Makloubeh

Ingredients

• 1 kg lean ground beef
• 3 large aubergines
• 2 cups sunflower oil
• 450 g basmati rice or brown basmati rice, if you prefer
• 2 large onions
• 1 teaspoon mixed Arabic spices or allspice, if you prefer
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 liters cold water
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter
• 200 g blanched split almonds, chopped if you prefer

Directions

1. 1

   Wash the rice under running water. Rinse it well and leave aside to drain.

2. 2

   Chop the onion very finely and peel and slice the aubergine lengthways.

3. 3

   Heat half of the oil gently in a lidded saucepan. Add the chopped onion, mix well and reduce the heat. Cover the pan with the lid and allow to cook about 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Mix the onion well, and add the minced beef.

5. 5

   Using a fork, break it up in the pan, increasing the heat for a few minutes.Cover the pan once more and allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

6. 6

   In another pan, heat the remainder of the oil. Add the sliced aubergines, and fry them until golden on both sides.

7. 7

   Remove the fried aubergine with a fork and drain very well on kitchen paper. This is a very important step to avoid the aubergine being excessively oily.

8. 8

   Mix the spices and salt with just under two litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

9. 9

   Place half of the cooked minced beef mixture in the bottom of a large greased ovenproof dish. Cover this with half of the fried aubergine slices & sprinkle with half of the rice. Repeat these layers finishing with rice. Pour spice mixture over casserole. Place in the centre of oven 325F & bake for 1 hour or until rice is tender. Heat the melted butter and fry the nuts until golden. Remove the cooked dish from the oven, turn it out on to a serving dish and garnish with the fried nuts and pour over the melted butter.

10. 10

    Enjoy!