Hunkar begendi is an authentic Ottoman dish dating back to a few hundreds years ago. The meaning of Hunkar begendi is “Sultan liked it” and that’s precisely what happened when the palace cook created and served this amazing dish to Sultan Murad IV. Its no surprise he did. This dish is a great combination of succulent lamb stew and smokey – cheesy aubergine pure.
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Hunkar begendi is a very easy dish to put together yet has a luxury feeling to it when you put the first bite in your mouth. It is a great dish for dinner parties to impress your guests. I’ve cooked this recipe many times over the years and it never disappointed me. I sometimes replace the lamb with beef or meatballs and they all work great with the smokey aubergine base.
How to Make Hunkar Begendi?
Hunkar begendi or Sultan’s delight is a lamb stew served on a bed of smokey aubergine pure. You need to start with cooking the lamb stew and then proceed preparing the aubergine pure.
Cooking the Lamb Stew
- Heat a large heavy based pan or dutch oven on medium to high heat. When it’s hot, add the olive oil and brown the diced lamb. Do it in two batches if your pan is not large enough to ensure nice and even browning.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Sauté until soft and slightly browned then add the peppers along with the garlic. Cook for a few more minutes without burning the garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper paste, cumin, salt and black pepper. Give it a good stir before adding the chicken stock or water. You can use lamb stock if you have it to hand. Adding stock to your dishes enhances the flavor. There is a huge difference between a dish cooked with a good quality home made stock or just with water. I always try and have some home made stocks in my fridge / freezer. If you don’t have time to make it at home, use a good quality store bought one. Alternatively, you can use stock cubes. Make sure you reduce the amount of salt when using store bought stock or stock cubes.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, take the lid off and gently simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours or until the lamb is tender. Check the liquid and add more stock if needed. Stir the lamb every half an hour or so to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. If there is too much liquid in the pan, cook further without the lid until the sauce thickens.
Preparing the Aubergine Pure
- Start cooking the aubergine pure while the lamb stew is cooking. To prevent the aubergines bursting, prick each one with a toothpick few times and place them on gas burner or BBQ. Cook them until the aubergines are softened and the skin is charred turning frequently. Alternatively, bake them in the 200°C oven for about 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft, but they won’t have the smokey taste we are after. Place them in a bowl and let them cool down. Peel the aubergines and discard the seeds if there are any. Finely chop and place in a sieve to get rid of its bitter water. Set aside until needed.
- In a saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. Whisk in a little of the warm milk at a time, stirring continuously, until you have a smooth and velvety sauce. Cook for a few minutes until thickened, stirring continuously. Mix in the aubergine, the grated cheese and season with salt and nutmeg. Keep warm until you serve it.
- When the lamb is tender and the sauce is rich and thick, remove from the heat. Spoon the aubergine pure on to the plate and place the lamb stew in the middle. Garnish with chopped parsley.
I usually serve Hunkar Begendi with Turkish Rice Pilaf or bulgur pilaf. It is also great when served with nice crusty bread, Garlic Naan Bread or pita bread and a bowl of salad or “Cacik”.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this authentic Hunkar begendi as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Hunkar Begendi (Sultan’s Delight)
Ingredients
Lamb stew
- 800 g diced lamb
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Turkish green peppers or 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 2 large tomatoes (diced)
- 1 TSP tomato paste
- 1 TSP red pepper paste (optional, can be replaced with tomato paste)
- 1 TSP salt
- ½ TSP freshly ground black pepper
- ½ TSP cumin
- 1 cup chicken stock or water (240 ml)
Smokey Aubergine Pure
- 500 g aubergine
- 40 g butter
- 40 g all purpose flour
- 400 ml full fat milk (warm)
- ¼ TSP nutmeg
- ¾ TSP salt
- 100 g cheddar or kasar cheese (or both) (grated)
- chopped parsley (to garnish)
Instructions
Cooking the Lamb Stew
- Heat a large heavy based pan or dutch oven on medium to high heat.
- Add olive oil and brown the lamb, do it in 2 batches for a nice and even browning.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions. Saute until soft and slightly browned.
- Add the peppers and garlic and cook for few more minutes without burning the garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper paste, cumin, salt and black pepper, give a good stir before adding the chicken stock or water.
- Bring it to the boil, take the lid off and gently simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours or until the lamb is tender. Check the liquid and add more if needed. Stir the lamb every half an hour or so to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. If there is too much liquid in the pan, cook further without the lid until the sauce thickens.
- Start preparing the smoky aubergine pure while the lamb is cooking.
Smokey Aubergine Pure
- Prick the aubergines with a toothpick few times and place them on gas burner or BBQ. Cook them until the aubergines are softened and the skin is charred turning frequently. Alternatively, bake them in the 200°C oven for about 25 minutes or until the flesh is soft, but they won't have the smokey taste we are after.
- Place the aubergines in a bowl and let them to cool down.
- Peel the aubergines and discard the seeds if there are any. Finely chop and place in a sieve to get rid of its bitter water. Set aside until needed.
- In a saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously.
- Whisk in a little of the warm milk at a time, stirring continuously until you have a smooth and velvety sauce. Cook for few minutes until thickened, stirring continuously.
- Mix in the aubergine, the grated cheese and season with salt and nutmeg. Keep warm.
- When the lamb is tender and the sauce is rich and thick, remove from the heat.
- Spoon the aubergine pure on to the plate and place the lamb stew in the middle.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I had this at a friends house and I could never remember the name! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
This dish is one of the most popular dishes in Turkey and I really hope you enjoy my version of it 🙂
Great dish