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Eggplant fatteh-featured photo

Eggplant Fatteh

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  • Author: Wafa Shami
  • 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

Scale

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
  • 1/2 pound ground beef or lamb
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • A pinch of ground nutmeg (1/16 teaspoon)
  • A pinch of ground cinnamon (1/16 teaspoon)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)

Yogurt Mixture

  • 1 1/2 cups of whole milk plain yogurt
  • 2-3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1/2 juice of a lemon (adjust to taste)
  • 1 1/2 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

  1. Slice eggplant into cubes, and brush with oil with a sprinkle of sea salt.
  2. Place under the broiler while stirring every few minutes, and continue until golden brown about 20-30 minutes.
  3. Slice bread into small pieces, brush with some oil and spread on a baking sheet.
  4. Toast them in the oven until crispy and lightly browned about 10 minutes.

Cooking Meat

  1. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat oil, add chopped onions, and sauté until caramelized.
  2. 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

  1. In a small bowl, add yogurt, minced garlic, tahini paste, lemon, and salt.
  2. Whisk well and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Tomato Mixture

  1. Mix tomato paste in 1 cup of hot water with salt and allspice.
  2. In a saucepan add grilled eggplants and pour tomato mixture.
  3. Mix well and let it cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
  4. Turn off the heat and let it cool off before spreading over the bread.

Assemble the Fatteh

  1. On a rounded or oval platter spread the toasted bread pieces evenly.
  2. Spread tomato eggplant mixture evenly over the bread.
  3. Spoon the garlic yogurt sauce over the eggplant mixed in tomato sauce, covering them evenly.
  4. Spoon the cooked meat onion mixture over the yogurt sauce and cover evenly.
  5. Sprinkle toasted almond and pine nuts over the dish.
  6. 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.