Name: Smoky Eggplant Puree (Batersh)
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Syrian
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (may substitute ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes); 3 tablespoons (30 grams) pine nuts, toasted; 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil; 2 tablespoons (20 grams) clarified butter, melted; 1 green onion, sliced (20 grams); 2 cups (500 grams) yogurt; 4 large globe eggplants (1 kilogram total); 1½ teaspoons salt; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 2 tablespoons (20 grams) tahini; 1 teaspoon baharat, optional (see note); 3 cloves garlic (20 grams); 2 shallots, chopped (40 grams total); 3 tablespoons (30 grams) butter; 450 grams lamb loin, chopped into 1-cm (½-inch) cubes; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup (250 milliliters) tomato juice; 2 tablespoons (10 grams) tomato paste

Preparation info

4
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Cuisine of Life

By Center for International Private Enterprise

Published 2019

About

Batersh is the most famous dish from the west-central city of Hama, Syria. It is similar to the Turkish ali nazik (eggplant with yogurt) and hünkar beğendi (eggplant with a béchamel sauce). Make batersh during the summer, when eggplants are at their peak. Some cooks strain the yogurt a day in advance to make a more creamy and flavorful puree; you can also garnish it with minced parsley rather than green onion. Be sure to toast the pine nuts to bring out their intense sweet notes. Serve bate