The Karnak Temple at Luxor, Egypt is the biggest temple in the world. Over four different dynasties have left their mark on the monuments here. The temple spans over 25 hectares. Braving the burning afternoon sun we explored with awe the magnificent columns, reliefs on the walls and columns, mammoth statues, sky piercing obelisks, rows upon rows of sphinxes. From one breathtaking courtyard to the next, it usually takes a full day or two to really explore the splendors the temple has to offer. Built mainly for god Amun-Ra, the sun god, it is really stands out among all the fantastic monuments Luxor has to offer. And to think that all this was built over 3000 years ago!
Moussaka is one of the most common middle eastern dishes. In fact you can get one version or the other of this dish not only in all Mideastern countries but also in Greece, Yugoslavia as well. I am not too sure how much the Egyptian version varies from the rest or whether this would qualify as pure authentic Egyptian, but this recipe should yield a moussaka which would not be scorned by any native Egyptian :)
Moussaka
Eggplants - 3
Mince meat (traditionally lamb but you can use beef or chicken) - 1/2 kg
Tomato (roughly chopped) - 4 (you can use canned tomatoes)
Tomato Paste - 2 tablespoons (double the amount if you are using tomato puree)
Onion (finely sliced) - 1/3 cup
All spice powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Oil - to fry
White sauce - 1 cup
Salt and pepper - to taste
For the white sauce:
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Flour - 1 tablespoon
Hot milk - 1 cup
Cheddar Cheese (grated) - 1/3 cup
Nutmeg powder (optional) - 1/3 teaspoon
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the eggplants into 1/3 inch thick slices. Sprinkle some salt on the the slices, arrange them on a strainer and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes. The bitter water will drain out of the eggplants. Lightly wash the eggplants and strain.
You can either fry the eggplants or if you want to cut down on the calories, steam/microwave them.
If frying, pat dry the eggplant slices, roll them in some flour (which has tiny amount of salt and pepper mixed into it) and then shallow fry them till they turn golden brown. Place them on kitchen towels to soak up the extra oil.
If steaming, arrange the slices on a microwave proof dish, add enough hot water to cover 2/3 of the eggplants, microwave on full power for 4 minutes. Remove the slices from water and pat dry.
Set the cooked eggplants aside.
Heat the butter in a pot, add the onion and fry till the onion starts to brown. Add the ground meat and cook till the meat is browned and all traces of pink is gone. Add the chopped tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper. If you see that it is too thick, add 3 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over gentle heat until the meat is fully cooked and you get a fairly thick sauce. If you want to make the meat sauce a bit spicy, you can add some chili sauce in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Set aside the meat sauce.
To make the white sauce, heat the butter until frothy, add the flour, mix well and cook on medium-low heat until the raw taste of the flour is gone. Remove the pan from the heat, add the hot milk and mix well. Make sure that there are no lumps in the sauce. Return the pan to the heat, add the grated cheese and let the sauce boil for 1 minute or so. If the sauce feels too thick add some water, however this sauce should be quite thick. Add the salt and pepper. If you find that your sauce is lumpy, cool the sauce, whiz it in your blender to get a smooth sauce.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a deep baking dish, place a layer of eggplants, spoon on the meat sauce. Keep alternating between a layer or eggplants and a layer of meat sauce. Make sure you end with a top layer of eggplants. Pour the white sauce on top of the eggplant layer to fully cover the top.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the top is nicely browned.
Serve with rice or bread. This dish can be served hot or at room temperature.
Enjoy!!!!
Note: If you like, you can substitute the tomato and tomato paste with thick tomato juice or V8 juice.
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