This is a delicious eggplant dish that comes to us from Turkish cuisine 🇹🇷, specifically the Gaziantep province. So creamy and full of flavor, it’s made in a couple of versions, yogurt or milk. I’m showing you how to make the milk version today, which is very cheesy 😋
Ingredients
- 1 globe eggplant
- 1 1b. ( 500 gr.) Lamb or beef (birds eye)
- 2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1 long green pepper (diced)
- 1 tomato (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (mashed)
- 1 tsp pepper paste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 cup water
For the eggplant purée
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 tbs flour
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make about 5 small slits in the eggplant and roast for 40 minutes in a 450 F preheated oven. Let cool completely before peeling the skin off, set aside!!
- In a pan melt 2 teaspoons of ghee add the meat chunks and fry for 1 minute until it changes color stirring all the time.
- Add 1 diced onion and pepper and cook on medium for another minute, follow with 1 diced tomato and 1 teaspoon of pepper paste stir well then hit it with 1 cup of water, turn the heat up until it bubbles cover and turn the heat down to low and let cook for 20 minutes or until the meat is tender stirring occasionally. Uncover add the spices listed in the ingredients and cook for another 30 seconds stirring well.
- Now for the eggplant layer, using a knife mash the eggplant.
- In a pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter add the flour and whisk until the flour is toasted (about 30 seconds) add the eggplant and whisk together to incorporate add 1 1/2 cups of milk and continue whisking (this should all go very quickly) add the cheese and whisk until it melts.
- Plate the eggplant immediately then top with the warm meat sauce and enjoy with a side of Turkish or pita bread.