Today, I made Makloubeh at home. From what mommy told me, the dish only has eggplant, but I vaguely remember eating the dish at Tante Nouha's having matchstick carrots and cauliflower. I decided to tackle this beast. I started with weeping over one & a half onions. Once they took their time and caramelized, I added ground beef and Teta's 7-spice blend. After the meat got crunchy (Daddy's words-not mine), I added a cup of rice, 2 cups of water, chicken boullion, salt and pepper. They cooked surprisingly fast and as soon as they were done, I opened the pan for them to dry up and mixed them to fluff them up. At this point, I made Riz a Djej.
In the large pot, I heated up a little oil and sauteed the cauliflower florets with Cayenne Pepper. After a little time crisping up, I covered the cauliflower to soften. As soon as they were nearing done, I added the carrots. I set them aside in a cookie sheet. Next, I put in the chunky eggplant with olive oil and salt. After they were soft, I started layering.
I knew the trick was to keep it tight so it would flip out nicely. I flattened the eggplant. I covered them with the caulifower and carrots. After pressing them flat, I added all of the rice. I pressed tightly with my spoon until it was flat and even all-around.
Flip Time: I had to reheat the food when everyone was finally ready for dinner. During that time the eggplant kept cooking while the heat still had not reached the rice. All in all, well-flipped, except that the eggplant had to be manually removed and put on the dish.
Mommy kept Oooing ;) Good sign!
At Home
With Tina, Mommy, and Daddy
