Hunkar Begendi Turkish Eggplant Aubergine Cream Recipes

HüNKAR BEğENDI, A CLASSIC TURKISH RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the aubergines over an open flame on a metal trivet and roast for about 15 - 20 minutes, turning from time to time, until the skin looks burnt and the aubergines are soft to the touch. You could also just place a sheet of foil over the gas flame, instead of a trivet. Leave to cool.
• Coat the lamb pieces with the flour, the chilli powder, the salt and a little freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over high heat, add the lamb and sugar and brown the lamb pieces for 5 minutes, turning the lamb frequently.
• Lower the heat down to medium and tip in the onion slices and fry for 2 minutes, again, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic and capsicum (green pepper) and cook for a minute, stirring.
• Now add the tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano and stir for 30 seconds to mix everything thoroughly.
• Add the stock and bring to boil.
• Lower the heat right down, cover and leave to simmer for 1 - 1 and a half hours, until the lamb is cooked right through and beautifully tender.
• The aubergines should be fairly cool now, scrape out the soft pulp and place in a chopper. Throw away the skins.
• Chop or blend to a smooth purée and set aside.
• Now, let's make some Bechamel Sauce. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the flour and whisk with a small whisk or wooden spoon for 2 minutes until the roux has thickened, is bubbling and gives off a lovely cooked aroma.
• Slowly, add the milk, whisking continuously. Be careful, the first drip will splutter.
• Cook the bechamel sauce for 4 - 5 minutes until it thickens to the consistency of custard.
• Take it off the heat and stir in both cheeses until they melt. Shouldn't take more than a minute.
• Now, stir in the aubergine purée, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper until it's all completely mixed in and you have a beautiful aubergine cheese sauce. Check the salt and add more if necessary.
• Stir in half the chopped parsley.
• You have 2 choices: serve the whole lot in a large platter or divide everything into individual plates. Whatever you go with, pour the smoky aubergine sauce onto a plate and top with the lamb stew.
• Scatter with the other half of the parsley and serve with plenty of bread.

HüNKAR BEğENDI RECIPE - SULTAN'S DELIGHT

Steps:

• Melt your butter over a medium heat in large saucepan.
• Now add your lamb and stir it round until it starts to brown.
• Once your lamb is browned all over, add your onion and garlic and stir.
• Cook for 5 minutes or so, until your onion starts to sweat.
• Now add your chopped tomatoes, tomato paste (salça) and one cup of hot water.
• Stir everything together.
• Add your thyme/oregano (kekik), salt & pepper and stir.
• Once your stew is simmering, put a lid on the pan and turn the heat to low.
• Simmer your stew for around 1 hour, until the lamb has softened and your sauce has thickened.
• Remove from the heat and make your 'beğendi' puree...
• Preheat your oven to 240 degrees.
• Prick your aubergines with a sharp knife and place on a baking tray in the centre of the oven.
• Bake the aubergines until they are soft to touch (around 15-20 minutes).
• Remove from the oven and leave them to cool.
• Once cooled, make a slit along the length of each aubergine.
• Scrape out the pulp with a teaspoon.
• Discard the skins and as many of the seeds as possible.
• Chop up the pulp.
• Now melt your butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
• Once melted, gradually add your flour, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
• After you've added all your flour, your mixture will be relatively solid and now you can start to add your milk.
• Add your milk a little at a time, again, stirring continuously so that the mixture remains smooth.
• Keep going until you have used up all of your milk and you have a smooth, milky mixture.
• Keep stirring and after a couple of minutes, you will notice the sauce start to thicken.
• Once the sauce has started to thicken, add your aubergine. Keep stirring, gently.
• Now add your grated cheese and keep stirring until your 'beğendi' sauce has thickened enough to make a suitable nest for your lamb.
• To serve, share the beğendi sauce between your plates, making a little nest in the centre of each.
• Now spoon the lamb stew into the nest and allow the sauces to run over the aubergine puree.
• Sprinkle the parsley over the lamb and serve up your Sultan's Delight.

HUNKAR BEGENDI

Steps:

• Stew: Fry the onion in the oil till soft. Add meat and brown. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds longer.
• Add tomatoes, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add water to cover and simmer with the lid on for about 1 or 1 1/2 hours, till meat is very tender.
• If necessary, add more water or let the sauce reduce a bit to get a good saucy consistency.
• Eggplant Sauce: Prick eggplants all over and roast in a very hot oven (500 degrees or as hot as your oven goes) for 30 minutes, until eggplants soften and skin chars. Cool and peel carefully.
• Put lemon juice in a bowl of water and put peelec eggplants in acidified water to keep them white.
• Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and stiur over very low heat for 2 minutes or until well-blended. Remove from the heat and add milk gradually, beating vigorously. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Cook ove rlow heat for 15 minutes, until sauce thickens.
• Drain the eggplants in a colander and squeeze out as much water and juice as possible. Chop in the colander and mash with a fork (I think this step is meant to allow additional drainage).
• Mix with the milk sauce until well blended. Return to the heat, add grated cheese, stir until melted and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
• Serve the stew with the eggplant cream in a ring around it. Serve with rice.

HUNKAR BEGENDI (TURKISH EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) CREAM)

Steps:

• Grill eggplants whole without peeling them by holding over a flame and turning slowly, or prick skin in several places and set in hot oven.
• When the skin begins to break and the inside pulp feels soft, slip off the skin; discard sacs containing seeds and chop up pulp; put pulp in a saucepan.
• Mix lemon juice with pulp and simmer until very soft, stirring often (10-15 minutes).
• Meanwhile, melt butter, add flour to it and allow flour to brown.
• Beat the butter and flour mixture into the eggplant.
• Slowly add several tablespoons of hot milk and the nutmeg and continue beating until mixture resembles mashed potatoes.
• Lastly add several tablespoons of grated cheese and cook several minutes more.
• Serve immediately.