Ottoman Sultan's Pleasure Recipe

 

Sultan's Delight

The Sultan Enjoyed It (Hünkar Beğendi) Recipe 

Pancake recipe, banana bread recipe, chicken recipes, pizza dough recipe, Recette crepe and lasagna recipe are so famous all around the world. We cook most of them many times. On the other hand, Sultan's Pleasure (Hünkar Beğendi), Eggs with Onion, Tarhana Soup, Turkish Byrek/Pastry etc. These are very famous and yummy dishes and their stories are so interesting in Anatolia and some part of eastern Asia. There are so many special and interesting food stories in the Anatolian Cuisine. However Anatolian Cuisine has many unique its own dishes, there are many dishes and beverages come from the Ottoman Cuisine. Actually, Anatolian (Turkish) Cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman Cuisine, which covers Central Asian, Balkans and Middle Eastern Cuisines. Also, Anatolian (Turkish) Cuisine influenced western European Cuisines. It is over 1000 years old cuisine. We have tons of traditional meals and everyone of these meals has a story behind it.  You may like our traditional First-istant-soup-tarhana-recipe and How- to- make-homemade-dried-tarhana

Today, we are going to share one of them with its recipe and its story. This recipe is one of the most popular and traditional dishes in Anatolian (Turkish) Cuisine. Its name "Hünkar beğendi", literally means "the sultan liked it/Sultan's Pleasure". The story happened in France and Ottoman Empire. Ofcourse, we don't start it "once upon a time", because this story is real. Also you may like our Turkish-stuffed-eggplant-dish-recipe

Sultan's Delight

Story of "The Sultan Enjoyed It / Sultan's Pleasure (Hünkar Beğendi)"

In 1867, one of the Ottoman Sultans, Sultan Abdülaziz visits Emperor Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte) in France and in return Sultan Abdülaziz invites Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie of France to Ottoman Empire's capitol city Istanbul. Due to the Emperor Napoleon III busy schedule only his beautiful wife Empress Eugiene accepts the invitation and brings her chef cook with her while visiting Istanbul city. Empress Eugiene and her chef cook are accommadated at Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul. In her honor, the Sultan Abdülaziz requests his chefs to create a very special and unique dish. Empress's cook starts cooking with the Sultan's cooks at Beylerbeyi Palace. In the kitchen of Beylerbeyi Palace, French cook is preparing the Béchamel Sauce, and at the same time, Ottoman cook is charring eggplants for the guests. But, Ottoman cook is very interested in the Béchamel Sauce. All of a sudden He comes with the idea that if  Béchamel Sauce and charring eggplants were mixed it would make a delightful dish for the guests. After tasting many of the dishes that his chefs prepared, this new creation dish quickly becomes the Sultan's favorite dish. Also, this special dish is Turkish people' favorite dish too. Also you may like our very special Turkish-kayseri-lubrication-recipe

How to Make The Sultan Enjoyed It (Hünkar Beğendi)

The Sultan Enjoyed It (Hünkar beğendi) is a traditional Turkish dish. And, Turkish people cook this delicious dish at their kitchens. Also, you can find it in many restaurants in Turkey. As briefly, it is lamb stew served on a bed of creamy roasted eggplant puree. If you want, you can use beef meat instead of the lamb meat. But, we generally use lamb meat for this dish. Recipe is not complicated. You can prepare it very easily. Just read our recipe! We are sure that; when you try it once, you want next try soon. You may like our very tasty soup Chicken-soup-with-batterdough-recipe

Ingredients: lamb chunks, onion, water, tomatoes

Ingredients: Tomato paste, green pepper, garlic clove, a pinc of salt, red flakes pepper and ground black pepper

Chopped pepper and tomatoes / diced tomatoes

Chopped/sliced onion and garlic

Cook meat with 2 cups of water

While cooking meat add onion, garlic and cook 5 minutes then add green peppers, tomatoes 

Then add tomato paste and stir

Keep an eye on the water, if needed add abit water

Don't forget to add salt, red flakes pepper and ground black pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes

Ingredients of eggplants: Eggplants, water with lemon juice, flour, butter, milk, mozzarella cheese

Roast your eggplants in the oven and peel them

Melt your butter in a pot and add flour, salt, red flakes pepper and ground black pepper and keep stir

Put the water with lemon juice and salt in a large bowl and soak egplants in it

Put in eggplants and mash them. Then slowly pour milk and beat 

You should beat the mixture well. Make sure there are no big eggplant pieces left

Then pour in the mozzarella cheese and beat again

Don't forget to add salt and spicy to taste

Sultan's Delight

Recipe of  The Sultan Enjoyed It (Hünkar Beğendi)

Here it is our The Sultan Enjoyed It (Hünkar Beğendi)'s recipe;

Very good family favourite;

Serve: 2-4 servings, Preparation Time: 25-30 minutes, Cooking Time: 50 minutes, Cuisine: Mediterranean & Anatolian Cuisines/Ottoman Cuisine,

Ingredients: 

For Meat Ingredients:

• 600 - 750 gr Boneless lamb or beef stew chunks, chopped (cut into 2 or 2,5 cm / 1 inch chunks),
• 2 Cups water,
• 1 or 2 Normal size onion, sliced,
• 1 or 2 Green peppers, chopped,
• 1 Normal size Tomatoes, seeds removed and diced,
• 1 Garlic clove, sliced,
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste,
• A pinch of salt, red flakes pepper and ground black pepper to taste, 

For Eggplant Ingredients:

• 1 Kg Fresh eggplant, (or 1 jar pureed roasted eggplants),
• 2,5 or 3 Cups water with lemon juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon salt,
• 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour,  
• 3 Tablespoons butter,
• 1 Cup milk,
• 2 Tablespoons mozzarella cheese, grated, 
• A pinch of salt, red flakes pepper and ground black pepper, 

Preparation:

1. First of all put your all ingredients on the work surface, then, take your lamb stew chunks and cook them with 2 cups of water, while cooking, remove the foam from surface as it forms. When there is little water left, add your sliced onion and garlic. Cook this mixture for about 5-7 minutes on medium low heat. Then, add the green peppers, tomato, tomato paste, salt, red flakes pepper and ground black pepper. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Bye the way, keep an eye on the water during this time, if there is no ne left, add abit water more. 
2. Then, heat the oven on broil. Before putting eggplants in the oven, prick the skin of the eggplants with a fork, you should make holes on the eggplants with a fork so that it will soften and cook better. Then place on the tray and roast for about 30-35 minutes, or until your eggplants soften. Then, peel your eggplants with a knife and cut off the tops, remove any hard and large pulp inside the eggplants.
3. Then, put the water with lemon juice and salt in a large bowl and soak your eggplants in it, so that their colour won't be dark later. Drain and squeeze with your palms after a few minutes.
4. After the eggplant process, melt your butter in a large pot, and then add all purpose flour, salt, red flakes pepper  and ground black pepper, keep stirring with a spoon (wooden spoon better) until blended well. 
5. Then, put in the eggplants and mash with a fork. Slowly pour in the milk and beat with a spoon (wooden spoon better). You should beat the mixture well and make sure that there are no big eggplant pieces left. Then, pour in the mozzarella cheese and beat again.
6. Then, place the mashed eggplants on a serving dish with the center empty. Then put the lamb in the center and serve dish while still warm.  You may like our traditional Hingel-special-turkish-dumpling-recipe

ENJOY!

Sultan's Delight (Hünkar Beğendi)

Please let us know how this "The Sultan Enjoyed It (Hünkar Beğendi) Recipe" turns out for you in the comments. We are always so eager to hear from you.

You may like our Mediterranean-easy-baked-macaroni-with-bechamel-sauce-recipe and Ladys-thighs-meatballs-recipe

Breadvesalt@gmail.com