Hünkar Beğendi (Sultan’s Delight) — Lamb Stew over Roasted Eggplant Béchamel

Prick the eggplants in several places with a fork and place them directly over a stovetop flame or on a grill grate; without the holes, steam can build up inside and burst the skin. Use tongs to turn them until every side is blackened; the skin should blister and the eggplant should collapse in on itself. Each eggplant takes 10–12 minutes. If you roast two at a time over a stove flame, five will take 30 minutes. A fork inserted into the thickest part should meet no resistance, which means the inside has softened completely. Partly undercooked eggplant can leave lumps in the béchamel.

While the eggplants are hot, peel off the skin; once they cool, it sticks to the flesh and is harder to remove cleanly. Place the flesh in a bowl with a 15 ml measure of lemon juice and two 200 ml measures of cold water. Soak for 5 minutes, then transfer to a strainer, press out the liquid by hand, and leave to drain for 10 minutes. The dark liquid that collects underneath carries the eggplant’s bitterness and excess water. If it remains, the béchamel will not thicken and may turn gray. The lemon juice also slows browning on the cut surface.

Heat the butter and cooking oil in a stew pot and add the cubed lamb. The meat will release its juices; do not stir until they evaporate. When the bottom of the pot begins to sizzle, turn and brown the meat for 5 minutes. Add the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes, then add the paste and cook for 1 minute more. If the paste is not cooked in the oil, it will leave a raw tomato-like flavor in the dish.

Add the grated tomato, halved long green pepper, 5 g salt, black pepper, and 400 ml hot water. Cover and cook over the lowest heat for 70–75 minutes. The meat should pull apart into fibers when pressed with a fork, and the sauce should coat the back of a spoon but still flow onto a plate. If the liquid cooks off too soon, add another 100 ml hot water. Keep the stew at this consistency because it will be eaten over the eggplant béchamel.

Melt 30 g butter in a separate saucepan. Add 30 g flour and cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, without letting it brown, until it smells nutty. Add the milk in three additions, whisking after each one; adding it all at once will make the flour lumpy. Cook for 8 minutes just below a boil, stirring. The sauce is ready when it holds the mark left by a whisk for 1 second.

Drain the eggplant and chop it coarsely with a knife before adding it to the béchamel. Do not use a blender; it can break down the eggplant’s starch and make the mixture gummy. Cook over low heat for 7 minutes, mashing with a wooden spoon. The eggplant fibers absorb moisture from the sauce, and the mixture will visibly thicken. Remove the pan from the heat, add 3 g salt and the grated kashar, and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Add the kashar only after removing the pan from the heat; continued heating can make its proteins contract and release fat, leaving the eggplant béchamel stringy and oily.

Spread the eggplant béchamel in the center of a warmed serving plate. Use the back of a spoon to shape it into a bed with raised edges and a hollow center. Spoon the lamb stew and meat into the hollow, then drizzle 2–3 spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Serve right away; eggplant béchamel thickens as it cools and becomes hard to spread.