Fatteh is one of the simplest dishes in Middle Eastern cuisine and a perfect example of how you don’t need fancy ingredients or hours in the kitchen to make something truly delicious. The dish is built in layers: toasted pita bread at the bottom, soft fried eggplant in the middle, and a creamy yogurt–tahini sauce on top. Everything is finished with golden-fried pine nuts for a little crunch. It’s warm and comforting, but never heavy. I’m going to show you my family’s recipe for eggplant fatteh, also known as fatteh batinjan.
Contents
The Concept of Fatteh Dishes
Across the Middle East, millions of loaves of bread are eaten daily. Bread is served at almost every meal, and most families buy it fresh each day. But did you know there’s an entire culinary tradition based on using leftover bread?
You might already know muhammara, a red pepper dip that was originally created to use up day-old bread. Another example is fattoush, a green salad topped with toasted bread. And then there is fatteh, a family of layered dishes that also began as a way to use leftover bread.
Fatteh is not just one dish, but a whole category. The most popular version is eggplant fatteh (fatteh batinjan in Arabic). Other variations include fatteh hummus (made with chickpeas) and fatteh jaj (made with shredded chicken). Traditionally, fatteh is assembled in layers: the first layer is crispy fried bread, the second layer is fried eggplant (or chickpeas), and the third is a creamy yogurt sauce. It’s then topped with fried nuts and garnished with pomegranate seeds or chopped parsley.
Ingredients
Bread and Eggplant Layer:
- Lebanese bread: The thin, round Arabic flatbread is traditionally used for this recipe. If you can’t get your hands on it, you can substitute it with most other types of white bread.
- Eggplant (aubergine): Eggplant is the star of this recipe. Medium-size, dark purple eggplant works great for this recipe.
- Oil: Oil to fry eggplant and bread. Sunflower or canola oil are most commonly used, you could also use avocado oil.
- Salt: A pinch of salt for salting the eggplant (optional)
For the Sauce:
- Yogurt: Whole-milk, plain yogurt, Greek or Turkish style.
- Tahina: A thick paste made of sesame seeds, available at any Middle Eastern or Turkish grocery store, or online.
- Garlic clove
- Lemon
- Seasonings: Salt and cumin powder (optional).
- Water (to thin out sauce)
Top Layer & Garnish:
- Nuts: Pine nuts and/or almonds as the final layer.
- Olive oil: To fry the nuts.
- Garnish: Parsley and pomegranate seeds.
Note: Quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this recipe and can be adjusted according to the amount of servings you’d like to make.
How to Make Eggplant Fatteh (Step-by-Step Recipe)
Ready to get cooking? Let’s get started! You’ll find the detailed step-by-step instructions below. For a shorter version (to print out), simply scroll down to the recipe card.
Step 1: Prepare Eggplant
We’ll start with the eggplant. Cut off the stalk, then peel the eggplant lengthwise. Instead of removing all the skin, peel in strips so that you remove every other stripe. This creates a “zebra pattern”, which helps balance flavor and texture. It softens the eggplant while still giving it enough structure so it doesn’t turn mushy. Once peeled, cut the eggplant into slices lengthwise, then into bite-size cubes, about three by three centimeters, or roughly one inch across.
Next, I’m going to salt my eggplant to draw out excess moisture and bitterness, but this step is optional. Arrange the cubes on a layer of kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for a couple of minutes, while you prepare the sauce and bread.
Step 2: Prepare Sauce
Next, let’s prepare our creamy yogurt-tahina sauce that brings this dish to the next level. Crush a clove of garlic and squeeze the juice from a lemon. Add yogurt to a bowl, then add lemon juice, crushed garlic, tahini, salt and ground cumin. Whisk everything together. Then start adding water slowly, a little at a time, until you get a creamy but pourable consistency. Set the sauce aside while we prep the other layers.
Step 3: Prepare Bread
Take your pita bread and cut it into small cubes, using a knife, scissors or by hand. The bread chunks should be about two by two centimeters, or three-quarters of an inch. Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add the pita cubes. Fry them for two to three minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp on both sides. Be sure that all chunks of bread are covered in a little bit of oil, as that’s what makes them golden and crispy. Remove them from the skillet and set aside to crisp up until ready to assemble.
Step 4: Fry Eggplant
Let’s get back to our eggplant. If you salted them, be sure to pat dry before frying. The paper towels absorbed some of the moisture, which slightly improves texture and taste.
Now, using the same skillet, turn back on your stove on medium heat and add some oil to the skillet. I don’t use a lot of oil to keep it light, just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add the eggplant cubes to the heated oil and fry them for four to five minutes. Flip occasionally until they develop a golden color on all sides and are cooked all the way through. That’s important for this recipe, because semi-cooked eggplant really doesn’t taste good.
Step 5: Assemble Layers
Now we can start building the dish. The first layer is the bread. Spread the toasted pita bread on a serving plate or in a wide bowl. Second, arrange the fried eggplant cubes on top of the bread. Then spoon your yogurt-tahina sauce over the eggplant.
Step 6: Fry Nuts & Garnish
The best comes last! The traditional way to wrap up any fatteh dish is with fried nuts. And the way it’s traditionally done is that the nuts are fried at the very end, seconds before serving.
Add a small amount of olive oil in the skillet and warm it over medium-high heat. Add some pine nuts or almond slivers and fry them briefly until golden. Be careful here, as they brown quickly. This usually takes less than a minute. Pour the toasted pine nuts on top of the yogurt layer, along with the oil from the pan, to hear the signature sizzling sound. This step really rounds up the rich, nutty flavor.
Last but not least, garnish with finely chopped parsley and a handful of pomegranate seeds for color and freshness.
Serving Suggestions
Aubergine fatteh makes a wonderful brunch or appetizer, but it can also be served as a light main course. If you’re serving it as an appetizer, consider pairing it with other Middle Eastern mezze dishes. It’s typically served alongside a selection of warm and cold dishes.
Make Ahead & Storage
Fatteh is traditionally served lukewarm, with the fried nuts and oil poured over the yogurt sauce right before serving. This dish is best enjoyed immediately after it’s prepared. I don’t recommend making it ahead of time, as the eggplant will become mushy and the bread will turn soggy if left in the yogurt sauce for too long.
Learn Middle Eastern Cooking
Are you a new to Middle Eastern cuisine? Then this Middle Eastern cookbook is what you need! In addition to a varied choice of recipes, the cookbook offers plenty of insights on ingredients, cooking techniques and Middle Eastern food culture.
Eggplant Fatteh (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 2 small eggplant (aubergine)
- 1 Lebanese bread
- 1 tsp salt for salting the eggplant
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts
- sunflower oil to fry bread and eggplant
- 2 Tbsp olive oil to fry the nuts
Yogurt Sauce
- 150 g (2/3 cups) whole-milk yogurt
- 2 Tbsp water cold
- 1 Tbsp tahina sesame paste
- 1 Tbsp lemon freshly squeezed
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
Garnish
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds optional
- 2 Tbsp parsley optional
Instructions
- Prepare the eggplant. Cut off the stalk. Peel the eggplant lengthwise, removing every other stripe to create a “zebra pattern”. Cut the peeled eggplant into slices (lengthwise), then cut into bite-size cubes (about 3×3 cm or 1×1 inch).
- Arrange the eggplant cubes on a layer of kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15 minutes to absorb excess moisture and bitterness. This step is optional!
- For the yogurt-tahina sauce, crush a garlic clove, squeeze a lemon. Add yogurt to a bowl. Add lemon, garlic, tahini, as well as salt and cumin powder. Whisk to combine. Slowly add in water (bit by bit) until you reach a creamy yet pourable consistency. Set aside.
- Cut your pita bread into cubes, about 2×2 cm (or ¾ x ¾ in) in size.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bread chunks and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden on both sides (turning halfway through). Remove from the oil and set aside.
- Add the eggplant cubes to the oil, fry for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until they have developed a beautiful color on all sides and are cooked all the way through.
- Next, build the layers. First, spread the toasted pita bread onto a plate or bowl. Secondly, arrange the fried eggplant cubes on top of the bread. Next, add the yogurt sauce on top (in a thin layer).
- For the final layer, heat olive oil (in the same skillet), add pine nuts and fry for a minute until golden. Pour the fried pine nuts onto the yogurt layer, including the oil!
- Optionally, garnish with some finely chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.
Notes
- Instead of deep-frying in oil (which is the traditional method), you can also air-fry the pita bread and eggplant, or oven-roast them. Airfryer instructions: the bread chips need about 3-4 minutes in the airfryer (shake halfway through). The eggplant needs about 20-25 minutes (shake up every 5 minutes).
- The amount of water to add to your sauce depends on the quality of your tahini, and on how thick you’d like your sauce to be. Add water slowly to ensure you add the right amount.
- Tahini is a thick paste made of 100% sesame seeds. You can find it at any Middle Eastern and Turkish grocery store as well as online.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is only a rough estimate and may vary depending on factors such as the cooking method, exact weight, type, and brand of ingredients used.
