Do you know that there is a Greek moussaka, and there is a Turkish one? In addition to these two, there are other moussaks all sorts of different ones, you can get confused in them one or two, the differences between them are tiny, and there are, as they say, fundamental.
The Greeks, for example, often use potatoes when serving, while the Turks use rice or bulgur. But this is bullshit, with what to serve. Because the sauce itself is important, the gravy.
In smart cookbooks they write, in moussaks, only two ingredients are irreplaceable - eggplants and tomatoes.
Turks are very fond of eggplants. They eat them all year round and every day, and in different forms. Eggplant in Turkey is the king of vegetables. However, like a tomato.
I agree with the Turks - eggplant is delicious. No not like this. eggplant is delicious! And in Turkish moussaka - so generally, delicious.
Don't believe me? Then try Turkish moussaka. The recipe is almost authentic, the only thing is that in the original they use mutton and beef at the same time, and we will take beef, because we don't have good mutton everywhere, and it can bite at a price.
We take:
- Beef 800 gr
- Eggplant 2-3 (the more, the better, if you want to be as close to a Turkish dish as possible)
- Tomatoes 5 pcs
- A couple of tablespoons of tomato paste
- Good onion
- Cilantro (or parsley)
- Salt-pepper to taste
How we cook:
Grind the beef into minced meat. I always do this myself, because I don't really trust stores - who knows what they will mix there.
Cut the eggplants into cubes, put in a container.
Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and, spreading the cubes on parchment, put them in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. It is necessary that the eggplants become ruddy, but not dry.
Finely chop the onion, fry.
We send minced meat to the pan to the onion, and, after frying it a little, add tomato paste.
Salt and pepper to taste. The Turks have freshly ground black pepper pouring in abundantly, like chili flakes, but I have a child, so I'm careful with spices.
Scald the tomatoes, remove the skin. We cut - and to the minced meat. If it turns out thick, add a little water. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.
At the very end, add baked eggplants and finely chopped cilantro to the minced meat, mix and, having cooked another 3-5 minutes, serve.
The consistency should not be liquid, but also not very thick
Shl, Turks eat rice in different ways, like bulgur. Someone separately scoops from a bowl, someone puts moussaka on top of a bowl with rice or bulgur.