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Fattet Betenjan featuring layers of toasted pita bread, garlicky yogurt, meat and eggplants

Fattet Betenjan

Fatimah
A very quick and easy Middle Eastern dish consisting of fried eggplants layered with crispy pita bread pieces, a garlicky yogurt sauce, and aromatic meat.
5 from 4 Ratings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine Lebanese, Mediterranean

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.
Keyword Fattet Betenjan
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