Reviewed: Oct. 6, 2011

My husband is middle eastern and we make this frequently. We only use the eggplant and cauliflower though. After frying the vegetables you need to salt them prior to layering them with the rice. We use basmati rice which we soak for 20 minutes in hot water to soften it. Drain the rice and mix with salt and the same spices used to make the meat-this combined with the soup from the meat should give the dish enough flavor for those saying there is not enough salt. I have made this with lamb and with chicken...both are delicious. We also saute pine nuts or almonds and sprinkle over the top once it has been flipped along with some fresh chopped parsley

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Reviewer:

jadedgurl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Oct. 20, 2010

This was pretty tasty, but was much moister than I expected. Plan to let it sit in the pot upside down for a bit before removing. Also, unfortunately rather labor intensive. Leftovers were delicious!

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Reviewer:

Jeff The Riffer

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2010

Great recipe!! everyone loved it. I only used eggplant and zucchini, left out the other veggie.

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Reviewer:

Mrs.Khan

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Yonkers, New York, USA

Living In: Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2009

It was ok, but not that tasty. If I were to make it again, I'd have to spice it up a lot more.

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Reviewer:

Rachel

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2009

Years ago I ate this dish at a friends house, her mom was of Arabic heritage, and I have been wondering what it was called or how it was made ever since :) I understand that this particular recipe was only inspired by the original dish, still I couldn't help omitting the cauliflower and broccoli, as they are not usually part of the middle eastern cooking. Even though looking for authentic, I made some changes to match this dish to our liking, for example didn't fry the veggies in oil, but merely sauteed them in 1 tablespoon of butter. If you choose to do so as well I recommend doing the zucchini first, and then adding a little more butter/oil to your pan and sauteing the eggplant second, as it has the ability to absorb crazy amounts of oil (probably why another reviewer found it very soggy). I used basmati rice and it does cook a little faster, still like the original poster commented, 7 cups of water is way too much, even with 5 cups you will have to let it simmer with an open lid for at least 10 minutes, so I would recommend not using more than 3-4 if your rice cooks faster. For the dish to hold form the rice should absorb all the water. Even with these changes we simply loved this dish, I garnished with cayenne and dried mint, as I found these would compliment this dish the most. Thank you :)

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Reviewer:

fakeymcfake

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Sep. 14, 2009

I found this doing an ingredient search in order to use up some veggies in my fridge. It was easy to make and very delicious. I think next time we'll try it without frying the veggies first as it was a little soggy and oily, but still really really good.

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Reviewer:

anniewoo5

Reviewed: Jun. 4, 2009

I am the author of this recipe, and it has been radically 'modified' from what I submitted. First, I believe you only need about 5 cups of water, but "may" need to add an extra cup or so - depending on whether or not the rice is covered when you go to place it on the stove to simmer. Also, chicken is a great substitute for the lamb - as is veal. When frying the eggplant, it's best not to overlap them - but it really doesn't matter too much in the end. Some reviewer's commented that the cooking time is too long. I use jasmin rice and it cooks in about 30 minutes. But, if you've got a favourite rice you use often, you would have a better guess as to when it would be done. The prep time is longer than other dishes, but certainly not more difficult. And certainly worth it every time! =) P.S. What I use to speed up the prep time is frozen vegetables!

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Reviewer:

JustCallMeD

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2009

It is an interesting recipe! Our family seemed to enjoy it: even my 14-years old sister who does not like eggplant or zucchini or broccoli asked for seconds. However, I thought the recipe was a bit bland. If anything, it needed a lot more salt. When I cooked it, I substituted mushrooms for the cauliflower and used sour cream instead of yogurt. I didn't need all of the liquid, in fact, I had a bit to drain before I flipped it. I'm looking forward to see if the leftovers are tastier.

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Reviewer:

Povareshka

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Kamuela, Hawaii, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2008

I added all the reserve liquid - I should have known it was too much. By the time it simmered off my rice wasn't a grain anymore - more like mush. I will definitely start with less liquid next time to spike the flavor and save the texture.

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