Greek – Egyptian fusion Moussaka Recipe (No Béchamel)
Aubergenius
What is this Greek–Egyptian fusion Moussaka Recipe?
Moussaka, re-imagined! This fusion Moussaka recipe merges Greek and Egyptian influences with spiced lamb, a rich garlicky sauce, tender aubergine (eggplant), and a lighter touch with no béchamel sauce needed. A new take on a Mediterranean favourite!
You’ll love it if…
… you are looking for a flavour packed, lighter moussaka. This fusion moussaka recipe is packed with savoury lamb, rich garlicky tomato sauce and roasted aubergine, without the heaviness of béchamel. Perfect for a comforting and delicious meal!
Ah garlic, nature’s sulphurous bounty. If you’re a vampire, or you’re the kind of person who sparingly uses one clove of garlic when cooking (both as bad as each other, in my reckoning), then you best beware this recipe. Why? It has garlic three ways, roasted, stewed and fried.
Rethink what you know about moussaka. This garlicky moussaka will blow your mind. It doesn’t have béchamel but it is missing nothing in flavour. The rich garlicky tomato sauce with slow cooked shredded lamb melts in the mouth. The aubergine is silky and the whole moussaka is studded with crunchy pine nuts. And garlic. Did I mention it has garlic in it?
Make like Buffy and slay those vampires with this garlicky mongrel moussaka.
Chop and Sear the Ingredients
Dry roast 1/3 of the garlic, sear the peppers and the lamb meat. Searing the meat before cooking locks in the juices of the meat, keeping it tender and flavour-packed.
Make the Sauce
Saute onions, garlic, tomatoes in butter and add the toasted spices.
dd in the potatoes and seared lamb with stock, and some honey and vinegar.
Let this cook for an hour and a half on a low heat setting or until the meat is falling off the bone, and the sauce has thickened.
Grill the Aubergines & Shred the Lamb
Slice the aubergines into 1/2 an inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and set aside for 20 minutes for it to drain out excess water. On high heat, fry the aubergine on both sides until browned.
From the cooled lamb sauce fish out all the meat pieces, remove and discard the bones and shred with your hands into chunks.
Blitz the sauce (without the shredded lamb in it) to a chunky consistency.
Add the chopped peppers into a pan, add the sauce and the shredded lamb back in together and heat through. Add some lemon and parsley.
Layer the Moussaka
In a small baking tin or dish, add a thin layer of olive oil. Place slices of the cooked aubergine slices to form the bottom layer. Spread half of the meat and sauce on top, sprinkle some pine nuts. Add another layer of aubergine, and top with another layer of the remaining meat and sauce.
On top of this put the remaining charred peppers, cut into half lengthwise, and sprinkle over with salt and more pine nuts. Add a generous glug of olive oil on top.
Put in the oven at 150℃ (300℉) for 30 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy!
Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.
Top with fried garlic and serve.
- You can use beef brisket instead of lamb (Egyptian style) or minced beef or minced lamb which will reduce the cooking time significantly. If you’re using mince, stir regularly – the sauce is ready when the tomatoes and potatoes are broken down.
- Use 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce instead of 2 tablespoon vinegar, for a more intense savoury flavour
- Not a fan of aubergine? You can use grilled courgette (zucchini) and tomato slices instead of aubergine slices.
- I have used green tomatoes instead of red tomatoes in the lamb sauce to provide a little acidity. You can use red or green.
- Grate parmesan on top for added richness and umami.
Greek – Egyptian Inspired Moussaka Recipe (No Béchamel)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Split 100 grams garlic into three equal parts. Dry roast one part, finely chop one part and finely slice the third part.
- Lightly roast all the dry spices on a medium flame for a minute to activate the oils (1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon fresh red chilli or dried chilli flakes or cayenne pepper powder). Remove and set aside
- Turn the heat up to high and in the same pan, sear the lamb pieces on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan add 1/2 cup diced onions, and 1 cup chopped tomatoes and the 30 grams of raw chopped garlic with 2 tablespoons butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the toasted spices. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the fresh herbs. Add 1 cup stock and mix to deglaze the pan (scrape the bottom of the pan with the liquid). Set aside.
- In a pot with a lid add 1 tablespoon olive oil. On a low heat add the thinly sliced garlic, fry until lightly golden brown (they will get darker once you take it out) put on a paper towel to drain the oil and crisp up. Sprinkle a little salt on it while it’s still hot.
- In the remaining oil add 1 cup potato cubes, sauté until lightly browned. Add the seared lamb along with the onion and tomato mix and the roasted garlic. Add 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and salt to taste and mix well.
- Put the lid on and turn it to the lowest heat setting. Let this cook for an hour and a half (stirring every 20 minutes) or until the meat is falling off the bone, and the sauce has thickened.
- On a very high heat roast the peppers in the same pan until the outside is charred. Remove from heat and finely chop half the peppers and set aside.
- Once the lamb is cooked and fork-tender, set it aside to cool. Once cooled, fish out all the meat pieces, remove and discard the bones and shred with your hands into chunks.
- Mash the sauce (without the shredded lamb pieces) with a potato masher, the back of your ladle or blitz in a food processor until it is a thick but chunky sauce.
- Add the chopped peppers to a pan on medium heat, sauté, add 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, some salt, then add the lamb sauce. Mix well. If the sauce is thin, cook a little until it thickens. Add the shredded lamb back into the sauce and mix through on the heat for another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, add zest and juice of one lemon and the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and mix through.
- Cut 1 large aubergine into 1/2 an inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and set aside for 20 minutes for it to drain out excess water. (The chef put it in a sieve over a bowl)
- Put a little cooking oil In a non-stick pan on high heat, fry the aubergine on both sides until browned. Leave it a little raw on the inside, it will cook further in the oven. Set aside.
- In a small baking tin or dish, add a thin layer of olive oil. Place slices of the cooked aubergine slices to form the bottom layer. Spread half of the meat and sauce on top, sprinkle 1 tablespoon pine nuts. Add another layer of aubergine, and top with another layer of the remaining meat and sauce.
- On top of this put the remaining charred peppers, cut into half lengthwise, and sprinkle over with salt and 1 tablespoon pine nuts. Add a generous glug of olive oil on top.
- Put in the oven at 150℃ (300℉) for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.
- Top with fried garlic and serve.
FAQ
Absolutely! Just swap the butter for olive oil or a dairy-free alternative
Absolutely! Moussaka actually tastes better the next day as the flavors develop. You can assemble it a day in advance and bake when needed
Yes, you can roast the eggplant instead of frying to make the dish lighter. Simply brush the slices with oil, bake them, and you’ll get great caramelisation with less fat. Don’t skip the salting step though.
Use minced beef or minced lamb instead of lamb pieces which will reduce the cooking time significantly. You can also skip the shredding step with this time saving hack.
A light side like a cucumber yogurt salad or a simple Greek salad pairs well. You can also serve it with pita or rice for a heartier meal.
Roasting the eggplant and using leaner cuts of lamb will help reduce excess oil. Pressing the eggplant to remove oil after roasting is another good tip.
