Eggplant fatta (Fattet betingan/betinjan)featured
My version of fattet betingan has eggplant cooked with ground lamb (or beef) in a tangy tomato and pomegranate sauce, served on a bed of crispy pita and topped with garlic tahini yogurt.
This was the very first dish I snapped for my Instagram account. It’s my four year old’s absolute favourite dish (depending on the day I guess). One thing I really love about preparing this is that the components can all be made ahead of time and thrown together at dinner time. So, its great for busy weeknights or when entertaining.
There are so many ways to make fattet betingan. There are vegetarian versions, some of which add chickpeas. Some have meat but the meat layer is kept as a separate layer from the eggplant. Others do not use tomato sauce. The variations are endless. I see so many delicious versions online that I’d like to try, but when your kids love something as is, you do not mess with it. So, this will be how I do it for the next eighteen years or so. Luckily, it’s freaking fantastic.
A note on ingredients: if you find it hard to obtain some of the Middle Eastern staples in this recipe locally, many are available online. I use Cortas brand pomegranate molasses, Al-Kanater tahina, and Sahadi Aleppo pepper, all available on Amazon (affiliate links).
Making eggplant fatta
First, cut your eggplant into large cubes and roast on a sheet pan. You could fry them if you’d like.
Then, saute ground meat with onions and spices in a tomato sauce. Near the end of this step, add pomegranate molasses to give it a tart and tangy flavour. After tasting to ensure the pomegranate is assertive enough, toss in your roasted or fried eggplant and simmer a few more minutes to ensure that the flavours meld.
Then, mix up your yogurt sauce. and begin composing the layers.
First, in a casserole dish or on a platter, lay down a bed of fried or baked pita chips (or store bought, like I did!). Then, layer on your eggplant and meat, and top with copious amounts of the yogurt sauce. Garnish with nuts fried in oil (pine nuts or sliced almonds work great), fresh chopped parsley, and pomegranate arils if available.
Bel hana wel shefa! Enjoy!
Eggplant Fatteh (Fattet betingan/betinjan)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs eggplant
- olive oil
- 1 lb ground lamb or beef
- allspice
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- Aleppo pepper
- 1 onion, small chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 cups yogurt regular, whole milk
- 2 tbsp tahina
- 1 clove garlic large
- thin pita or good quality pita chips
Instructions
For the eggplant
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Chop eggplant into chunks.
- Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Bake until cooked through and golden, approximately 35 minutes.
For the meat
- Heat a couple tablespoons olive oil in pan.
- Add ground beef and sear on high heat, breaking up chunks.
- Add your spices and salt and pepper to taste (approximately 1t sp allspice, 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and Aleppo pepper, and a small pinch of cardamom).
- Once meat is browning, toss in onion and let it soften a few minutes.
- Add tomato paste, mix and let it cook another few minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, bring to boil, cover and turn down to simmer for at least twenty minutes.
- Add pomegranate molasses and taste, it should be slightly tart, add more if needed.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Once you're happy with the seasoning, toss in your eggplant chunks and summer 5 more minutes.
Yogurt sauce
- Mix yogurt, tahini, finely minced clove garlic and a pinch of salt.
Pita chips
- Cut or tear pita into bite-size pieces, toss with olive oil and bake at 350F until golden, or substitute store-bought pita chips.
Assembly
- In a casserole dish or on a platter, lay out pita chips. Add your layer of eggplant and meat, then yogurt. Garnish with fried nuts, parsley and pomegranate arils if available.
