Skip to content

Fatteh with aubergines and mint

BBC World's TableFeatures correspondent
News imageJean-Bernard Nadeau/Alamy Fatteh with aubergine (Credit: Jean-Bernard Nadeau/Alamy)Jean-Bernard Nadeau/Alamy
Fatteh with aubergine (Credit: Jean-Bernard Nadeau/Alamy)

This vegetarian version of Anissa Helou's fatteh recipe is simple to make, using aubergine instead of meat.

There are endless ways to make fatteh, a layered dish traditionally consisting of bread, poached meat, chickpeas and yoghurt. No matter the variations across the Middle East, fatteh is traditionally made to use up day-old flatbread, soaked in broth or yoghurt. Chef and award-winning cookbook author Anissa Helou prepares fatteh for guests, and her recipe is typically made with chicken and chickpeas. However, her vegetarian version is also simple to make, using aubergine instead of meat.

Vegetarian fatteh with aubergines and mint recipe

By Anissa Helou

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 aubergines (about 300g each), peeled to create a striped effect (ie, leaving strips of skin) sliced into medium thick rounds

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

60g (2oz) pine nuts

1 large pita bread, opened

900g (32oz) Greek-style yoghurt

1 tbsp tahini

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

mint leaves (about a handful), chopped very fine

Method

Step 1

Preheat your grill to maximum heat. Brush the aubergines with olive oil on both sides. Arrange on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet as close to the heat source as possible. Grill for about 15-20 minutes, or until the aubergines are golden brown and completely soft. Season with salt to taste. Keep warm.

Step 2

Heat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, or until golden.

Step 3

Meanwhile, toast the bread in the hot oven or under the grill until golden, no more than 5 minutes; leave to cool. (Drizzle olive oil over the bread before toasting, if desired).

Step 4

Put the yoghurt in a mixing bowl. Add the tahini, garlic, mint and salt to taste. Mix well.

Step 5

Break the toasted bread into bite-sized pieces and spread in a serving platter. Cover with the grilled aubergines slices. Spoon the yoghurt all over. Finally, sprinkle the toasted pine nuts all over. Serve immediately.

BBC.com's World's Table "smashes the kitchen ceiling" by changing the way the world thinks about food, through the past, present and future.

---

Join more than three million BBC Travel fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter called "The Essential List". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.