Introduction: Arabic Food 102 - Beethnjaan - Middle Eastern Eggplant Dish Recipe

By Bilal Ghalib
About: Bilal Ghalib is interested in doing things that surprise him and inspire others. Let's create a future we want to live in together.

A few weeks ago when Instructacon was in full swing Eric and Christy invited us over their house and gave us all knives and a kitchen full of ingredients to work with. We were each assigned to create a dish and instructablize it. This is my instructable.

Msaka'at Beethnjaan is another one of those really tasty dishes that doesn't take much in the way of preperation but winds up being a large and filling dinner dish. I hope you enjoy cooking this... and as always, remember to invite some friends!

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

We bought all our ingredients from a massive trip to Berkeley Bowl which I would recommend, but you can get your ingredients from anywhere, here is what you will need:

  • Large Eggplant
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Onion
  • Tomatoes
  • Ground Beef
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Allspyce and other spices

Step 2: Prepare & Sweat the Eggplant

Eggplants are normally pretty tough creatures, you will need to soften this puppy up. First take a knife to it and remove the top green part and flatten the bottom. This will make peeling it easier. Peel the eggplant and then chop patties out of it in ~1.65" intervals.

Now to tenderize the eggplants flesh you need to sweat these slices. Lay the slices down and sprinkle some salt on them and let them sit for ~15 mins. You can make the topping while the water is pulled from the plant.

This link will give you more information about the health benefits and the ways to prepare eggplants.

Step 3: Eggplant Hat - Prepare the Topping

Your eggplant is naked and is lying there in a pan feeling ashamed. To make the sauce that will clothe this creature you will first put a little bit of olive oil in a pan and heat it up over a medium/high flame. Chop an onion and put it in a bowl with the ground beef, allspyce, cumin and salt. Mix this mixture thoroughly. Toss this beef, onion and spice blend into the pan and cook it till it browns.

Now mix your can of tomato paste with 1.5 cups of greek yogurt. Add the groundbeef mixture to it when it's done cooking and mix.

This ruddy mixture is the topping for your eggplants

Step 4: Arrange the Eggplant Dish

Now you have all the materials you need to put together the dish.

Put a dollop of the ground beef mixture on top of each of the eggplant slices and add some fresh slices of tomato in the empty gaps. On top of each serving put a small slice of cheddar cheese.

Wrap your dish in foil and bake at 350 for ~30 mins.

Step 5: Share It!

The best part of cooking is the sharing. Invite lots of friends and make an awesome salad. This dish will serve you well, I know it has for me.

Yours in food
-BG