Center for International Private Enterprise

Sultan’s Delight

Name: Sultan’s Delight (Hünkar Beğendı)
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg; 1 cup (100 grams) grated kaşar (kasseri) cheese (may substitute mild cheddar or mozzarella); ½ teaspoon salt; 2½ cups (625 milliliters) warm milk; 2 tablespoons (25 grams) flour; ½ cup (100 grams) butter; 1½ kilograms globe eggplants; 3 cups (750 milliliters) water; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon tomato paste; ½ tablespoon salt; 1 green bell pepper (85 grams), diced; 2 medium tomatoes (330 grams total), peeled, seeded, and diced; 1 kilogram boneless lamb chop, cut into 2- or 3 cm (¾- or 1-inch) cubes; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; ¼ cup butter (or 100 milliliters/6¾ tablespoons olive oil); 2 medium onions, diced (500 grams total)

Hünkar Beğendı

Preparation info

8
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Cuisine of Life

By Center for International Private Enterprise

Published 2019

About

One origin story of this dish, as Esin explains, goes back to 1867. The sultan Abdulaziz visited France and invited the emperor, Napoleon III, and his wife, Eugenie, to visit him in Istanbul. Unable to get away from his work, Napoleon III sent Eugenie in his place. She brought her chef along, who, one day, prepared béchamel sauce, to much interest from the palace kitchen chef, who happened to be making roasted eggplants at that very moment. The palace chef combined the two, making a new dis

Ingredients

Asia
Turkey
Main course
Summer
Mediterranean
Spicy

Ingredients

Method