Fattet Betenjan, alternatively called eggplant crumble, is a dish consisting of fried eggplants layered with crispy pita bread pieces, a garlicky yogurt sauce, and aromatic meat.
A very beautiful memory is attached to this dish. I remember my mom made it for my baby’s welcome party and I instantly fell in love with it. Aside from that, it tastes amazing, so you don’t really have a choice but to fall in love with it.
Love At First Bite!
How To Serve Your Fattet Betenjan
This dish is so versatile, it can be served as a main course or a side dish. And whatever you choose to serve it as, it’s still a super filling dish and it makes an amazing addition to your table.
Of course, if you decide to serve it as a main dish, you might need some other dishes to go with it. So here are a few recommendations for you to have a perfect table to impress your guests.
A very popular Middle Eastern specialty is hummus with tahini and it’s totally worth the hype! For a slight twist, you could serve it with ground beef on top. It is equally mouthwatering.
When serving a Middle Eastern dish, you can never go wrong with a bowl of Lebanese fattoush! It just creates a sort of balance between something hearty and something zesty that makes it absolutely irresistible.
Fattet Betenjan can also be served as a breakfast option. Obviously, it is on the filling side and you won’t be able to eat anything for hours.
Fatteh Variations
Since Fatteh is a favorite dish in the Levantine region, many variations have been developed. And they are all delicious, aesthetically pleasing, and super easy to prepare! Listed below are a few options for you to have variations and enjoy.
Chickpea Fatteh, also known as Fattet Hummus, just like Fattet Betenjan, features layers of garlicky yogurt, and fried pita bread, topped with nuts. The only difference in this recipe is the usage of chickpeas instead of eggplants.
Chicken Fatteh is almost identical to chickpea fatteh, the only addition, as the name indicates is the addition of chicken.
Egyptian Fattah on the other hand has a special twist to it. Unlike the other versions, this recipe has chunks of spiced beef served on a bed of rice in addition to a garlicky tomato sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! But it’s better to prepare your ingredients and assemble them later to prevent your crispy bread from getting too soggy.
It’s ideal to store each of your yogurt, bread, beef, and eggplant on their own and then assemble them when you’re ready to enjoy. Your ingredients keep well in the fridge for 5 days.
Eggplants can be seedy and have a bitter taste, but we don’t want that so you should always go for eggplants that are slightly firm but not too hard.
The Best Of The Best!
Expert Tips
If you would like to keep your Fatteh vegetarian then feel free to eliminate the ground beef.
For a healthier version, you could air fry your eggplants, bread, and nuts instead of deep frying.
If you like Fattet Betenjan to be extra crispy, do not hesitate to add an extra layer of pita bread on top.
Sprinkle a little salt, dab with a kitchen towel, and leave the eggplants for a while before frying them to remove any excess moisture.
Ingredients
Eggplant: This is the star of your recipe. Try to go for medium-sized eggplants.
Ground beef: Another key ingredient to make the authentic Fatte.
Bell pepper: Make sure to chop your bell pepper finely.
Pita bread: You could choose to deep fry or air fry and it’s still going to be as crispy as ever.
Roma tomatoes: Feel free to use regular tomatoes if Roma tomatoes are not available to you.
Red onion: In most recipes, you could substitute red onions for yellow onions.
Pomegranate molasses : It is very commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, it has a sweet-sour flavor and it adds a beautiful touch to any dish.
Garlic cloves: A generous amount of minced garlic is vital to bring the flavor to life.
Butter: It is for frying garlic, you could use oil instead if you wish.
Pomegranate arils: Used for garnishing.
Yogurt : You could use free or full-fat yogurt.
Oil: used for meat and frying.
Fried pine nuts: Feel free to use almonds instead.
Seasonings: Salt, 7 spices, coriander powder, cinnamon, sumac.
Steps To Prep
This recipe is honestly a breeze to make. The steps are straightforward, and it only takes 30 minutes to complete!
First, peel the eggplant, cut it into small cubes and fry until they become golden brown.
Then, cut the pita bread into squares and fry until crispy.
After that, add a little bit of oil to a pan then add onion. Cook until translucent and add the ground beef and diced tomatoes and bell peppers.
Next, add spices and cook until done for about 10 minutes.
Fry garlic in butter until golden and add it to the yogurt. Thin it out just a bit with some water.
Start layering the fried pita and then the fried eggplant. Sprinkle sumac on the eggplant, then add some yogurt. Add ground beef, and add some more yogurt.
Finally, add fried nuts and pomegranate seeds and sprinkle some more sumac for the finishing touches. And you’re done!
The Mesmerizing Colors!
Recipes You Must Try:
Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Grey Squash)
Authentic Middle Eastern Chicken Shawarma
Traditional Palestinian Musakhan Recipe
Meat Stuffed Pitas (Palestinian Arayes)
Middle Eastern Spiced Baked Chicken
Palestinian Cauliflower Fritters (Emshat)
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Fattet Betenjan
Ingredients
- 1½ large eggplants
- 3 pita bread loaves
- 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ green bell pepper
- 2 small roma tomatoes
- ½ large red onion or yellow
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon 7 spice
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- oil for frying eggplant
- pomegrante arils for topping
- pine nuts or almonds fried, for topping
Yogurt Sauce
- 1½ cups plain, whole milk yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or to taste
- salt to taste
- water as needed, to thin consistency
Instructions
- Peel the eggplant, cut it into small cubes and fry until they become golden brown. Then, cut the pita bread into squares and fry until crispy. You could also airfry these but they won't taste as great in my opinion.
- Add a little bit of oil to a pan then add onion. Cook until translucent and add the ground beef and diced tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Add spices and cook until done for about 5-8 minutes or until the beef is fully cooked through. Add the pomegranate molasses and mix.
- Fry garlic in butter until golden and add it to the yogurt. Thin it out just a bit with some water. Add salt, lemon juice and sumac. Mix well.
- Start layering the fried pita and then the fried eggplant. Sprinkle sumac on the eggplant, then add some yogurt. Add ground beef, and add some more yogurt.
- Add fried nuts and pomegranate seeds, and finally, sprinkle some more sumac, and you’re done!
Notes
- If you would like to keep your Fatte vegetarian then feel free to eliminate the ground beef.
- For a healthier version, you could air fry your eggplants, bread, and nuts instead of deep frying.
- If you like Fattet Betenjan to be extra crispy, do not hesitate to add an extra layer of pita bread on top.
- Sprinkle a little salt, dab with a kitchen towel, and leave the eggplants for a while before frying them to remove any excess moisture.
4 Responses
This recipe was delicious! Very easy to follow and can be prepared beforehand and layered when ready to eat. The garlic yogurt dressing is amazing!!!
This dish is a lovely blend of interesting flavours. I’ve made it a couple of times and it’s a family favourite.
I added canned chick peas and some juicy grilled chicken breast fillet when I wanted to ring the changes. In order to avoid the garlic overpowering the wonderful blend of flavours, I boiled a couple of cloves until soft and then added them in to the yoghurt. I highly recommend this dish!
Made this for iftari today, was a big hit! Thanks for your all your recipes. Always so easy to follow and taste amazing.
Made this tonight for Iftar. Delicious. Full disclosure: no pomegranate molasses in my area (will order some) so I improvised with balsamic and honey. Probably way better with pomegranate molasses but this was good too. Easy to make, husband had 3 helpings. Thank you Fatima.