Patlıcanlı Mercimekli Mualla
Patlıcanlı Mercimekli Mualla·(paht-lih-jahn-lih mer-ji-mek-li moo-ah-lah)
Zeytinyağlılar (The Olive Oil Cooling Rack)
Western blogs will tell you to stand over a stove frying eggplant slices batch by batch for this dish. Don't. The real magic of Antakya is the çiğden—the raw layering method. You parboil the lentils to ditch their muddy water, toss everything raw into a pot with a heavy glug of olive oil and the sweet-sour punch of pomegranate molasses, turn the heat down, and walk away. It is a humble, weeknight-friendly masterpiece that tastes like it took all day to build, cooling in its own juices to become something exalted.
Before you start
Purge the eggplant of its bitterness.
Place the prepped eggplant half-moons in a large bowl, cover with cold water, and add a heavy pinch of salt. Let soak for 20 minutes, then drain, rinse, and gently squeeze them in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess dark liquid so your stew doesn't get watery.
Extract the black water from the lentils.
Place the rinsed lentils in a small saucepan covered with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the water turns dark and murky, then drain immediately and discard the liquid. Skip this, and you get a muddy stew; do it, and they cook in perfect time with the eggplant.
Ingredients
- globe eggplants2 large
- brown lentils1 cup
- yellow onion1 large
- garlic cloves6 large
- ripe tomatoes2 large
- red bell pepper1 med
- extra virgin olive oil1/2 cup
- pomegranate molasses3 tbsp
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- Turkish red pepper paste1 tbsp
- dried mint1 tbsp
- Aleppo pepper1 tsp
- kosher salt2 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- water1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Build the flavor base.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the parboiled lentils, diced onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and diced tomatoes. Add the tomato paste, pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, dried mint, Aleppo pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir vigorously until the vegetables are thoroughly coated in the deep red, sweet-sour marinade.
- 02
Layer the stew.
In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven off the heat, arrange half of the squeezed eggplant slices in an overlapping layer on the bottom. Spoon exactly half of the lentil and vegetable mixture evenly over the eggplants. Top with the remaining eggplant slices, then finish with the remaining lentil mixture. Pack it down slightly with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- 03
Simmer low and slow.
Pour the water down the inside edge of the pot so you don't wash the spices off the top layer. Place over medium-high heat until you hear a gentle bubbling, then immediately drop the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and braise undisturbed for 40 to 45 minutes until the eggplants collapse into melting tenderness.
- 04
Let the dish rest in its own oils.
Remove from the heat but leave the lid tightly on. Let the dish cool in its own pot until it reaches room temperature.
Notes
Respect the Zeytinyağlı rest.
Olive oil dishes are designed to be eaten at room temperature or slightly warm. Letting it cool in its own pot is a non-negotiable grandmother secret that allows the eggplant to absorb the seasoned oil, completely changing the final texture.
Source the right molasses.
Pomegranate molasses (Nar Ekşisi) is the backbone of Hatay cuisine. Find the real stuff at a Middle Eastern market; it provides the deep, fruity sweet-sour complexity that makes this dish sing.
From Cook Turkish in America.