If you're one to obsess over eggplants, the Middle East is probably the best place for you. Integrating eggplant into Middle Eastern cuisine is a must, and there are a variety of dishes or mezze with batenjan that will more than satisfy your cravings.
Give these 7 a try this week!
1. Maqluba
Translating to "upside-down" this traditional Palestinian/Jordanian dish is flipped upside-down before being served. It's a delicious combination of meat, rice, and of course, eggplant alongside other vegetables.
A Levantine specialty, this eggplant spread is the perfect appetizer or dip for anyone looking for a delicious, yet healthy meal.
There are several takes on the spread, with some mixing it with tahini (moutabal), making a thick spread resembling hummus, whereas others mix it with onions and tomatoes. Either way it's delicious.
If you're a fan of eggplants, tomato sauce and minced meat, this is the perfect dish for you! Served with a cup of steamed rice on the side, this will satisfy the batenjan craving in you, no doubt.
This is kind of like Sheikh el Mahshi except the eggplants are stuffed with rice and meat. Kind of like koussa and wara enab, but with eggplants. Delicious.
This is not your ordinary fatteh. Replace the chickpeas with eggplant, add some tomato sauce, bread, and minced meat, and you've got a plate of heaven right in front of you. Some even decide to forgo the tomato sauce all in all, but that's all up to you!
6. Fried batenjan with reb el remen
Yes, nothing better than pieces of fried eggplants with pomegranate molasses. YUM.
7. Makdous
It's not an obsession till it's pickled! Get your tiny eggplants and stuff them with walnuts and sun-dried red pepper and you'll be good to go! It takes a few tries to perfect the recipe, but you'll get there!