← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 4 medium aubergines
• 400 g thick whole-milk yogurt
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp Salt
• 450 g boneless lamb (leg or shoulder), cut into 1.5 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 tbsp Turkish pepper paste (biber salçası) (optional)
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 100 ml Water
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 25 g Butter
• 1 tsp Pul biber (Aleppo-style pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Char the aubergines directly over a gas flame, on a barbecue or under a very hot grill for 15–20 min, turning, until the skins are blackened and the flesh has collapsed.
2. Put them in a colander to cool, then peel off the skins and leave the flesh to drain for 10 min. Chop it finely.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over high heat and brown the lamb for 5 min. Add the onion and cook for 5 min, then stir in the tomato paste, pepper paste (if using) and paprika for 1 minute.
4. Add the water, salt and pepper, cover and simmer on low heat for 20–25 min until the lamb is tender and the sauce clings to it.
5. Once the aubergine is cool, mix it with the yogurt, garlic and salt. Spread it over a warm platter.
6. Pile the lamb on top. Melt the butter with the pul biber until foaming and red, pour it over, and scatter with parsley. Serve with flatbread.

Tips

• Mixing the yogurt with warm aubergine can make it split, so let the flesh cool first.
• Lamb mince works for a quicker version; cook it for 10 min instead of braising.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Turkey’s For Life Unicorns in the Kitchen Ozlem's Turkish Table