Stuffed Aubergines

Name: Stuffed Aubergines (Sheikh el-mahshi)
Yield: Makes about 1 kg/2 lb 4 oz
Cuisine: Palestinian
Ingredients: 2 tsp cornflour; ½ tsp white pepper; 2 cups yoghurt; 4 tbs oil (optional); ½ tsp pepper; ⅓ tsp allspice; 1½ cups stock; ¾ tsp salt; 30 g (1 oz) pine nuts, fried and added to the meat stuffing; 2 tbs tomato paste; 6 fresh ripe tomatoes; ½ cup olive oil; 15 baby aubergines; 400 g (about 13 oz) hashweh; 1 cup stock for cooking; 1 tsp salt

Sheikh el-mahshi

Preparation info

Makes about
1 kg

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Classic Palestinian Cuisine

By Christiane Dabdoub Nasser

Published 2000

About

The local variety of aubergines – the best are grown in Battir and Aroub, south of Bethlehem and are famous for their particularly pungent flavour – turn this dish into a special delicacy.

Ingredients

15 baby aubergines
½ cup olive oil
1 cup stock

Asia
Palestine
Bethlehem
Main course
Gluten-free

Method

The only way you can get this dish right is by setting aside your scruples and deep-frying the aubergines in olive oil. Wash the baby aubergines and dry them, keeping them whole with the stem so as to prevent the oil from penetrating them. Fry them in the hot oil until they become slightly soft to the touch. Be careful not to pierce the aubergines when you turn them over. Leave them to drain on