Though it shares its 'moussaka' name with the famous Greek bake, this Lebanese version is something else entirely: an oil-cooked vegetable dish meant to be eaten cool, a clue to its name's roots in an Arabic word for 'chilled.' Maghmour belongs to Lebanon's beloved family of zeit dishes that monasteries and households prepared for fasting days, when meat was set aside and the garden's eggplant and the pantry's chickpeas carried the meal.
The eggplant turns meltingly soft and silky, soaking up a tomato sauce warmed by cinnamon and the cooling whisper of dried mint. Chickpeas add a nutty bite, and a swipe of pita makes it a meal.
Roasting or frying the eggplant first collapses its spongy cells and drives off bitterness, so it drinks in the sauce instead of staying watery. Slow simmering melds the cinnamon and mint into the tomato while the chickpea starch lightly thickens the stew.
Variations
Use canned or freshly boiled chickpeas, swap dried mint for fresh, add a pinch of chili or Aleppo pepper, or include diced potato; some cooks finish with pomegranate molasses
On the Palate
Where Maghmour (Lebanese Moussaka) sits in the Lebanese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 25 min active · 30 min waiting
- 130 min
Cut the eggplant into chunks, salt lightly, then roast or fry until golden and tender.
- 26 min
In a pot, heat olive oil and saute the sliced onion until soft, 5-6 minutes.
- 31 min
Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 43 min
Stir in the chopped tomatoes (or passata), cinnamon, dried mint, salt and pepper.
- 54 min
Add the drained chickpeas and a splash of water; bring to a simmer.
- 623 min
Fold in the cooked eggplant and simmer gently until the sauce thickens, 20-25 minutes.
- 72 min
Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little more mint or lemon if desired.
- 85 min
Rest off the heat, then serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
