Makdous

How to Make Makdous

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1. Boil the aubergines in well-salted water 12 to 15 minutes, until a skewer meets no resistance but the skins are still intact. Drain.

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2. Cut a deep slit down one side of each, stopping short of both ends so they stay in one piece. Rub the inside of each slit with a little of the draining salt.

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3. Sit them cut-side down in a colander, put a plate and a heavy weight on top, and leave to drain over a bowl for at least 12 hours. They must give up their water completely.

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4. Mix the walnuts, garlic, Aleppo pepper and salt into a stiff, oily-looking paste.

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5. Press a heaped teaspoon into each aubergine and close the slit around it.

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6. Pack them upright and snug into a sterilised jar, then pour in olive oil until every one is submerged. Tap the jar to release trapped air.

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7. Seal and leave in the fridge for at least a week before eating, topping up the oil whenever an aubergine shows above it.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Notes for Getting It Right

• Drain them under a weight until no more water comes.
• Everything must stay under the oil. Top it up as the level falls.
• Use a sterilised jar and a clean dry spoon each time.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Suggestions

• Flatbread and sweet tea
• Labneh
• Green olives

Keeping and Reheating

Keep it in the fridge from the day it is made, with every piece under the oil. Garlic and vegetables kept in oil can carry botulism, which cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and no keeping time has been tested for this home preserve, so make small batches and never keep it at room temperature.

Makdous FAQ: Common Questions

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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