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Mutabbal Shawandar
Serves 4 Prep 10 min Cook 45 min Total 55 min Type Side Origin Syria

Mutabbal Shawandar

Syria's beetroot mutabbal: roasted beetroot blended with tahini, lemon, garlic and yogurt into a vivid magenta dip. Earthy and bright.

Serves 4 Prep 10 minutes Cook 45 minutes (roasting beets) Units Rate

Overview

Whole beetroots roast in foil at 200°C until a knife slides through (45 minutes for medium beets). Peeled while still warm. Blended with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, salt, cumin and a small drizzle of olive oil into a thick, vivid pink-purple dip. Topped with a final swirl of tahini, a sprinkle of sumac, parsley and a few pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

  • 500 g medium beetroots (about 3)
  • 4 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

To finish

  • 1 tablespoon tahini (to swirl)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (to drizzle)
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method

Stage 1 - Roast the beetroot

  1. Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
  2. Wash the beets (don't peel); wrap each in foil with a splash of water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Roast 45-60 minutes until a knife slides through easily.
  4. Open the foil; cool 10 minutes.
  5. Slip off the skins with paper towels (the warm skin slides off easily).

Stage 2 - Blend

  1. Roughly chop the peeled beets.
  2. Place in a food processor with tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil.
  3. Blitz to a smooth thick dip.
  4. Taste; adjust lemon and salt.

Stage 3 - Plate

  1. Tip onto a wide plate; spread with the back of a spoon, creating ridges.
  2. Swirl extra tahini over the top.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil.
  4. Sprinkle with sumac; scatter parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Stage 4 - Serve

  1. Eat with warm pita or fresh vegetable batons.

Notes

  • Roast not boil: Boiling waterlogs the beets and dilutes the flavour. Roasting concentrates the sweetness; foil-wrap protects from drying.
  • Tahini quality: Use a Middle Eastern tahini (Lebanese, Syrian or Palestinian brands). Supermarket-aisle versions are often bitter; look for a light, runny tahini that pours.
  • Vivid colour: Beetroot stains. Wear an apron and protect the worktop.

Storage

  • Refrigerate 3 days. The colour deepens slightly.
  • Doesn't freeze well.

Recipes mentioned here

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Mutabbal

Mutabbal

The richer Levantine cousin of baba ganoush: aubergines charred until the skins blacken and the flesh inside has gone completely soft and smoky, then folded into tahini, yogurt, lemon and garlic for a creamier, slightly tart finish. The yogurt is the dish's defining move; where baba ganoush stays olive-oil rich, mutabbal carries a quiet dairy tang across the back. The aubergines have to char over a real flame (gas hob, grill or charcoal); the smoky depth that comes from open fire is exactly what an oven roast cannot give you. After charring you cool them, peel off the skins, drain the bitter water, and chop or mash the flesh by hand. Never blend, because pureeing turns the dip into babyfood and loses the texture that makes it. A pool of olive oil on top, a scatter of pomegranate seeds for colour and a sweet-sharp bite, warm flatbread torn alongside to scoop.

Arabian 30 minutes Serves4-6

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