Gaziantep’s famous meftune: A perfectly balanced recipe

Gaziantep’s meftune is a beloved regional dish built around the combination of eggplant, tomatoes and garlic. Diced meat and pomegranate molasses give it a rich, aromatic and distinctly sour flavor.

For the dish, use five or six eggplants, three or four tomatoes, five or six garlic cloves and 250 grams of diced meat. The recipe also calls for one tablespoon each of pepper paste and tomato paste, two tablespoons of pomegranate molasses, two or three tablespoons of oil, red pepper flakes, salt and a cup of water.

Peel the eggplants in stripes, cut them into large pieces and leave them in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain and rinse them. Cook the diced meat in a pot until it releases and reabsorbs its juices, then add the oil and pastes and sauté briefly.

Place the eggplant in the pot, followed by the roughly chopped tomatoes and garlic. Add salt, red pepper flakes and water, cover the pot, and cook over low heat. When the eggplant and meat become tender, stir in the pomegranate molasses and cook for a few more minutes before removing the pot from the heat.