Roasted Soy Beans, Tabbouleh, Baba Ganoush, Hummus (筍豆，三樣地中海開胃菜，芝蔴醬）

I grew up without snacks in my life.  That's why I didn't realize that this category of food is missing from the blog until now, even though many previous posts fit in this category.  The first item below is a very traditional Shanghai style snack.  The others are all Mediterranean appetizers or dips we've grown to love over the years.  All these are easy to make, and nice to have for a gathering with friends.

I. .  Roasted Soy Beans  (筍豆)

1. Immerse 1 cup of soybeans in water over night.  
2. Place the soybeans in a medium-sized pot, add water to cover the beans.  Add bamboo shoots (1/2 cup, i.e., 2  frozen halves; cut into matchstick size).  Add seasonings: 1-2 slices of ginger , 1-2 dried hot peppers, 2-3 Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp of sugar, 1/4 tsp of salt,  1-2 star anise.
3. Bring the pot to boil and let simmer till the soybeans are soft (~1 hours).  Drain water from the soybeans.  Spread the soybeans and the bamboo shoot slices on a thinly oiled baking pan, take out the seasonings.
4. Preheat oven to 350-deg-F, bake the soybeans till they are dry (16 - 18 minutes, stir with a pair of chopsticks at half way point).  Note- For 2 cups of soybeans, use two baking pans and add 8 - 9 minutes of baking time.
5. Let the soybeans cool down and their skin show wrinkles, then serve.  This snack can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

II.  Tabbouleh

1. Place 1/2 cup of bulghur in a medium-sized bowl, pour in 1/2 cup boiling water (3/4 cup if you like your tabbouleh a bit more moist).  Mix evenly and let sit for about an hour (in room temperature).  Note- Bulghur can be purchased from Sprouts, or any Mediterranean market.
2. Add the following thoroughly rinsed vegetables into the mixing bowl: finely chopped scallions (1 stalk), finely chopped mint leaves (half of a small bunch, leaves only), finely chopped parsley or Italian parsley (2 bunches, with the top 1"-2" stems chopped off and discarded), 1 cucumber (peel, remove seeds, and dice into 1/4-1/2" cubes).  
3. Add 2 Tbsp of lemon juice (4 Tbsp if you like it sour), and 4 Tbsp of olive oil into the mixing bowl.  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.  Stir and mix thoroughly.  
4. Prepare tomatoes (3-4 Roma tomatoes or 1-2 regular tomato, diced into 1/4-1/2" cubes), set aside, add before serving.
5. Cover the bowl and let chill in the fridge.  Add tomato chunks, mix thoroughly, and serve as a cold salad, with warm pita bread (heat in microwave or toaster over).  Here is a picture of the the outcome from our kitchen.
   

III. Baba Ganoush (Mediterranean-style eggplant dip)

1. Prepare the eggplant- Place an eggplant (the large bell-shaped eggplant, not the skinny Chinese eggplant) on a grill or directly on the fire of a gas stove for 3 minutes, flip to the other side for another 3 minutes.  Repeat the process for another eggplant.  Place both eggplants in a flat bottom cooking pan, turn on medium heat, cover the lid, cook for 5 minutes, flip to the other side and cook for another 5 minutes.  Note-  the traditional method is to roast the eggplants in an oven (turning on the broiler to burn the skin for the smoky flavor).  Also, overcooking the eggplant will make this dip taste essentially the same as hummus, because the inside of the eggplants turns into a paste, losing its eggplant texture.
2. Let the eggplants cool, cut them open in the middle, and spoon out the inside of the eggplants into a small mixing bowl.  Add 2-4 Tbsp of Tahini (sesame seed paste, see note below), 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil, and optionally, 2-4 Tbsp of finely chopped parsley.  Season with 2 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, 1/4 tsp of cumin.  Stir and mix the content thoroughly (use a hard spoon to crush the eggplant until no longer chunky).  Note- Tahini is available from almost any regular market.  It can also be made at home easily.  Please see Homemade Tahini in Part V below.
3. Let the dip chill in the fridge.  When ready to serve, take a portion of the dip into a small serving bowl, make a well in the center, pour some olive oil into the well, and sprinkle paprika on top.  Serve with heated pita bread as an appetizer.  (Optionally, garnish the dip with some parsley leaves.) Here is a picture of the dip.
   
   

IV. Hummus (Mediterranean-style chick pea dip)

1. Drain water out of a 15-oz can of chick peas (aka, Garbanzo peas).  Add the following into a food processor bowl: chick peas, 2 Tbsp of Tahini, 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil,  2 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, 2 Tbsp of water, .  Grind until the mix turns into a thick paste.  Note- If you use a blender, instead of a food processor, you must add at least 1/4 cup of water and stir the content every 5-10 seconds. This is not a job for a low-powered blender!!  Also note, Tahini is available from almost any regular market.  It can also be made at home easily.  Please see Homemade Tahini in Part V below.
2. Let the dip chill in the fridge.  When ready to serve, take a portion of the dip into a small serving bowl, make a well in the center, pour some olive oil into the well, and sprinkle paprika on top.  Serve with heated pita bread as an appetizer.  (Optionally, garnish the dip with some parsley leaves.)

V. Homemade Tahini and Chinese-style Sesame Paste (芝蔴醬)

1. Place 2 cup of natural sesame seeds in a dry frying pan, turn on medium heat, stir frequently until fragrant (i.e., color turning slightly golden, but not brown, 6-8 minutes). Let it cool down.
2. Add the sesame seeds into a food processor bowl, add 2 Tbsp of unflavored veggie oil (NOT olive oil), grind for a minute or two (stop every minute to check on the consistency).
3. Add 2 Tbsp of veggie oil and grind until the mixture turns into creamy paste (another 2-3 minutes).  Note- A total of 4 Tbsp (i.e., 1/4 cup) of veggie oil.
4. Store the paste in fridge for making Hummus or Eggplant dip in the future.
5. If we season to taste with salt and soy sauce, we have the Chinese-style Sesame Paste (芝蔴醬).