Funny story about this one. A few years ago, I was in Panama on a birdwatching trip and stayed at a place called the Canopy Tower. It's basically a radar tower in the middle of the jungle converted into a hotel, and caters mainly to birdwatchers and others who want to see the natural environment of the jungle up close and personal. It was an incredible trip, and I saw a mountain of birds that you just can't see anywhere else (even if the bugs tended to get a little too up close and personal for my liking...). Also, that hotel takes food seriously: apparently they share some of their kitchen staff with a well-known restaurant in the city, and I really appreciated their delicious vegan options.
When I got to that hotel, I was exhausted after a day of traveling, and the first thing they served as a snack was crackers with this eggplant dip. I was skeptical, then, of these wet yellow cubes, but the instant I dipped a cracker into one and put it in my mouth, all my doubts were put to rest. It was probably a little bit of hunger and exhaustion being the best seasoning, but it was also just good seasoning: while all the food was incredible there this stood out to me as just one of the best things I'd ever tasted.
At the time, I thought, "man I wish I could make this myself, but I can't really tell what's in it." Little did I know, I'd get my chance: a day or two later, I was out of commission all morning with some sort of stomach bug (I suspect it was something I picked up while traveling, or just my gut adapting to a new country), and the kind hotel manager (apparently worried I'd blame their kitchen) asked me, "what can we do to make this right?"
"Well," I responded, "any chance I could get the recipe for the eggplant dip?"
Thankfully, she was fine with that, and a few days later, I received an email with this recipe on it. I now present to you the Canopy Tower eggplant dip recipe, lightly modified by myself based on some testing to get the best flavor out of it and to make the instructions as clear as possible.
As for how it works, it's actually pretty simple: you chop an eggplant small, then cook it in water and lemon juice until it is totally soft. Then you add seasonings, vinegar, and olive oil, let it sit for a while, and bam! These simple flavors combine together into something far more than the sum of their parts: something savory, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. I've given this dip to several people who claim to "not like eggplant", and all of them so far have changed their minds after trying it!
Time
About 20-30 min to make, then overnight refrigeration (recommended).
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant (approx. 1 large eggplant), peeled and diced into small cubes (1/4" to 1/8" or 3-6mm)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (approx. 1 small or 0.5 large lemons)
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.75 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 cup rice vinegar, seasoned preferred
- 0.75 cup olive oil
Procedure
- Prepare the eggplant as above.
- Add the lemon juice, salt, and water to a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat with the lid on.
- As soon as the pot starts to simmer, add the diced eggplant. Return to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until the eggplant cubes have all turned transparent and soft (about 10 min).
- Meanwhile, combine the garlic, oregano, rice vinegar, and olive oil in a large container that can go in the fridge.
- When the eggplant is done, pour out the water and mix in the eggplant with the other ingredients.
- Dip is now complete! It can be eaten immediately but I find it that it tastes best if left overnight to marinate.
