Recipe of Makdous, the incredible stuffed preserved aubergines

“Makdous” is the name of a traditional preparation of aubergines stuffed with chili, walnut and garlic and marinated in olive oil, native to the Levante region. The elaboration might seem a bit laborious, but it actually doesn’t have great difficulties.

We will use the mini or baby eggplants, the smaller the better. Begin by removing the ends and boiling them for a maximum of 10 minutes, until they are tender but do not fall apart. Let cool and make a transversal cut from side to side but without opening them in two, enough to be able to fill them later. Salt them inside and out, and let them strain for a day until they lose as much liquid as possible.

When they are ready, prepare a paste of chili, walnuts and garlic in equal parts:

Bake or roast the chillis, when they are warm we peel them and remove the seeds and interior fibers. Reduce as much as possible to a consistency similar to a paste, either with a knife or in a mortar. Chop the walnuts until small pieces but not reduced to powder and chop the garlic cloves. Combine the three ingredients in a bowl and salt. Fill each aubergine with the pasta and put them one by one in a glass jar, carefully washed previously. Cover until the top with extra virgin olive oil and keep the bottle closed in a cool and dry place without exposure to light, ideally for no less than 2 weeks.

The makdous served inside a piece of pita bread is a delicacy worth waiting that long for.

Tips and tricks:

1. By salting the aubergines, we get rid of the liquid which causes the bitterness of the aubergines.

2. To peel the chilis or any pepper easily, put them in a container or plastic bag until they are warm. Residual heat helps the skin peel off easily.

3. To handle chilies or hot peppers, it is necessary to wear gloves or oil your hands beforehand.

4. It is difficult to establish exactly the amounts of stuffing necessary, since it depends on the size of the aubergines, peppers or garlic cloves. However, it is preferable to prepare peppers in excess, as it takes longer to roast and peel new ones. Instead, you can always grind up a little more nuts or garlic quickly. If we have leftover roasted chili, we can keep it in the fridge for other recipes, always covered with olive oil.

5. In order to speed up the process we can use commercial chili paste, which is already salted, so we should not add more salt to the mixture.

6. When filling the jar with oil, it is necessary to make sure that the eggplants are completely covered. Otherwise, fungus could develop over the aubergines which remain in contact with the air.