Fattet Al-Makdous
October 26th, 2010
Fatteh or fattah is an Arabic dish that uses pieces of toasted or fresh flatbread as a foundation upon which various ingredients are added on top.
Fatteh can be made with chickpeas (Arabic: Fattet Humus), or with chicken (Arabic : Fattet Dajaj), or with eggplants like today’s recipe.
Fattet Al-Makdous is a specialty of Damascus, it is made by layering crispy flatbread, topped with a tomato sauce flavored with (yogurt, tahini, pomegranate molasses and crushed garlic), then topped with meat-nut mixture and deep fried eggplants stuffed with meat.
Let’s make Fattet Al-Makdous:
1. You can see in the picture the type of eggplants used, this type is called “Bathenjan Hummsi” or in Aleppo it is known as “Bathenjan Tadfi”, choose eggplants that are similar to the eggplants in the picture each approximately 1 1/2 – 2 inches long (3.8 – 5.1 cm), then rinse eggplants with water and drain.
2. Cut off the stem of the eggplants. Remove the hat of the eggplants.
3, 4. Cut a small piece from the top of the eggplant.
5, 6. Peel the eggplants. You can peel them completely or leave some strips of peel. Then Rinse peeled eggplants in several changes with water and season eggplants with salt.
7. Heat vegetable ghee, and deep fry eggplants until golden brown in color.
8. Put fried eggplants on a plate lined with paper towels and change the towels every once in a while, and set aside.
9. Cut Arabic flat bread into squares, lay bread squares on an oven dish or baking sheet, and bake until lightly browned and crispy, and set aside.
10, 11. To prepare yogurt sauce, in a bowl mix drained yogurt, tahini, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic and salt, whisk until combined and set aside.
12. In another bowl, put plain yogurt and set aside.
13. Finely chop parsley and set aside.
14. In a pan, heat 3/4 tbsp ghee, and add pine nuts and keep until golden brown in color, then remove and place on paper towel and set aside.
15. To same ghee you used for pine nuts, add chopped walnuts and keep until golden in color, then remove, place on paper towel and set aside.
16. In a deep pot, heat 1 tbsp ghee. Add ground meat and stir until cooked.
17. Add nuts to meat, add salt and black pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding nuts. When you cook meat, meat releases water but this water evaporates during cooking, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add nuts). Before using the filling for stuffing the eggplants reserve some filling and keep it aside for another step.
18. Create a vertical opening in the middle of the eggplant.
19. Stuff eggplants with meat, close the opening and set the stuffed eggplants aside.
20. To prepare tomato sauce, turn on heat and in a saucepan put tomato paste and water and heat the sauce.
21. Add hot tomato sauce to the yogurt sauce, and whisk.
22. To serve, spread the bread in a serving dish.
23. Top the bread with the mixture of yogurt sauce and tomato sauce.
24. Top with plain yogurt, and reserve some yogurt for another step.
25. Top with meat.
26. Garnish with chopped parsley.
27. Top with stuffed eggplants, and garnish with plain yogurt and chopped parsley.
29. Serve.
Fattet Al-Makdous
From: Family Recipe / Servings: 5 – 6 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images
| 12 small eggplants, approximately 1 1/2 – 2 inches (3.8 – 5.1 cm) long Salt, for seasoning eggplants Vegetable ghee, for frying 460 g Arabic flat bread, cut into Yogurt Sauce 310 g drained yogurt 2 tbsp tahini 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp pomegranate 1/4 tsp crushed garlic Salt Garnish 100 g plain yogurt 1/4 cup finely chopped flat Filling 3/4 tbsp ghee, for nuts 40 g pine nuts 70 g finely chopped walnuts 1 tbsp ghee, for meat 430 g fat free ground lamb meat Salt Black pepper Tomato Sauce 200 g tomato paste 700 ml water
|
You can see in the picture the type of eggplants used, this type is called “Bathenjan Hummsi” or in Aleppo it is known as “Bathenjan Tadfi”, choose eggplants that are similar to the eggplants in the picture each approximately 1 1/2 – 2 inches long (3.8 – 5.1 cm), then rinse eggplants with water and drain.
Cut off the stem of the eggplants. Remove the hat of the eggplants. Cut a small piece from the top of the eggplant. Peel the eggplants. You can peel them completely or leave some strips of peel. Then Rinse peeled eggplants in several changes with water and season eggplants with salt. Heat vegetable ghee, and deep fry eggplants until golden brown in color. Put fried eggplants on a plate lined with paper towels and change the towels every once in a while, and set aside. Cut Arabic flat bread into squares, lay bread squares on an oven dish or baking sheet, and bake until lightly browned and crispy, and set aside. To prepare yogurt sauce, in a bowl mix drained yogurt, tahini, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic and salt, whisk until combined and set aside. In another bowl, put plain yogurt and set aside. Finely chop parsley and set aside. In a pan, heat 3/4 tbsp ghee, and add pine nuts and keep until golden brown in color, then remove and place on paper towel and set aside. To same ghee you used for pine nuts, add chopped walnuts and keep until golden in color, then remove, place on paper towel and set aside. In a deep pot, heat 1 tbsp ghee. Add ground meat and stir until cooked. Add nuts to meat, add salt and black pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding nuts. When you cook meat, meat releases water but this water evaporates during cooking, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add nuts). Before using the filling for stuffing the eggplants reserve some filling and keep it aside for another step. Create a vertical opening in the middle of the eggplant. Stuff eggplants with meat, close the opening and set the stuffed eggplants aside. To prepare tomato sauce, turn on heat and in a saucepan put tomato paste and water and heat the sauce. Add hot tomato sauce to the yogurt sauce, and whisk. To serve, spread the bread in a serving dish. Top the bread with the mixture of yogurt sauce and tomato sauce. Top with plain yogurt, and reserve some yogurt for another step. Top with meat. Garnish with chopped parsley. Top with stuffed eggplants, and garnish with some yogurt and chopped parsley. Serve. |
Notes and Tips
You can use the same eggplants I used here, or you can use another kind of eggplants similar to this one in this post (Mnazzalet Al-Bathenjan).
Frying eggplants is essential in the dish because it gives the dish the unique taste and it is the traditional method, I don’t recommend baking them.
Arabic flat bread is also known as Lebanese bread.
Some people use fried bread, but if you like you can use a mixture of fried bread and toasted bread, or you can just use toasted bread.
I have a big quantity of yogurt about one kilogram, so I drain all the quantity of yogurt in a cloth to dry (the day before you plan to make this dish, drain the yogurt), then after all the quantity drained well to dry, I measured 310 g drained yogurt for cooking.
I used 1 tbsp homemade pomegranate molasses (homemade pomegranate molasses is very sour because it is prepared from sour pomegranates) and used 1/2 tsp of purchased pomegranate molasses (purchased pomegranate molasses is sweet).
I love fatteh, but I never tried this version!! Looks really really good!
this looks so lovely. this is something my husband would like. thank you for sharing.
delicious!!!!
This is something new to me…looks so tasty!
oh my, this looks incredible!
Oh, this looks delicious! Normally I don’t care for step by step photos but since i’m pretty unfamiliar with this I’m so glad you included it. Great pictures.
I’ve never tried this before. There’s so much going on in terms of flavours and textures, sounds great!
yummy! :D
This is something I want for dinner now! A new dish to me, but this is why I love your blog, you are educating my stomach:) Looks delicious, and kind of reminds me of Mexican chilaquiles the way they are both prepared. Thanks for sharing.
That is so yummy looking.I can have eggplant in any form and the fact that its on a bed of crispy flatbreads make it more addictive.
Loved the u ve shown all step by step pics.Beautiful clicks too
This looks like a Syrian nacho! SO delicious.
itis beautiful tahnks for the journey to Syria !!Pierre
yummy lovely pictures
This sounds like a great mix of flavors and textures!
wow this looks fabulous really enjoying your recipes
I just found your site through twitter and I am really enjoying it!
This dish looks mouth-watering. I made a dip with eggplant, pomegranate molasses, and feta last week, but this looks spectacular and way better!
Lovely site, I will be returning.
I love your step-by-step pictures!
Btw, I think I never had Syrian cuisine, curious!
Mmm, this looks so good, everything piled on top of the flatbread. Great photos, too!
I learn another new dish today. Thanks. :)
This is so amazing….haven’t heard of this before..Looking very interesting and yum……
Oh! I had something similar to this dish when Katerina took us for dinner in Athens…I love all the version of your Fattet, specially the eggplant one :-)
This looks divine! So many lovely ingredients :)
What a unique dish! It looks delicious!
Sounds interesting and yummy though I’m new to this dish…
This is stunning. I love the step-by-step because it is all new to me. I always dry me eggplants out! Never soak them in water! Just gorgeoous!
Hi Dimah,
becoming agreat fan of ur recipes ! this one looks awesome ! guess how many recipes i should bookmark from ur blog ! great job !!!! keep going :)
Hey Dimah, I love the way you explain the steps with pics! It makes it easier for the reader and really great effort-
I absolutely adore the way you write your post and present your recipes, step by step!
This fattet sound yummy! I am going to try a vegetarian version soon! Love bateenjan!
Dimah,
This looks addictive, in a bed of crispy bread with awesome sauce and fired eggplant . Sure wonderful. I love anything with egg plant. I have to try this.
oh my… my mouth is watering so much that I don’t want to look at my screen. This is absolutely tasty… I can taste it. I wish I could come over and hang out with you and make meals like this.
Again, one more of the delicious and mouthwatering dishes!!
You have done it really very beautifully…looks so good…
a wonderful dish. something like this way i saw at turkish cuisine, i think called Karniyarik, don’t know if i spelled it right.
I love this interesting recipe. Gresat that you came to my site and in turn I got to know of this lovely space. Hope to come here often. Best wishes.
Fattet makkdous is an all time favourite at my house. I cant wait for my mum to come back and make this for me. I have mae it before but you know its never the same as the original. Lovely pictures and i can literally taste the dish from here. I love the crunchy bread. Its so good with this dish!
Dimah habibiti, this is amazing. So mouthwatering, am already planning to make it tomorow inshallah. Can’t wait for the fattet Humus!!xxx yeslami eydynek
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Dimah, this is such a great recipe! Love what you did to the brinjal. Looks so very scrumptious! Thanks for sharing. Btw, I have an award for you. Please feel free to hop over to collect it. TQ! Hope you’re having a wonderful day.
Kristy
This looks so interesting. Luckily, I know a man at my market who sells eggplants which look similar to the ones you’ve used. I’ll have to see if I can get hold of some!
What a wonderful dish. I have never seen this before. Thank you for sharing it and for the excellent instruction on how to prepare it:)
Dimah I love the idea of this dish. I love layers! You have such wonderfully unique recipes.
This dish is a new one to me, but it sounds delicious! Almost like middle eastern nachos, if you will. ;)
What a delicious dish! I love the idea of putting all those yummy pieces on top of the toasted flatbread. Yum!! Beautiful photos, too!
Wow, i am not sure I’ve had this dish before, but it looks simply amazing. What a treat. I cannot wait to try it for myself.
OMG that looks so scrumptious! The kind of dish I adore. A gorgeous combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you for showing us how to make this delicious dish! The layering technique reminds me of nachos. This looks much better!
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Love fatteh and this one looks irresistible!
Dimah, thanks for stopping by. This looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing recipes that would otherwise be unavailable.
I’m totally intrigued by this dish and your teaching. I’ve learned so much from you already. Keep ’em coming! I’m loving it!
Lovely dish. The flavors look delicious.
This looks delicious! I love flatbread and anything with eggplant… your recipe looks like it is packed with flavor ensuring a delicious dish! Thanks for the recipe!
This is like the way better version of nachos! Entirely too good. Need to make this soon. Love me some eggplant and it’s such a great ingredient to work with, especially now in the fall. So nice to have found your blog!