Makdous is a Lebanese dish made by stuffing immature eggplants with a mixture of nuts, peppers, and spices before undergoing the mouneh process of soaking in olive oil. The dish can last up to a year and is served with olive oil and flatbread.
In Lebanon, the mouneh process is how farmers pickle, season and preserve a variety of harvested vegetables. Makdous is the method of stuffing immature eggplants with a mixture of nuts, peppers and spices before they undergo the mouneh process of a long soak in olive oil. These methods allow the vegetables to last until harvest time rolls around again.
Many people think of the fully ripe version of eggplant when considering using eggplant. The maturity level for makdous should be fat and purple, but about the length of an adult finger. These are cleaned in boiling water for about 10 minutes, then completely drained. This blanches the vegetables and helps them soften later in the pickling process, though the juvenile eggplant should hold a nice squeeze for at least a year.
After being laid in a row and lightly pressed, many will leave the vegetable out overnight before starting the filling. Before the final stoning, the filling is made, made from a range of local ingredients. Chopped walnuts, sun-dried peppers, minced garlic and even pomegranate seeds are mixed with a little salt, coriander and olive oil in a bowl. Then each eggplant is cut along the side and filled with the filling. The peppers are left out when the spiciness is not desired, and some even prefer a simpler filling of just peppers, salt, nuts, and olive oil.
The makdous stands upright in the jars after construction is complete. The Dirty Kitchen Secrets website shows how each layer in the jars can be divided by means of sliced peppers for added heat, and how the jars can be rigged upside down to drain even more liquid for an entire day. The last step is to pour olive oil over the makdous, seal the jars and wait.
Many recommend waiting at least five days for the flavors in the jar to fully meld. Some cooking websites claim that the contents can be kept for up to a year and that refrigeration isn’t necessary after the jars are opened. Many people keep their jars in the refrigerator, especially after they’ve been opened.
Makdous is served with some of its own olive oil in a bowl, often alongside some form of flat bread. It is a common amuse-bouche – a free pre-meal offering, across the Middle East of the Mediterranean region in 2011. Instead of just eating bread while waiting for meals, diners have pita and aesthetically distinct makdous to maintain their interests.
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