This special flavor, named after sultans, is one of the Ottoman recipes that has survived to the present day. You can offer a taste that makes a difference at dinner with the sultan's delight recipe, which makes you feel the weight of its name with its taste.
The Sultan's Delight recipe that you can prepare for your special guests is often preferred because of its convenient preparation. Since roasted eggplant puree plays the main role in this unique flavor, it is also known as the eggplant puree recipe in some regions. You can examine the easy sultan's delight recipe, which is the savior of kitchens and dinner tables, below.
What is the History of Sultan's Delight?
The harmony of eggplant puree and lamb stew draws attention to the Sultan's Delight recipe. The combination of rich flavors is proof that this is a dish of Ottoman cuisine. Sultan Turkish delight (Hunkar begendi) is an Ottoman dish that consists of lamb stew with eggplant bechamel sauce. The resulting dish is indeed royal and delightfully honey.
Hunkar Begendi means 'the sultan enjoy it'. However, the more common translation of the Hunkar Begendi recipe is Sultan's Delight. The meaning of its name is 'The Sultan is delighted', which is often translated as 'Sultan's delight'.
In different sources, you can find different stories about the Sultan's Delight recipe. For example, it is rumored that the Sultan's favor first appeared at a banquet given at the palace during the visit of Napoleon's wife, Queen Eugenie III, to the Sultan. It managed to become the most popular dish in Ottoman cuisine when it was first served.
In the other story, the cooks of the Ottoman palace compete with each other to prepare the Sultan's favorite dish at that time. When the dish pleased the sultan that day, they said among themselves, "Well, if it's good enough for a sultan, it's good enough for us," and called it "Hunkar liked it."
Apart from this, some sources also mention that after the Sultan liked the food, he called it "Sultan" because he loved himself very much.
Ingredients for The Sultan's Delight Recipe
You will notice that we call the eggplant puree 'likes' throughout this sultan’s delight recipe. Although this translates as 'like', it also became the name for eggplant puree.
For The Lamb Stew
650 grams of lamb or lean beef
3 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium-size tomatoes
1.5 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of salt
1.5 cups of hot water
For The “Begendi”
4 medium eggplants
1.5 tablespoons of flour
1.5 cups of warm milk
1.5 tablespoons of butter
Half a glass of grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon black pepper (preferably freshly ground)
1 teaspoon of salt
How to Make The Sultan's Delight?
Begin preparing the Sultan's delight recipe by cooking the lamb. You can also prepare the lamb stew the day before if you like. The best thing about this dish is that the stew keeps the lamb warm for a long time. This way you can concentrate on the preparation of "Begendi".
Lamb stew:
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot and add the chopped onions. If necessary, add a little water and fry them well.
When the onions turn pink, peel and add 3 cloves of garlic.
To fry, add 650 grams of lamb or beef.
The meat is fried until it releases its water and absorbs it again.
Then add 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper, 1.5 tablespoons of tomato paste, and diced tomatoes.
Lastly, after adding 1.5 cups of hot water, close the lid and let the meat cook.
For those who are trying the
Sultan's Delight recipe for the first time, it is better to postpone the preparation of the "begendi" until the end. Storing and reheating the eggplant sauce requires a little more care. What you can prepare beforehand here is to roast the eggplants.
Begendi:
Using a knife, cut holes in 4 medium eggplants and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or my shall). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and roast the eggplants in the oven for about 20 minutes. The roasted eggplants are placed in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap for easy peeling, and left for 15 minutes. Then the peels are peeled and finely chopped.
To prepare the béchamel sauce, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. Add 1.5 tablespoons of flour and fry until fragrant. Then add the peeled and finely chopped eggplant to the pan. After adding 1.5 cups of warm milk, cook slowly, stirring constantly. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper, just before cooking.
Finally, add the grated cheddar cheese over the cooked savory and remove it from the oven.
The meeting of stew and "begendi":
Spread the desired amount of stew on the serving plate and sprinkle the soft-cooked meat on top.
PS: You can also use beef or even chicken for this delicious dish, but my recommendation for the best Sultan's Delight recipe would be to use lamb.
How to Serve The Sultan's Delight?
To serve Sultan's delight, "begendi" is spread on the serving plate and a stew is placed on top. Bread is served with this dish to wipe off the sauce.
At first glance, the combination of eggplant bechamel sauce and a delicate tomato stew may seem a bit unusual. You can arrange them side by side on a plate if you like, but if you try the original dish, you will understand what I mean. The Sultan's delight recipe is a special dish that you should definitely try.
The Tips of the Sultan's Delight
If you follow these tricks when preparing the Sultan's Delight recipe, which comes from the unique meeting of eggplant and meat, your dish will taste even better.
When preparing begendi, flour should be added without burning the butter. If you add a little butter, you must pay attention to the amount, otherwise, lumps will form.
The meat should be fried until it absorbs the water.
It may take longer than usual to cook the meat in the pot. If you want to cook the meat in a short time and softer, you can use a pressure cooker.
You should make sure that the eggplants you use are not pitted. Bostan eggplant is the ideal type of eggplant for this recipe. If possible, you should cook the eggplants on an open fire, either on a grill or on a gas stove. If that is not possible, you can also roast them in the oven. However, using a flame will provide a pleasant smoky aroma. It is also worth taking some time to drain the juice that comes out of the meat during cooking, as it can be bitter.
What to Eat With Sultan's Delight?
Bulgur pilaf is a pilaf that will go well with sultan pilaf. Firik pilaf from the bulgur family is also a good choice. Rice pilaf, which you cook in grains, can be a good side dish for Sultan's Delight. If you do not want to cook any other dish and think that the salad is enough, we recommend the Gavurdagi salad or any Mediterranean salad as the first salad. You can also choose a red bean stew for your meal. For soup, lentil soup would be a good choice.
A good carbohydrate meal goes best with this wonderful Sultan's Delight recipe with roasted eggplant puree. No matter what diet you follow, you will find a side dish to this amazing flavor that you can even eat with bread.
