My Mom’s Lebanese Moussaka (maghmour). A velvety vegetarian eggplant stew with chickpeas, garlic , onions, tomatoes and dried mint.
Lebanese Moussaka / Maghmour, a vegan stew packed with lovely Mediterranean flavors, talk about a velvety eggplant stew studded with onions, garlic, olive oil, tossed with dried mint, and stewed with tomatoes! The taste is incredibly divine! I guess that’s the reason why the post is one of the most popular recipes on my blog! This is my number three recipe according to how many people visit the site.
Lebanese Moussaka (Maghmour)
When you mention the word moussaka, the first thing that jumps to mind is the Greek gratin style moussaka, but do you know that the word moussaka in, Arabic, literally means chilled? With that said, now it makes sense to know that the leftovers of the Lebanese moussaka would taste great out of the fridge too; and it makes sense too, that most probably, the orgin of moussaka must be Arabic. The Lebnanese moussaka or maghmour, as it is called in some sectors in Lebanon, has some common elements with the Greek moussaka, but the end result of the Lebanese version is a vegan stew rather than a meaty gratin, an appetizer that is hearty enough to consider it a meal in itself.
As a child I would wait impatiently for the dish and constantly ask my mother when it would be done, I clearly remember that wonderful salivating smell! I know well, almost everyone believes that their mom is the best cook on earth, right? And I am no exception! Yet, mom kept a lovely secret that eventually came from my grandmother who passed it down to my mother! The secret in their recipe was to peel the soaked chickpeas before cooking them, and by that said, you would take the Lebanese mousaka to the next level
I can understand that it a boring and a time-consuming process to remove the flesh of the chickpeas, so it is totally understandable to use canned chickpeas for a less time-consuming recipe, and the end result would still be good!
If you are using canned chickpeas, skip this step!!
Wash and soak the chickpeas overnight in 2 cups of water. Wash the chickpeas thoroughly and drain. Place the soaked chickpeas on a counter top, position a ceramic bowl over it and press gently. Once you remove the bowl, you will notice that the chickpeas are peeled. Repeat the procedure as necessary (until all the chickpeas are totally peeled). If using canned chickpeas, skip this step.
Peel the skin of the eggplants, retaining about 1/3 of the skin. It should have the appearance of a stripped eggplant. Cut each eggplant into quarters. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 minutes.
Place a skillet on high heat and add the 2 cups of oil. Once oil is hot, fry the eggplant pieces, in batches, to a golden color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. If you are cutting down on fatty foods, then generously brush a non-stick baking sheet with canola oil, lay the eggplants in a single layer and roast in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F for 25 minutes, or until the eggplant pieces are crisp and brown, making sure to flip every few minutes.
Add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a pot, set on high heat and sauté the onions till translucent. Add the garlic slices, dried mint and peeled chickpeas and sizzle for 20 seconds.
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder (if used) and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil.
Neatly add the fried eggplants to the pot, reduce heat to very low, cover up and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Serve it with pita bread. Enjoy!
Serve it with pita bread/ Lebanese bread! A taste to remember!
Ingredients:
- 1 kg /2 lb. 4 oz. large eggplants
- 1½ kg. / 3 lb. 5 oz. ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup dried chickpeas/ 1 cup canned chicpeas
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- ½ cup water
- Salt to taste
- 3 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
- 12 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- A dash of chili powder, optional
- 2 cups canola oil, to fry the eggplants
Directions:
- Wash and soak the chickpeas overnight in 2 cups of water. If using canned chickpeas, skip this step.
- Wash the chickpeas thoroughly and drain. Place the soaked chickpeas on a counter top, position a ceramic bowl over it and press gently. Once you remove the bowl, you will notice that the chickpeas are peeled. Repeat the procedure as necessary (until all the chickpeas are totally peeled). Set aside. (If using canned chickpeas, skip this step). Cut the onions in halfmoons, and slice the garlic.
- Peel the tomatoes and finely dice.
- Peel the skin of the eggplants, retaining about 1/3 of the skin. It should have the appearance of a stripped eggplant. Cut each eggplant into quarters. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Place a skillet on high heat and add the 2 cups of oil. Once oil is hot, fry the eggplant pieces, in batches, to a golden color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Add the ¼ cup of olive oil in a pot, set on high heat and sauté the onions till translucent. Add the garlic slices and peeled chickpeas and sizzle with the onions for 20 seconds.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder (if used) and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil.
- Neatly add the fried eggplants to the pot, sprinkle the dried mint, reduce heat to very low, cover up and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Serve it with pita bread. Enjoy!
Note:
To peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and make a shallow x, using a knife, on each tomato. Drop them in boiling water for a few seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool down. Use your fingers to peel the tomatoes.
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Instructions
No Steps Found !
- Course : APPETIZERS, MAIN DISHES
- Recipe Type : APPETIZERS, APPETIZERS, LEBANESE RECIPES, MAIN DISHES, MAIN DISHES
- Ingredient : Chickpeas, Egglants, Garlic, Olive Oil, Onions, Tomatoes
18 Responses to My Mom’s Lebanese Moussaka (maghmour). A velvety vegetarian eggplant stew with chickpeas, garlic , onions, tomatoes and dried mint.
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May 30, 2018
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About Chef
Hadia Zebib
I am Hadia, the face behind Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine. I grew up in Beirut Lebanon and I currently reside in Kinshasa, Congo with my husband and my three adorable sons, ...
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Happy to find you… Mom, Aunt Naify and Uncle George all taught me took Lebanese.. Trying your maghmour tonight.. We Li e in West Gardiner Maine… Best wishes
Tom
Welcome Tom, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Xo xo!
What a lovely dish!
Thank you Zeba! I hope you try it one day and enjoy it as much as we do!
This recipe is so great! I will definitely make again and I look forward to following more of your recipes.
That’s great to hear, Fonda! Happy you enjoyed and welcome to our blog!
Can you use canned, diced tomatoes I place of fresh? Thanks!
Hi Teresa and sorry for the late answer. I was on vacation!My personal preference is definitly the ripe fresh tomatoes, but if for any reason you need to make it with peeled canned tomatoes, use a good quality. Let me know how you like it!!Welcome Teresa!
I have made this dish a couple of times now with very slight variations ( baking the eggplant and adding some cumin). It was absolutely delicious and the whole family loved it. Thank you Hadia!
So happy to know you and your family liked, Zeba! Thank you for your feedback! Xo xo!
I made this today exactly as described, and it was delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. This will definitely be made on the regular! 🙂
I am so glad you gave this a try, Sally, and glad you enjoyed it. Xo xo
Hello, I adore this dish, it’s just fantastic, thanks so much for sharing. One time I did a slight variation, I cut up the eggplant into cubes and mixed it in with the other ingredients, it came out fine.
I do have one question. In the second set of instructions, the mint is mentioned going in twice, at both step 5 and 7. I guess it doesn’t matter much, but which one do you recommend.
Hi Drew, so happy to know you liked, yes the dish is a great representative sample of the deep flavors of the Mediterranean, thank you for pointing the the slight error about the dried mint. I would say, add it in step 7, Xo xo Drew
Thanks, Haida.
Not to be dramatic but this is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted! Really authentic! I added a bit of paprika and a stock cube and ate it with a buttered bread roll (not so authentic)
Thanks for sharing 🙂
5 stars
Wow! So rewarding to read your comment, Zoe, and so happy you enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to leave your comment. Xoxo