Lamb & Eggplant Fatteh
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: March 13, 2020
An amazing combination of flavour and texture, this Lebanese fatteh (or fattee) is a Middle-Eastern combination of crisp flatbreads are paired with a soft, spiced mix of lamb and eggplant. It’s intoxicatingly delicious and completely addictive!
Lamb & Eggplant Fatteh! OH MY!! This dish never fails to impress. It's not a dish many people outside the Middle East have heard of. I've never seen it on any Middle Eastern restaurant menu, so when I first prepared this some 10 years ago I was working completely in the dark. Back then it was called Lamb and Aubergine fatteh, due to my geographical location, but obviously it's the same thing! I wish the UK and rest of the English speaking world could agree on a universal name for this vegetable!
This fatteh is not a difficult dish by any means - it's really very simple, but there are a few steps and I guess I didn't really know what I was doing. Once I tasted the final product I was immediately a huge fan! I think I cooked it three times in a week!
This particular fatteh with lamb is a Lebanese recipe and it's the one I cook most often. However, I also cook a delightful Turkish version which uses a recipe for Lamb Kofte and a spicy tomato sauce. But when deciding which to feature on the blog, I had to go for the family favourite! In this version the lamb is cooked in wonderfully fragrant spices - warming and full of earthiness. There's also a marvellous sour and sweet note, courtesy of the super-ingredient Pomegranate Molasses. The mixed nuts make an excellent addition too, bringing savouriness and texture.
What is Fatteh?
This dish can, at its most basic, be described as Middle Eastern Nachos. A crispy bread base, layered with a delicious aromatic ground lamb sauce and topped with fresh, garlic yoghurt. It's how I sell it - and I've gotten a few people converted over the years.
Fatteh, like most other Middle Eastern dishes has a million different spellings; Fetté, Fattee, Fatta to name but a few. It's enjoyed everywhere from Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine to Egypt.
The dish has many variations accross the Middle East, such as:
- Levantine Fatteh: Comprises toasted pita or bread layers, cooked chickpeas, and a yogurt sauce, commonly garnished with pine nuts, parsley, and drizzled olive oil.
- Egyptian Fatteh: Incorporates rice or pasta layers cooked in a tomato-based sauce, adorned with chickpeas, garlic-infused vinegar, and occasionally fried onions.
- Palestinian Fatteh: Resembles Levantine fatteh but may incorporate cooked meat, grilled vegetables, or a spiced tahini sauce alongside its core ingredients.
- Lebanese Fatteh: Varied across regions, typically includes toasted bread, cooked chickpeas, and yogurt sauce, sometimes supplemented with minced meat or fried nuts.
Why it works?
An all-in-one-hole-in-one! Fatteh is a one plate wonder that has everything you need and more. I rarely serve anything alongside to be honest - maybe a salad, but I'm more inclined to just make this the star of the table. That's a win for me - one dish fits all!
Stuff You'll Need
Making this lamb fatteh is really simple. There are a few components and quite the roll-call of ingredients, but nothing too hard to find at the supermarket. Here are the key flavours.
- Flatbreads - this dish has all the crunch by using baked or fried flatbreads.
- For the yoghurt topping - Greek yoghurt, garlic, lemon and a little salt.
- For the nuts - a mix of sliced almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and a little butter to fry them in.
- For the Eggplant - 1 eggplant, some oil and a little salt.
- For the spiced lamb - Some oil, cumin seeds, onion, garlic, ground (minced) lamb, ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, all spice, cinnamon salt and pepper, pomegranate molasses, parsley and lemon.
- Garnishes - Fresh parsley, sumac and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Step by Step
Making this super delicious lamb and eggplant fatteh is pretty easy. Here's how...
- Step 1 - Whisk together the yoghurt and grushed garlic and season with a little lemon juice and salt and set aside.
- Step 2 - Heat the butter until bubbling and fry the nuts until they're lightly golden. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
- Step 3 - Wipe dry the fryin pan and add the olive oil. Fry the cubed eggplant for about 10 minutes until browned and beginning to soften. Remove from the pan.
- Step 4 - Add a little more oil then scatter in the cumin seeds, followed by the sliced onion. Fry for about 5 minutes until the onion is golden brown.
- Step 5 - Add the garlic, closely followed by the ground lamb. Break it into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon as it fries for around 8 minutes.
- Step 6 - Add all the ground spices and stir well.
- Step 7 - Return the eggplant to the pan along with the nuts, fresh parsley and pomegranate molasses and lemon juice. Stir well and cook for about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and place a lid over to keep warm.
- Step 8 - Tear up the flatbreads into bitesized pieces and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and bake in a preheated oven of 350ºF/180ºC for about 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove and leave to cool.
- Step 9 - Arrange a layer of all the crisp flatbreads and top with the lamb and eggplant mixture. Drizzle over the yoghurt dressing and then finally scatter with parsley, sumab and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
- This is a dish best served right away - the flatbreads will turn soggy if left for any period of time, so for that reason once the dish has been assembled I don't recommend refrigeration of freezing I'm afraid.
- You can pre-prepare all the elements separately. The yoghurt and the lamb mix can be refrigerated for 4-5 days well covered. The flatbreads should be baked as close to the time you want to use them to avoid going soft.
I usually serve this dish on its own as it's pretty self sufficient and contained. If push came to a shove, I'd serve a simple salad, but if memory serves me right, people tend to ignore this in favour of competing with each other for the crunchy bread!
Ready to get cooking?
For one of my best communal dishes, this fatteh is everything and more. It never fails to garner a little ripple of applause from guests at the table, who quickly turn competitive in ensuring they have their fair share of crunch and wondefully spiced lamb and eggplant.
I must also add that there are never any leftovers of fatteh in my household - to leave anything behind is an unspoken sin. I'm sure you and your lucky guests will agree that lamb and eggplant fatteh is a pure delight and something worth celebrating. Hope you enjoy!
More Middle Eastern recipes
If you liked this recipe for Lamb and Eggplant fatteh, I'm sure you'll love some more of my favourite Middle Eastern recipes.
- Beetroot Salad with Dukkah & Whipped Feta
- Hummus Bi Arnabeet (hummus with roasted cauliflower)
- Manakish with Za’atar & Steak
- Middle Eastern Lamb Kebabs
- Black Hummus
- Roast Duck with Zaatar
- Hawaij Spice (Spice mix from Yemen)
- Turkish Carrot Salad
- Turkish Salad (Shepherd Salad)
- Eggplant with Tomato Sauce & Pine Nuts
- Turkish Bulghur Pilaf with Lamb & Silverbeet
- Circassian Chicken
If like me, you have any leftover flatbreads you can make one of my most favourite things in all the World; the wonderful Lebanese Fatoush Salad! Crispy bread served with an abundance of crunchy, fresh vegetables with a zingy, sour dressing.
Any Questions? (FAQ)
Have a question about Fatteh? Let me know in the comments.
Fatteh originates from the Levant region of the Middle East - Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. Its exact origins are not precisely documented, but it has been a traditional dish in this region for many generations.
What are the different types of Fatteh?
Fatteh is a Middle Eastern dish typically consisting of layered ingredients like toasted bread, rice, or other grains, topped with yogurt sauce and various toppings. Different types include:
- Levantine Fatteh: Features layers of toasted pita or bread, cooked chickpeas, yogurt sauce, and often topped with pine nuts, parsley, and olive oil.
- Egyptian Fatteh: Typically made with layers of rice or pasta, cooked with a tomato-based sauce, topped with chickpeas, garlic-infused vinegar, and sometimes fried onions.
- Palestinian Fatteh: Similar to Levantine fatteh but may include additional ingredients like cooked meat, grilled vegetables, or a spiced tahini sauce.
- Lebanese Fatteh: Can vary regionally but often includes toasted bread, cooked chickpeas, yogurt sauce, and sometimes minced meat or fried nuts as toppings.
What is fatteh in arabic?
In Arabic, "fatteh" translates to "cut into pieces," indicating sliced, toasted flatbreads, forming the base of this recipe.
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Video Recipe
Ingredients
For the garlic yoghurt
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp garlic (crushed)
- ½ lemon (juice of)
- ½ tsp salt
For the fried nuts
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup pistachios (shelled, unsalted)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 1 tbsp butter (unsalted)
For the lamb
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 red onions (halved, thinly sliced)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1.5 lb ground lamb (lamb mince)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp All spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup parsley (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ½ lemon (juice of)
Other ingredients
- Fresh parsley (for garnish)
- 1 tbsp sumac
- Extra virgin olive oil (for garnish)
Instructions
To make the garlic yoghurt
- Mix together the yoghurt, crushed garlic, lemon juice and salt and set aside.
To make the nuts
- Heat the butter in a frying pan until hot. Add the nuts then fry gently for 1-2 minutes until they turn light golden brown. Remove from the pan at this stage onto paper towels, the nuts will continue to cook so best to take them off just before they turn too brown.Set aside to cool completely then place in a bowl.
To make the eggplant
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat until hot. Add the cubed eggplant and salt and cook, stirring regularly for about 8-10 minutes until the eggplant is fully browned and softened. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
To make the lamb
- Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat with the olive oil until hot. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 5-10 seconds before adding the sliced onion.Stir fry the onion for about 5 minutes until golden and soft. Now add the garlic and stir for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the lamb and begin to break up with your wooden spoon as it cooks, stirring into the onion as you go. Cook for about 8 minutes until all lamb has browned.
- Add the coriander, cumin, paprika, all spice, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir in. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the eggplant, nuts and parsley to the pan and stir well. Now pour in the pomegranate molasses and squeeze over the lemon. Sir well and cook for a final 2-3 minutes before removing from the heat.
To make the flatbreads
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC
- Tear in half and open up 2-3 flatbreads, then tear into 2-3" pieces. Arrange all the pieces on a sheet pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Toss them around in the oil to coat everything.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes then leave to cool slightly and crispen up.
Arranging the fatteh
- On a large serving platter, arrange all the flatbreads on the bottom. Spoon over the lamb to cover, then spoon over the garlic yoghurt.
- Scatter over the parsley and sumac then finish off with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Nutrition
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