Turkish Moussaka - Patlıcan Musakka
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
45 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Total Time
2 hrs 15 mins
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Servings
4 people
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Calories
549 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Turkish
Turkish Moussaka - Patlıcan Musakka
Description
Turkish Moussaka, or Patlıcan Musakka, starts with frying aubergines cut into thick slices until lightly browned and slightly softened. These slices are drained to remove excess oil, as aubergines tend to absorb oil during frying. The meat sauce is prepared by browning lamb mince then adding finely chopped onions, green and red chili, and garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin. Tomato paste and fresh diced tomatoes deepen the flavor while chickpeas and vegetable stock add body and moisture. The cooked sauce is simmered for ten minutes to meld the flavors.
The dish is assembled by layering half of the fried aubergine slices in an oven dish and seasoning them with salt before adding the meat sauce. The aubergine texture complements the robust, spiced meat sauce, delivering a balanced and hearty meal.
When frying aubergines, use hot oil and just enough to cover the pan bottom, adding fresh oil as needed for each batch. Let fried slices drain on a colander longer to discard excess oil, ensuring the dish is not greasy. This attention to frying technique helps maintain the moussaka's texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 medium aubergine 800 g in total
- ½ cup vegetable oil for frying, or sunflower oil
- 300 g lamb mince or beef mince
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1-2 green chili or ½ green bell pepper, Turkish
- ½ red chili (or ½ teaspoon chili flakes)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 medium tomato diced
- 90 g chickpeas or 200 grams cooked chickpeas, dried, soaked overnight and cooked 1.5 hours
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock 350 ml, or chicken or beef stock
- ⅓ cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add the vegetable oil.
- Peel the aubergines - eggplants in stripes and slice them 1 cm thick.
- When the oil is hot, fry the aubergines - eggplants for 2-3 minutes on both sides until lightly browned and slightly softened. Do it in batches and add more oil if needed.
- Place the aubergines - eggplants onto a colander to drain the excess oil.
- When you finish frying all the aubergines - eggplants, use the same pan to prepare the meat sauce.
- To make the meat sauce, add the mince to the pan and place it on medium heat.
- Cook the mince until brown and it releases its fat, stirring occasionally to break the mince down into small pieces.
- Add onions, peppers, chili, and garlic, sauté until translucent then add freshly ground black pepper, cumin and salt. Sauté for 30 more seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute then add the chopped tomatoes.
- Add the stock and chickpeas, stir well and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and add chopped parsley.
- Preheat the fan oven to 180° C (360° F).
- To assemble the moussaka, layer half of the aubergines - eggplants on the bottom of an oven dish size 22 cm-24 cm (9" - 10") diameter and then sprinkle some salt.
- Spoon half of the meat mixture on the aubergines - eggplants and spread evenly on top.
- Layer the rest of the aubergines - eggplants on the meat filling and sprinkle some more salt before topping them up with the rest of the meat filling.
- Cover the dish with tin foil or a lid and put it in the hot oven. Cook for 1 hour then remove the lid/tin foil and cook for another 45 minutes or until the aubergines - eggplants are softened and the sauce has thickened.
Notes
- Use just enough hot oil to fry aubergine slices and add more for each batch to prevent sogginess.
- Drain fried aubergines on a colander to remove excess oil before layering.
- Layer half of the fried aubergines in a 22-24 cm oven dish and sprinkle with salt before adding the meat sauce.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 549 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 549kcal | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | 45g | 15% |
| Protein | 25g | 50% |
| Fat | 33g | 51% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 17g | 100% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 47mg | 16% |
| Sodium | 1356mg | 57% |
| Potassium | 1809mg | 38% |
| Fiber | 18g | 72% |
| Sugar | 24g | 48% |
| Vitamin A | 1357IU | 27% |
| Vitamin C | 60mg | 67% |
| Calcium | 89mg | 9% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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