Egyptian vegan mesaqa’a – Egyptian eggplant moussaka
This Egyptian mesaqa’a is a super savory dish of roasted eggplants and peppers smothered in a warmly spiced tomato sauce with a kick of heat, and baked until the flavors meld and intensify. Easily customizable, and great served warm or cold, this eggplant dish is a hearty and delicious Egyptian staple.
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What is Egyptian mesaqa’a?
Mesaqa’a is a typical Egyptian eggplant dish, that’s often compared to the Greek moussaka.
It’s Arabic name is the tricky to transliterate مسقعة, and can be written as mesaka’a, mesakaa, or somtimes the Greek term moussaka is borrowed, though this is not the Arabic pronunciation.
While the dish is highly customizable, and can be made baked or made on the stovetop- or made vegan or with added ground meat, at its heart is one star- roasted eggplant.
This eggplant can be joined with other veggies like peppers or potatoes, or proteins like chickpeas or meat. Then it’s bathed in a warmly spiced, tangy tomato sauce and baked all together.
This version is my favorite- a spicy and tangy vegan version that in my opinion is, like revenge, best served cold.
I love to make it ahead and eat it for the next few days with pita bread.
It can also be served warm with bread or rice.
It makes a great side dish or mezza to add to any meal, eaten as a light lunch with bread, and also makes a wonderful full meal with added protein.
How do you make mesaqa’a?
Making mesaqa’a entails three main steps:
- Roasting your eggplants and other veggies
- Making your spiced tomato sauce on the stove
- Assembling it all together and baking
Roasting the eggplant
You will need to preheat your oven to 425 degrees Farenheit, then begin prepping your eggplant and peppers.
Slice the eggplant into rounds, approximately 2 cm, or 3/4 inch, thick. You don’t want to slice them too thin, as they will shrink when cooked, and you want them to maintain some meatiness.
For your peppers, you can slice them a bit thinner than the eggplant.
Toss with oil and roast on a parchment-lined baking sheet until caramelized and a bit charred, like so. This will take about 45 minutes.
Make sure to flip the eggplant and peppers periodically while roasting.
Making the sauce
While your eggplant and peppers are roasting, make your tomato sauce.
Begin by sauteing your onions, then adding garlic and chili pepper, then adding your canned or jarred tomato sauce and a little water.
Season your sauce liberally with cinnamon and cumin, as instructed in the recipe below, and add a dash of vinegar and a little sugar to add a tangy element. Season well with salt.
The sauce should be assertively spiced and salted, with a hot and tangy kick. Taste and adjust as necessary to achieve this balance.
Assembling and baking the mesaqa’a
Once your eggplant and peppers are roasted, assemble them in a baking dish that will holdly them snuggly, overlapping, as shown below:
Pour tomato sauce over the eggplant and peppers, making sure to get the sauce in between the slices and in all the nooks and crannies.
Bake in your preheated oven, until the sauce is dark and reduced and there are charred marks on the exposed eggplant- about 30 minutes.
How to serve mesaqa’a
You can garnish your finished mesaqa’a with minced parsley and serve immediately with pita bread or white rice. Its especially delicious served with my Egyptian rice with vermicelli.
Alternatively, you can let it cool and place in the fridge to be eaten later.
This mesaqa’a tastes even better the next day, and it is my favorite served cold, scooped up in some hot pita or Egyptian baladi bread.
When served cold, it makes a great side dish or mezze to add to any dinner spread, or simple yet delicious meal with bread.
Bel hana w’el shifa! Enjoy!
Egyptian vegan mesaqa’a – Egyptian eggplant moussaka
Ingredients
- 2- 3 lbs eggplant globe or italian
- 2 cubanelle or green bell peppers
- olive oil as needed
- 1/2 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 small red or green chili pepper, eg thai or serrano, finely minced or to taste, optional.
- 1 tsp granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp diamond kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Roasting the veggies
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.
- Slice eggplants and peppers into 2 cm rounds (about 3/4 an inch thickness).
- Place eggplants and peppers on parchment lined baking sheet, and lightly coat with olive oil.
- Roast until eggplants are deeply caramelized and a bit charred- about 45 minutes, turning halfway. Roast peppers until charred and soft, about 30 minutes.
Making the sauce
- While the veggies are roasting, start on your tomato sauce. Heat 2 TBS olive oil over medium-high heat on the stove.
- Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and chili peppers and cook until fragrant, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, for at least 20 minutes, or longer, while veggies continue cooking.
- Taste sauce and adjust salt and other seasonings as needed. It should be assertively tangy and spiced.
Assemble and bake
- In a baking dish that will hold the eggplant snuggly, arrange the eggplant slices, overlapping. Tuck the pepper slices between the eggplant.
- Spoon tomato sauce over the eggplant, and get the sauce between all the layers.
- Bake uncovered until tomato sauce has darkened and there are some charred marks on exposed eggplant, approximately 30 minutes.
