How to make Turkish Mussaka served with Cacik
It's from Greece...
No it's Turkish
Bulgarian!
Not anywhere there. Here. I tell you, Egypt!
Wherever you find a Moussaka recipe. You'll find an argument.
Regionally Greeks, as we know, make moussaka with a bechamel sauce on top of aubergines, Bulgarians make it with potatoes. Some recipes have both, some have garlic, some don't.
Anyway, moussaka arrived in Greece with the Ottoman Empire, and that is the Turkish claim. However it's likely that they in turn borrowed it from the Arabic muṣaqqa'a.
Err probably...
Err probably...
One of the best Turkish phrases I came across is:-'What would a donkey know about compot?' *
Lovely sarcasm that.
And I like sarcasm because it grounds the intended.
As I write, 'This is the version of Mussaka recipe as is found traditionally in Turkey'. I can only say that as this is what I found in Turkish recipes on 'You Tube'.
As I write, 'This is the version of Mussaka recipe as is found traditionally in Turkey'. I can only say that as this is what I found in Turkish recipes on 'You Tube'.
With a potato peeler take slices of skin off the aubergines length ways, it's called 'aubergine pyjamas' apparently. Cut them into rounds and put them in a bowl to soak for half an hour with salt to help remove any bitterness. Rinse well in running water and pat dry with a kitchen towel and then place on a very hot lightly (olive) oiled baking tray and bake for thirty minutes. Turn once or twice, they should look like the picture.
Ingredients and method
Meanwhile make your mince mixture: fry an onion for a few minutes then add the mince and fry and stir till all the mince is nicely browned and the onion clear, maybe about ten minutes. Add some tomato puree, a small squirt of harissa, passata, paprika and season. Simmer away, the sauce should be fairly thick, do so until you are ready and the aubergines are cooked.
Next arrange a layer of aubergines and put a spoon of mince mixture on top, then an aubergine lid, place a tomato on top and a slice of pepper. Dilute a little passata with some water and pour over (as above - top picture). Place the dish in a hot oven at 200 degrees for about half an hour.
Meanwhile make your cacik (cajik), which isn't tzatziki, although similar, and yes arguments continue about this yoghurt mixture and I did get it wrong too - the cucumber should be chopped really finely, not grated as I did, which is Greek style. The cucumber though was drained for about half an hour and then was mixed with Greek yoghurt, chopped dill, mint, garlic - finely chopped, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of white wine vinegar and finished with a splash of olive oil and put in the fridge for half an hour to cool.
I served this also with an Arabic flatbread.
It's all delicious.
*Compot is a sweetened drink made from fruit found in Bulgaria and Turkey.