Hünkâr Beğendi, meaning ‘the Sultan liked it’ is a famous dish from the Ottoman palace cuisine. The story dates back to the 19th century, when Empress Eugénie of France visited Istanbul and brought her chef with her, who wanted to prepare a French-style béchamel sauce. The palace chefs combined this idea with roasted aubergine and cheese, creating the silky aubergine purée. They then served it with Sultan Abdülaziz’s favourite - meat in a rich sauce. The Sultan was so impressed by the dish that it was named ‘Hünkâr Beğendi’👑✨ After making it today, I can understand exactly why it earned its name and judging by my husband’s reaction, I think it’s earned a permanent place in our kitchen too🤍 Ingredients For the meat: * 500g diced beef (you can use lamb) * 1 medium onion * 2 garlic cloves * 3 grated tomatoes * 1 tbsp hot Turkish pepper paste * 1 tbsp butter * 2 tbsp olive oil * 1 tsp dried thyme * 1 tsp pul biber (chilli flakes) * 1 tsp black pepper * Salt to taste * 200 ml hot water For the Beğendi (smoky aubergine purée): * 1 cup milk * 1 tbsp plain flour * 1 tbsp butter * Approximately ½ cup grated kaşar cheese (you can substitute with mozzarella or mild cheddar) * 2 roasted aubergines * Salt to taste Method 1. Heat a large pan or pot. Add the meat and sauté over high heat. Once the beef has browned and released its juices, continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated 2. Put the aubergines in the oven if this is how you are going to roast them (I roasted mine for 40-50 mins - so it’s best to put it in now as you are cooking the meat) 3. Add the olive oil and butter, followed by the finely onion and garlic 4. Continue sautéing until the onions have softened 5. Add the grated tomatoes and pepper paste. Cook for a few more minutes, then add hot water 6. Reduce the heat to low, cover and leave to simmer until the beef is tender. The cooking time will depend on the cut of meat. The original recipe cooked it for approximately 25 minutes, but yours may take longer 7. Check the liquid and tenderness occasionally and add a little more water if necessary (I waited until the meat soaked up the liquid and tasted the tenderness - I didn’t need to add more water) 8. Once the beef is tender and cooked through, season with salt, black pepper, thyme and chilli flakes according to taste. Remove from the heat. For the Beğendi 1. You need two roasted aubergines - soft and charred on the outside. You can roast them directly over a gas flame, under a grill, or in the oven. Once cooked, peel them and finely chop (I roasted mine whilst I was cooking the meat) 2. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Using a whisk cook over medium heat until you can smell the cooked flour, taking care not to let it brown 3. Gradually add the milk, whisking quickly and continuously to prevent lumps from forming 4. Once the béchamel has thickened and begins to bubble, add the chopped roasted aubergine and grated cheese. Mash and stir everything together until smooth and well combined 5. Season with salt to taste and transfer the hot aubergine purée to a serving dish. 6. Spoon the cooked beef over the top and serve immediately - I served mine with rice, çoban salad and cacık🤍 #ottoman #turkish #EasyRecipes #turkishfood #fyp - @habibe_erdogan