What is fatteh?
Fatteh is an Arabic term that means “to crumble,” or “crumbs” Now, that is a giveaway. Fatteh recipes are called such because of the crumbled pita bread (khobz or khobuz in Arabic). Or probably because the dish crumbles somehow when served. The crumbling makes this easy dish intriguing because the texture it creates becomes a tantalizing bit – the mixture of smooth and crunchy bits from its sauce and the rest of the ingredients.
Origin of fatteh recipe
Depending on the region the recipe is coming from, the ingredients and the spices differ. Fatteh recipes can be Lebanese, Turkish, Syrian, Egyptian, or Palestinian – a Middle Eastern dish then. Centuries ago, Egyptian and Palestinian fatteh had rice in their lineup of ingredients. These days, fatteh is known for its oned-day old bread which is fried or baked until they are crunchy.
You are getting from this post the recipe here hailed from the kitchen of my Lebanese sister-in-law when she came for a visit more than 10 years ago. I was watching her as she prepared the dish and I kept on asking questions until I had memorized the ingredients and the steps. The first time I did this recipe, about a month after she returned to her homeland, I used the recipe in memory. Successful, it was! And it has become one of my many favorites. Yeah, I call it Lebanese fatteh.
Fatteh recipes are usually “with hummus” (or chickpeas), are therefore called chickpea fatteh or hummus fatteh; “with eggplant” and therefore called eggplant fatteh. My sister-in-law’s recipe is generous. She used both ingredients in this recipe in addition to ground beef! So, if you feel like omitting the eggplant or chickpea in this recipe, you are good to go.
Recipe ingredients
This dish is a healthy option and is a complete meal by itself. Watching my sister-in-law do it, I was impressed with the healthy choice of ingredients. Also, the ingredients are pantry-and refrigerator-ready. I mean, finding the ingredients is stress-free! They are practically already available anytime. Her recipe had undergone a bit of adjustment to suit my own preference, and she was pleased with what turned out. However, what I would give you here is her original recipe as I remember it well. That’s good, am I not? Honestly, it was because this recipe is really easy as you will come to find out on your own.
Below are the ingredients in this generous recipe:
- Ground beef
- Eggplants
- Cooked chickpeas. Of course, you can start from raw chickpeas and boil/cook them to your liking to include in this recipe.
- Plain yogurt. I have seen recipes that call for Greek yogurt. Admittedly I haven’t tried that, but I can imagine that it would be good. Either of them will definitely create that tangy yogurt sauce for this dish.
- Garlic cloves. Preferably fresh minced garlic. If you find this strong, garlic powder would be a good replacement.
- Fresh lemon juice.
- Fresh parsley for garnishing
- Pine Nuts
- Tahini Paste
- Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Pita bread. I prefer using fresh pita bread. A day-old or leftover pita might not make much difference in the baking tray – they would still come out the same.
- Salt
- Sweet paprika powder
- cumin powder
- ground coriander
- Fresh pomegranate seeds
How to prepare fatteh
The steps might seem tedious, but they definitely are not. You can have this dish ready in no time.
Pita bread or pita chips
- Cut pita bread into about 1-inch squares, drizzle with olive oil or butter, and bake until golden to make pita chips.
Eggplant
- Dice eggplant, soak in water for about 20 minutes, drain, spray or brush with olive oil, and cook in an air fryer until golden brown. Alternatively, fry in a pan over medium heat while stirring, or place on a baking sheet and bake, turning once, until golden.
Beef
- Sautee beef in as little oil as you can. Season with salt, black pepper, cumin, and paprika powder. Cook stirring until all the juices come out and have evaporated. Add spices and stir for a minute.
Chickpeas
- While cooking beef, drain cooked chickpeas.
Yogurt and Tahini
- In a mixing bowl or any medium bowl, using a manual beater, mix yogurt and tahini until smooth, adding no more than a teaspoon salt, juice of fresh lemon, and minced garlic in between.
Pine Nuts
- Gently roast pine nuts in a pan. Set aside.
- Layer the ingredients in a baking dish starting with pita bread, beef, eggplant, and chickpeas. Top with yogurt mixture and design with chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, and pine nuts.
How to store leftover fatteh
Leftover? You won’t have any, my dear! But just in case, cover the dish with cling film or gently move them in the same single layer to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for another day. Just remember:
- the pita bread will absorb the yogurt mixture making your fatteh soft (than crunchy). I still love it this way!
- the roasted eggplant will also absorb that sauce – awesome, to be honest!
- the crunchy pine nuts will not be crunchy anymore, but it is still okay.
- take the pomegranate seeds out and replace them with fresh ones when serving the dish (a day after?)
Additional tips:
- Replace beef with any ground meats. Chicken fatteh is also worth trying – just replace the ground beef with ground chicken. Omit the meats for a vegetarian version – I had done this and it was lovely.
- If you are tempted to use the food processor to mix your ingredients, go for it. This is especially if you are using fresh garlic and you want its texture to disperse with the mixture. This helps in avoiding a garlicky yogurt mixture.
- You may want to warm chickpeas before layering them. It is a nice touch.
- Sprinkle the dish with sumac before serving. Adding chopped fresh mint (about half a teaspoon) as garnishing adds tease to the taste.
- If you wish to prepare this in advance, layer them a few minutes before serving.
Fatteh never fails to please my taste buds. They are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Excellent choice for potluck get-togethers and special occasions. Filling but light, it satiates so pleasantly.
Fatteh Recipe
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Fatteh with Hummus
Description
Easy-to-make fatteh with hummus (chickpeas), ground beef and eggplant that is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer. Also one best candidate for potluck get-togethers.
Ingredients
For fatteh layers
- 4 pita breads
- butter or olive oil for baking or frying (divided for pita breads and eggplants)
- 3 cups eggplant (diced into about 1/2-inch pieces
- 1–1/2 cups chickpeas
- 500 grams ground beef
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- 4 cups plain yoghurt
- 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 tbsp juice of fresh lemon
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
For toppings
- 125 grams pomegranate seeds
- 50 grams toasted pinenuts
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, shredded finely
Instructions
- Cut pita bread into 1/2-inch triangles (more or less). Place them onto a baking dish, sprinkle with olive oil or butter and bake at 300°C for 12 minutes. Turn once and bake again for another 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, fry the pre-cut pita bread in butter or olive oil until they become golden. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl or any medium bowl, using a manual beater, mix yogurt and tahini until smooth, adding no more than a teaspoon salt, juice of fresh lemon, and minced garlic.
- Drain eggplants and dry them using a paper towel. Spread onto an air fryer basket and cook until light brown. Alternatively, fry eggplant cubes with olive oil until golden or light brown.
- Roast ground beef in a little oil on a pan until the juices come out. Add spices: cumin, coriander powder, sweet paprika and salt. Stir for a bit and set aside.
- Layer the fattah on your choice of deep dish starting with all the crunchy pita, followed by the chickpeas and ground beef, then covering them with a yogurt-tahini mixture.
- Top with toasted fine nuts, fresh pomegranate seeds, and chopped parsley.
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