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RECIPE<br />
Baba ganoush<br />
Monem Mansour, Cairovan<br />
Cairovan is a proper family business. It was<br />
inspired by the Egyptian side of the family –<br />
in particular my dad, who loved cooking for<br />
gatherings. Aunties and my grandma passed on<br />
recipes that go back generations, and I spent<br />
months in Egypt practising and perfecting<br />
different dishes. My English kin pitch in<br />
too: our lamb comes from one nephew who<br />
works the family farm in Ditchling, and other<br />
nephews and nieces help with serving food,<br />
fixing the van and sorting out my website.<br />
I sell contemporary Egyptian street food<br />
from my custom-built orange van (called<br />
Habiba, which means ‘My darling’). I love<br />
the variety of being mobile, and it means I<br />
can try new venues as well as establishing a<br />
loyal customer base at my regular pitches. On<br />
Tuesday evenings you’ll find me in Barcombe;<br />
on Wednesdays I’m in Portslade; Thursday is<br />
Horsham market day; Friday evenings I’m at<br />
Stonywish Farm with my family, campers and<br />
lots of villagers; and on Saturdays we do events<br />
like weddings or festivals.<br />
My food is locally sourced wherever possible<br />
and we try to be zero-waste – even the unused<br />
lettuce goes to a friend who keeps reptiles.<br />
I prepare the food at home and then cook<br />
on the hob and oven in the van. We serve<br />
breakfasts of fava beans, lamb chipolatas,<br />
ful medames and fried eggs. Our special<br />
falafels are made with fava beans, so they’re<br />
really light and moist, and we serve amazing<br />
halloumi fries, and slow-roasted garlic lamb.<br />
We also make our own pickled cabbage, chilli<br />
sauce, tahini sauce and coriander verdi. Our<br />
dishes are vibrant and fresh, full of colour and<br />
made with real care.<br />
The recipe I’ve chosen is my dad’s baba<br />
ganoush. I spent so much time watching<br />
him cook, learning how to get a true feel for<br />
flavours and textures. He often made this<br />
when we had guests, serving it with bread as<br />
a dip as people arrived. It’s a lovely starter or<br />
nibble for a summer garden party or BBQ<br />
and is simple to make. The name means<br />
‘spoilt father’ – it’s something you’d make to<br />
treat your dad and it connects me to mine,<br />
who is no longer around.<br />
Here’s how to make it: On a high heat, grill<br />
(or BBQ) four aubergines until evenly charred.<br />
You want them black and shrivelled on the<br />
outside and soft and gooey on the inside.<br />
Leave to cool in a bowl, then scoop out the<br />
flesh into another bowl, reserving the liquid.<br />
To the flesh add the juice of two lemons, two<br />
teaspoons salt, two teaspoons ground cumin,<br />
one teaspoon ground black pepper, three<br />
tablespoons tahini, two tablespoons olive oil,<br />
two cloves crushed garlic, three tablespoons<br />
of the reserved aubergine juices and mash<br />
well with a fork. Garnish with fresh parsley,<br />
pomegranate seeds and olive oil. Cut khobez<br />
bread or pittas into triangles, place on a baking<br />
tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with<br />
za’atar, then bake for ten minutes. Serve with<br />
the baba ganoush.<br />
As told to Lulah Ellender<br />
cairovan.com; Instagram @cairo_van<br />
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