My earliest memory of this is trying it in a traditional old Syrian house restaurant in Souk el Hamadiyeh. I was around 16 years old and never heard of it before. My family never used to make it at all! I was obbsessed! So delicious – especially since I am an eggplant fanatic.
Be warned that this dish is not for the faint of heart, or those watching their waistlines. It’s a full on, lets eat it and nap for the rest of the afternoon kind of dish. Typical Syrian style!
In terms of prep, it’s relatively easy – just a bit time consuming if you don’t have the stuff ready. I would suggest you plan to make this a day before so you can prep some steps before hand!
Things you can do ahead of time to save time:
- You can toast the pita bread the day before, and after cooling put it in a ziplock or tupperware.
- You can soak a piece of tamarind in water overnight.
- You could technically make all the layers the day before, except the yogurt garlic sauce, since garlic tends to intensify when refrigerated overnight.
