Eggplant Fatteh

Eggplant fatteh, or fattet betinjan, is a mouthwatering Levantine eggplant dish made with layers of garlicky-tahini yogurt, fried eggplants, chickpeas, and crunchy pita bread. It's a household favorite in countries across the region including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. All you'll need to get this wondrous dish on your table are a few simple ingredients and a pinch of passion for Middle Eastern flavors.

What I Love About This Recipe

This delicious dish is mesmerizing at how simple ingredients can make for an incredible culinary experience. The garlicky yogurt, fried eggplant chunks, chickpeas, and crunchy pita bread are very quick and easy to whip up.

Ingredients

• Eggplant: Some people make the dish without the eggplant but this ingredient adds a beautiful flavor twist so I recommend that you don't skip it.
• Flour: I mix two tablespoons of flour with the cubed eggplants before I fry them. This gives them an incredible crunchy coating.
• Pita Bread: Cut up into small pieces and fried to perfection, these add the perfect crunch to the dish.
• Chickpeas: Boiled chickpeas are an essential part of all known versions of fatteh.
• Yogurt: Full fat works best in this recipe but you can substitute it for half-fat varieties. Skimmed yogurt won't give you the right texture.
• Garlic: I mix this with the yogurt and it adds a pop of flavor to the dish.
• Tahini: I know people who make fatteh without tahini but this ingredient just lifts this dish up so I really recommend that you use it.
• Dried or fresh parsley: The perfect garnish for that yogurt mix.
• Pine Nuts: Toasted to perfection in a little bit of butter or ghee.

How to Make Eggplant Fatteh

Mix the eggplant cubes with the flour (this creates a nice crunchy coating once they're fried). Fry the eggplant cubes and set them aside.

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Fry the pita bread until it's crunch and set the pieces aside. Combine the yogurt, garlic, parsley, and tahini in a bowl, and set aside.

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Boil the chickpeas and set them aside. Toast the pine nuts in the ghee and set aside (make sure you toast them on low heat because they burn easy).

On a serving plate, layer the fatteh following this pattern: yogurt-tahini mixture, chickpeas, fried eggplants, fried pita bread, toasted pine nuts, and another yogurt mixture layer. You can garnish with parsley or any other fresh herb.

Tips and Tricks

• Combine everything just prior to serving so that the pita bread stays crispy.
• Mash the garlic using a mortar and pestle.

Variations and Substitutions

• Top the dish with some ground beef or ground lamb cooked with Middle Eastern spices such as allspice, seven spices, salt, and ground cinnamon.
• Add a mixture of kernels and nuts along with the pine nuts. Cashews make a great addition and so do almond slivers.
• Lighten up the fatteh by air-frying the eggplant cubes, baking the pita chips, and toasting the pine nuts in the oven (rather than frying in butter or ghee).
• There are other versions of fatteh, like chicken fatteh and hummus fatteh (fattet hummus).

Equipment

• A good whisk
• An air-fryer (If you want to make a lighter version of this recipe)
• Large prep bowls
• A large ladle to layer all the ingredients

Storage

Eggplant fatteh is best eaten right away so that the pita bread stays crunchy. If planning on having leftovers, don't mix all of the ingredients, rather keep them separate until ready to serve.

FAQS

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Middle Eastern Desserts

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