Eggplant Fatteh is a delicious Middle Eastern dish that consists of layers of fried or grilled eggplants and crunchy bread, topped with a garlicky tangy yogurt sauce and then garnished with toasted nuts.
This dish is one of my favorite family recipes, it is so easy to prepare and the combination of the flavors is incredibly delicious.
Eggplant fatteh is so flavorful and satisfying, this dish can be served as a side dish for your party gatherings or as lunch or dinner for your family.
Different variations of fatteh would include chicken fatteh, and the most popular vegetarian option is hummus fatteh.
For more Palestinian recipes try my warak dawali, or chicken musakhan.
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What is Fatteh?
Fatteh is a popular Middle Eastern dish that typically consists of layers of bread, topped with various ingredients such as meat, vegetables, legumes, yogurt, and spices. It is commonly served as a main course.
The word fatteh translates to "crumbs” or "broken pieces" in Arabic, referring to the use of bread in the dish. The bread is either toasted or fried until crispy or soaked with broth mixed in garlic and lemon juice. Normally, bread is the base layer of any fatteh dish.
To assemble fatteh, the bread is placed at the bottom of a serving dish, followed by the chosen toppings such as meat, vegetables, or legumes. Then sprinkle with toasted nuts.
There are different variations of fatteh including chicken fatteh, and the most popular vegetarian option is hummus fatteh, a favorite to many.
Fatteh offers a harmonious combination of textures and flavors, making it a satisfying and delicious meal option.
Equipment
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Pot - For cooking onions and meat
Baking Sheet – to bake bread and eggplants
Serving Platter - to hold all layers for serving fatteh.
Ingredients
- Eggplants - Large black eggplants are good for this recipe.
- Flatbread – Any type of flatbread can work.
- Ground Meat - I like to use lamb, but beef can work too, or a mixture of both.
- Plain Yogurt - Whole milk plain yogurt.
- Tahini Paste - Look for a good quality Tahini paste, I recommend any Arabic brand that can be found at a Middle Eastern grocery store.
- Lemon juice – Gives a tangy taste once mixed with yogurt.
- Garlic Cloves – Garlic gives this recipe a great flavor.
- Spices - Allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon to give the meat a flavor.
- Sea salt
- Tomato Paste - Provides an additional flavorful taste to this dish.
- Almonds and Pine Nuts – Add a crunchy texture to the entire dish.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - I like to use extra virgin olive oil with this recipe.
- Fresh Parsley - For garnishing (optional).
- Pomegranate Seeds - For garnishing (optional).
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare the Eggplant:
Step 1 | Slice eggplant into cubes, and brush with oil and salt.
Step 2 | Place under the broiler while stirring every few minutes, continue until fully grilled and golden brown about 20-30 minutes.
Prepare the Bread:
Step 3 | Slice bread into small pieces, brush with oil, and spread on a baking sheet.
Step 4 | Toast in the oven until crispy and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Prepare the Meat:
Step 5 | In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat oil, add chopped onion, and sauté until caramelized.
Step 6 | Add ground lamb or beef, break meat with the back of a spatula, then add cinnamon powder, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Sauté until meat is browned and fully cooked.
Make the Yogurt Sauce:
Step 7 | In a small bowl, add yogurt, minced garlic, tahini paste, lemon, and salt.
Step 8 | Whisk well and adjust seasoning to taste.
Assemble the Fatteh:
Step 1 | On a serving platter spread the toasted bread pieces evenly.
Step 2 | Mix tomato paste with water, salt, and allspice. In a saucepan, add the grilled eggplants and pour over the tomato mixture, stir well and let it cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool off then spread on top of the bread.
Step 3 | Spoon the yogurt sauce over the eggplant mixed in tomato sauce, covering them evenly.
Step 4 | Spoon the cooked meat onion mixture over the yogurt sauce and cover evenly.
Step 5 | Sprinkle toasted almond and pine nuts on top. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds if desired.
What Can I Prepare Ahead of Time?
- Grilled or fried eggplants and bread can be prepared 2-3 days ahead of time, make sure eggplants are stored in an airtight container in the fridge and bread is stored in a zip bag at room temperature so it won't lose crunchiness
- Meat and onion mixture can be cooked and stored in the fridge 2-3 days early and just heated before serving.
- Eggplants and tomato sauce can be mixed and stored in the fridge and then heated before assembling.
- The yogurt mixture can be done on the day off and stored in the fridge until usage.
Substitution and Variation
- The traditional method for this dish requires deep frying of the eggplants and bread, feel free to deep fry or use an air fryer.
- You can use ready-made pita bread chips instead of toasted bread.
- You can skip the meat completely and turn this dish vegetarian.
- You can use cashews instead or in addition to almond and pine nuts.
Pro Tips
- Eggplant fatteh is best served fresh, however, you can prepare all the components ahead of time and assemble them just before serving to prevent the crunchy bread from becoming too soggy.
- Serve the eggplant fatteh immediately after assembling, either warm or at room temperature.
- Make sure the tomato mixture is not too hot, so it won't soak the bread and lose its crunchy texture.
- To toast almond and pine nuts you can either place them under a broiler for 2-4 minutes or heat oil in a skillet over stove top and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
FAQ
The bread adds a crunchy texture to this dish, but you can certainly take it out.
Yes, you can, just skip the meat layer completely or replace it with garbanzo beans.
No, you don't, however, the tomato sauce adds an extra flavor texture and keeps the eggplant moist.
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Eggplant Fatteh
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Baking/Air fryer
- Cuisine: Palestinian/Middle Eastern
- Diet: Halal
Description
Eggplant Fatteh is a delicious Middle Eastern dish that consists of layers of fried or grilled eggplants and crunchy bread, topped with a garlicky tangy yogurt sauce and then garnished with toasted nuts.
Ingredients
Grilling Eggplant and Bread
- 1-2 flatbread
- 1 large eggplant
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- A pinch of Sea salt for the eggplant (1/16 teaspoon)
Cooking Meat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral oil
- 1 sweet or yellow onion chopped
- ½ pound ground beef or lamb
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- A pinch of ground nutmeg (1/16 teaspoon)
- A pinch of ground cinnamon (1/16 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)
Yogurt Mixture
- 1 ½ cups of whole milk plain yogurt
- 2-3 cloves crushed garlic
- ½ juice of a lemon (adjust to taste)
- 1 ½ tablespoons tahini paste
- Sea salt (adjust to taste)
Tomato Mixture
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 cup hot water
- A pinch of sea salt
- A pinch of allspice
Instructions
Grilling Eggplant and Bread
- Slice eggplant into cubes, and brush with oil with a sprinkle of sea salt.
- Place under the broiler while stirring every few minutes, and continue until golden brown about 20-30 minutes.
- Slice bread into small pieces, brush with some oil and spread on a baking sheet.
- Toast them in the oven until crispy and lightly browned about 10 minutes.
Cooking Meat
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat oil, add chopped onions, and sauté until caramelized.
- Add ground meat, break meat with the back of a spatula, then add cinnamon powder, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Sauté until meat is browned and fully cooked.
Yogurt Mixture
- In a small bowl, add yogurt, minced garlic, tahini paste, lemon, and salt.
- Whisk well and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Tomato Mixture
- Mix tomato paste in 1 cup of hot water with salt and allspice.
- In a saucepan add grilled eggplants and pour tomato mixture.
- Mix well and let it cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool off before spreading over the bread.
Assemble the Fatteh
- On a rounded or oval platter spread the toasted bread pieces evenly.
- Spread tomato eggplant mixture evenly over the bread.
- Spoon the garlic yogurt sauce over the eggplant mixed in tomato sauce, covering them evenly.
- Spoon the cooked meat onion mixture over the yogurt sauce and cover evenly.
- Sprinkle toasted almond and pine nuts over the dish.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds if desired.
Notes
- Eggplant fatteh is best served fresh, however, you can prepare all the components ahead of time and assemble them just before serving to prevent the crunchy bread from becoming too soggy.
- Serve the eggplant fatteh immediately after assembling, either warm or at room temperature.
- Make sure the tomato mixture is not too hot, so it won't soak the bread and lose its crunchy texture.
- To toast almond and pine nuts you can either place them under a broiler for 2-4 minutes or heat oil in a skillet over stove top and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Nila says
This recipe is to die for, I made it for my family the other day and everyone loved it. So many steps but so simple to put together and turned out so delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Wafa Shami says
Awesome, glad to hear that.