Smoky Avocado Mutabal

Mohammad Abutaha
Mohammad Abutaha
Mohammad Abutaha was raised in Jordan and moved to America when he was 20 years old to study mechanical engineering. In 2015, he dropped out of university in his final year to pursue his dreams of owning a restaurant. He started as a dishwasher and worked his way up the kitchen ladder, working in iconic kitchens around the Bay Area including Reem's California. At the end of 2019, he and his brother launched a shawarma pop-up, and then turned their pop-up into the brick and mortar restaurant Shawarmaji in December 2020. Since opening, Shawarmaji has been named in San Francisco Chronicle's Top 25 Restaurants and Esquire magazine's 2021 Best Restaurants.
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published Apr 1, 2022
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Smoky Avocado Mutabal Recipe

Mutabal, a staple dip in the Arab world, is most commonly made with eggplant. Here, chef Mohammad Abutaha does a version with avocado and lime.

Serves8

Makes2 cups

Prep20 minutes

Cook10 minutes

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Avocado mutubal
Credit: Photo: Nader Khouri | Food + Prop Stylist: Jillian Knox

This recipe is part of Kitchn 100 — the hundred recipes you need right now. Check out all of the amazing dishes, from Kitchn and beyond, here.

Mutabal is a staple dip in the Arab world. It’s most commonly recognized as tahini-laced charred eggplant, but it’s really quite versatile. You can take just about any vegetable, roast or grill it, and smash it with creamy tahini, lemon, and garlic; in Arabic, the name literally means to make a dish flavorful with seasoning. With each variation, it’s the preparation of the vegetable that distinguishes the dish as mutabal. Here, Chef Mohammad Abutaha lends the dip a California brightness with smoked avocado and a touch of lime.

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Smoky Avocado Mutabal Recipe

Mutabal, a staple dip in the Arab world, is most commonly made with eggplant. Here, chef Mohammad Abutaha does a version with avocado and lime.

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook time 10 minutes

Makes 2 cups

Serves 8

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2

    large ripe avocados (about 8 ounces each)

  • 1

    medium lime

  • 1 tablespoon

    neutral oil, such as canola or sunflower

  • 1

    charcoal briquette

  • 1/2

    medium serrano or jalapeño pepper

  • 1 clove

    garlic

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt, plus more as needed

  • 1/4 cup

    tahini

  • 1/4 cup

    whole-milk yogurt

  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

  • Pita bread, for serving

Instructions

  1. Halve and pit 2 large ripe avocados. Scoop out the flesh into a small bowl. Halve 1 medium lime and squeeze the juice from 1 half over the avocado (reserve the remaining half). Smash the avocado with a fork until mashed. Place the bowl in a 9x13-inch baking dish.

  2. Create a small cup from a 4 to 5-inch square sheet of aluminum foil that is wide enough to hold a piece of charcoal. Place on the other side of the baking dish and pour 1 tablespoon neutral oil into the cup. It’s preferable to smoke the avocado outside, so place the baking dish outside if you can.

  3. Hold 1 charcoal briquette with tongs and heat over the flame of a gas burner or directly on an electric stove burner, turning occasionally, until red hot, 5 to 10 minutes total (make sure your hood and exhaust is on and your windows are open). Alternatively, if you have a portable butane stove, use it outside to heat the charcoal to keep the smoke outdoors.

  4. Place the lit charcoal in the oil. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.

  5. Trim and seed 1/2 medium serrano or jalapeño pepper. Place in a mortar and pestle, add 1 garlic clove and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and smash into a paste. (Alternatively, finely chop the pepper and garlic and smash and mince it with the salt against the cutting board until it forms a paste.)

  6. Transfer the paste to a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup whole-milk yogurt, and the juice of the reserved lime half, and mix until combined.

  7. When the avocado is ready, add to the tahini mixture and gently fold to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Enjoy at room temperature or cold with pita bread.

Filed in:
Kitchn 100
Middle Eastern
Vegetables
dairy
appetizer
Side Dish