Hünkar beğendi, lamb dish with eggplant puree
Slow-cooked meat with onions and tomatoes, served over a creamy eggplant purée with a cheese béchamel: a classic Turkish dish.
The hünkar beğendi, “the sultan’s favorite,” is a dish consisting of slow-cooked meat served over a creamy purée of grilled eggplant, bound with béchamel sauce and grated cheese. It’s a festive and comforting dish from Turkish cuisine.
Ingredients and directions
- Prep time30 min
- Cook time1 hr
- Total1 hr 30 min
- DifficultyMedium
- CostBudget
- Cooking methodMijotage
- Estimated cost$10.11 $1.69 / serving Estimated price; varies by store. Converted from euros at the ECB rate of October 7, 2026.
Ingredients
people
- $0.72
- $0.74
- $0.08
- $0.29
- $7.00
- $0.69
- $0.32
- $0.06
- $0.21
Prices from US supermarkets for 6 of 9 ingredients; Belgian prices for the rest.
Directions
- Grill the eggplants over the flame.
- Remove the skin. ≈ 3 min
- Let them sit in a mixture of lemon-infused water with added flour (1 tablespoon). ≈ 3 min
- Cook the meat over low heat.
- Add the oil paint. ≈ 3 min
- Let’s revisit the onion and tomato dishes.
- Prepare the béchamel sauce: heat 3 tablespoons of flour in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a light golden color.
- Gradually pour in the 75 cl of milk. ≈ 3 min
- Using a fork, crush the eggplant that remains in the water. ≈ 4 min
- Add them to the béchamel sauce. ≈ 3 min
- Add the grated cheese. ≈ 3 min
- Stir while cooking.
- Place the meat on top of the mashed potatoes and serve. ≈ 2 min
The bill
Hünkar beğendi, lamb dish with eggplant puree
- 100 g of grated cheese$0.72
- 75 cl of milk$0.74
- 4 tablespoons of flour$0.08
- 2 onions$0.29
- 4 eggplants$7.00
- 2 tomatoes$0.69
- 5 tablespoons of oil paint$0.32
- salt$0.06
- lemon$0.21
Total$10.11
that's $1.69 per person
Estimated price; varies by store.
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