Iraqi Tepsi Baytinijan: Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Tray Bake with Rice

Layer the eggplant rounds in a colander, salting each layer generously, and let them drain for 30 minutes. Rinse briefly and press dry between clean towels — this step keeps them from drinking up all the frying oil.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 large globe eggplants (about 2 lb), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 lb ground lamb or beef
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 medium onions, one grated and one sliced into rings
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 tsp baharat or allspice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups long-grain rice, cooked, for serving

Instructions

1. Layer the eggplant rounds in a colander, salting each layer generously, and let them drain for 30 minutes. Rinse briefly and press dry between clean towels — this step keeps them from drinking up all the frying oil.
2. While the eggplant drains, mix the ground meat with the grated onion, half the garlic, the baharat, cumin, 1 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper. Roll into small flattened patties about 1 1/2 inches across.
3. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant rounds in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden. Drain on paper towels.
4. In the same oil, fry the potato slices for 3 minutes per side until just golden but not fully cooked through. Drain alongside the eggplant.
5. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the oil and brown the meat patties for 2 minutes per side. They need color, not doneness — they will finish in the oven.
6. Preheat the oven to 400F. In a wide round baking tray, arrange the potato slices in a single layer across the bottom, then shingle the fried eggplant, meat patties, tomato slices and onion rings over them in overlapping concentric rings.
7. Whisk the tomato paste with the hot water, the remaining garlic, 1 tsp salt and pepper, then pour it evenly over the tray until the liquid comes about halfway up the layers.
8. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until the top is caramelized at the edges and most of the liquid has reduced into a thick sauce.
9. Rest the tray for 10 minutes, scatter over the parsley, and serve straight from the dish with the hot rice on the side.
10. Tepsi means tray in Iraqi Arabic, and tepsi baytinijan is exactly what the name promises: everything the late-summer garden is producing at once, layered into one pan and sent to the oven. It is a fixture of Friday family lunches in Baghdad, where the tray goes to the table whole and everyone digs in from their own side. The order of the layers matters more than most recipes admit — potatoes on the bottom so they soak up the sauce, tomatoes on top so they blister and concentrate.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 610 kcal
• Protein: 27g
• Fat: 31g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Fiber: 8g
• Sugar: 12g
• Sodium: 720mg