. What do you think of that?
So as I said, I really only like eggplants when the above points are met! Otherwise, I think they are somehow bland. But we can discuss this in the commentary function.
In any case, Baba Ghanoush is a method of preparation which, with the right ingredients, has a positive influence on the flavor of the eggplants. Oriental spices and fresh herbs are generally a great choice when you work with eggplants. But how do you achieve the perfect really nice and creamy Baba Ghanoush?
The answer is, through the right preparation of the eggplants, with the right spices and above all the right sesame paste. Don’t worry, I will tell you everything you need to know right away!
To fully exploit the aroma of the eggplants, you should roast them on the grill. Alternatively, you can also roast them in the oven. The skin of the eggplants can look really wrinkled and also a little black. Because a certain smoke aroma is desired here. It is best to prick the eggplants with a fork several times on all sides before roasting. This allows the liquid to escape.
An absolute must in a Baba Ghanoush are garlic and cumin (ground caraway seeds). They give the dip the characteristic note that I personally associate with oriental dishes. Of course, you can also experiment and add other spices. But the classic Baba Ghanoush only needs garlic, cumin, a dash of lemon and a little bit of salt.
Just as important as the spices are the right sesame paste (tahini). Use light tahini, i.e. a paste made from light peeled sesame seeds. The best sesame pastes are – in my opinion – available in Turkish or Arabic shops. Unfortunately, they are rarely available in organic quality, but they simply taste so much better. My personal favorite is the paste from alwadi. You can even buy it at the Coop.
And don’t be frightened, the eggplants get a brownish color after puréeing. However, as soon as you add the tahini, the color will lighten again.
Low waste tips for oriental wraps
As always, a few useful tips on how to avoid food and packaging waste:
- Get all fresh ingredients unpacked at the weekly market.
- You can get spices in the unpacked shop without packaging. Also ask your local spice shop if it is possible to fill up your spice jars.
- Make cumin yourself by grinding caraway seeds.
- You can also make wraps at home, here is a recipe for it.
- You can also make tahini yourself with a good high-performance blender. To do this, simply roast sesame seeds briefly in a pan (don’t burn them!), put them in a mixer, and work them into a creamy paste. If your blender is not so powerful, you may need to add some oil.
- You can put the lemon peel in your dishwasher, this will give your dishes a nice shine. Or you can use them to make cleaning products for the kitchen.
Alternatives to the ingredients used
You do not like any of the ingredients used in this dish? Or you lack access to certain ingredients? No problem! Here you can find alternatives to the ingredients used in this dish.
You don’t like eggplant or you’re not a fan of Baba Ghanoush?
No problem, you can just use hummus instead of the eggplant purée. Alternatively, guacamole, vegan sour cream, and coconut or soy yogurt would also fit. The flavor of the wraps is then simply much less oriental.
You don’t have wraps of Beetgold?
Not really necessary. You can use regular wheat, corn, or gluten-free wraps. Oriental wraps taste just as good with them.
The selected vegetables are out of season or not so yours?
No matter what, you can choose any vegetable you like. It doesn’t have to be zucchini and peppers. However, depending on the vegetables you choose, it may take a little longer or it may be more difficult to get the typical grill stripes.
You don’t own a grill?
You don’t really need one. It’s a wonderful dish, even when prepared in an oven and with pans. You can roast the eggplants in the oven and prepare the grilled vegetables with a grill pan. Note, however, that the preparation times can vary greatly depending on the appliance used. Every oven roasts differently. My electric grill takes longer to grill the eggplants than a coal or gas grill.
Meal Prep Tips
If you would like to save some time for the actual barbecue day, you can easily prepare the Baba Ghanoush the day before. Yes, even 2-3 days in advance. After that you simply store it airtightly closed in a container or a jar.
The remaining ingredients should be prepared directly before consumption.
Why you should try these oriental wraps:
They are:
- vegan
- made from fresh ingredients
- gluten-free
- low carb
- fibre-rich
- healthy
- easily prepared
- quickly prepared
- aromatic
- suitable for Meal Prep
More dishes for the BBQ fun:
- vegan burger buns
- Baked Potatoes
- stuffed peppers
- tofu skewers with a lime-cilantro chimichurri
- salads for your BBQ party
If you are trying these oriental wraps, I would love your feedback here in the comments. If you share your creation of this recipe on Instagram, please don’t forget to link @velvetandvinegar and use the hashtag #velvetandvinegar. So my community and I won’t miss your contribution.
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Your Sarah
Oriental Wraps with Grilled Veggies & Baba Ghanoush
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
baba ghanoush
- 2 eggplants approx. 600g, organic
- 2-3* cloves garlic organic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice organic
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tsp cumin
- smokey salt* to taste, organic
wraps
- sesame oil for greasing forgreasing, organic
- 1 green zucchini organic
- 1 yellow zucchini organic
- 1 red pepper organic
- ½ cucumber organic
- sesame seeds to sprinkle over it to sprinkle over it, organic
- cilantro to sprinkle on top, organic
- 4 wraps organic
Instructions
- Preheat grill or oven to 220° Celsius. Prick aubergines several times with a fork. Put them on the grill or a baking tray. Grill/roast in the oven until the skin turns brownish-black. Approx. 30-40 minutes°. You should be able to cut it without pressure. The inside should be soft.
- Let the aubergines cool down briefly, skin them and cut the meat into pieces.
- Put it in a blender or food processor with all the other ingredients for the Baba Ghanoush and chop it into a creamy puree.
- Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips. Cut the peppers in half. Cut them in half again.
- Coat the grill grid or a grill pan with sesame oil. Fry the vegetables on both sides until the typical grill stripes are visible*.
- Halve cucumber and cut each half in thin stripes.
- Heat the wraps briefly on both sides on the grill grid or in a pan. Spread with Baba Ghanoush, place grilled vegetables and cucumber on top, sprinkle with sesame seeds and coriander.
Notes
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