There are numerous types of fatteh’s in the region, made with layers of toasted bread, vegetables and/or meat with yoghurt, nuts and sometimes tomato sauce. Fatteh comes from the Arabic way of saying to crumble or pull the bread over something.
I find it inspiring and amazing how many different ways there are to making Fatteh Bitinjan, First it is considered to be a Middle-Eastern dish, yet I found it very difficult to track it back to its origin. Nonetheless it is for sure served in almost every Arab home, and how it is prepared is different from one kitchen to another.
This dish is a ritual during the holy month of Ramadan, and when it is prepared, we look forward for ‘Iftar‘ time. It is also very easy to prepare and I think no matter where your from, and if you have tried it before or not, this recipe is worth the try.
Preperation Time
- 1.5 hours
Cooking Time
- 30 minutes
Serves
- 6 – 8 pax
Ingredients
For Base and Top
- 5-6 large eggplants
- 1 cup light olive oil mixed with a couple dashes of sweet paprika
- a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper (to taste)
For Filling
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 400 gm minced low fat beef
- 2/3 cup store-bought crushed strained tomatos
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ¾ tsp of your favourite Arabic 7-spice blend
- salt & pepper (to taste)
For Topping
- 3 ¼ cups yoghurt
- 2 small garlic cloves (crushed with a tiny bit of salt)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp tahini
- salt (to taste)
For Garnish
- 4 small thin pita breads (cut into tiny square pieces and deep-fried until golden)
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (sautéed in oil until golden)
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Method
- Wash and peel the eggplants in alternating stripes, slice lengthwise, sprinkle with salt and let sit in a bowl of cold water until the bitter juices run out (approximately 20 mins).
- Pat dry and generously coat each slice with the oil mixture.
- Grill the eggplant slices until golden and then set aside.
- Sauté the chopped onion in cooking oil until soft.
- In another pot, brown the minced beef (without oil) by pressing and crumbling with a large fork until it is cooked through and dry.
- Add it to the sautéed onion. Mix together and add the tomato sauce, pomegranate molasses, ‘7 spice’ mixture and salt & pepper to taste.
- Mix the yoghurt with the crushed garlic, vinegar, tahini and salt.
- Set aside to reach room temperature.
- Place a layer of grilled eggplant at the bottom of an ovenproof serving dish, top with the beef mixture and then cover with another layer of eggplant.
- Heat through in the oven.
- Pour yoghurt mixture on top of the heated eggplant dish.
- Garnish with sautéed pine nuts, finely chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds and fried bread pieces.
