Vegetarian Moussaka. Well, almost!

It was like love at first bite, the minute I bit into my plate of Moussaka in this Mediterranean restaurant in Hyderabad, the taste imprinting itself on my mind, and refusing to let me be till I try it out myself. Traditionally made with minced meat, lamb or beef, this is a classic Greek dish served as main course along with some crusty bread.

I, of course, decided to try a vegetarian version of this, even replacing the feta cheese and eliminating the egg from the bechamel sauce.

Some recipes on the internet talk about replacing the minced meat with cooked lentils, but I decided to use hummus instead. High on protein, and almost neutral in its taste this was perfect to thicken the chunky tomato sauce.

As I was layering the moussaka, I realized its very similar to Lasagne, except that the sheets were replaced by cooked eggplants. The sauces used for the layering and the flavours are all similar too. You can also use cooked zucchini in addition to the potatoes and use feta cheese instead of the paneer, which is similar to ricotta. To sprinkle on the prepared moussaka, you can use Parmesan, but I felt that the Amul cheese was creamy, and smooth and served the purpose.

 

Recipe inspired from – All Recipes & George Colambaris’ Mom’s recipe

Ingredients [Serves 2]
Eggplant - 1, thinly sliced
Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp
Potatoes - 2, thinly sliced
Onion - 1, finely sliced
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
White vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Tomatoes - 6, chopped
Hummus - 1/2 C [minus the lemon juice and sesame seeds]
Dried oregano - 1 Tsp
Dried Rosemary - 1 Tsp
Salt and pepper - to taste
Turmeric – 1 Tsp
Paneer - made from 500 ml milk, Crumbled

Bechamel sauce
Butter - 1.5 Tbsp
Wheat Flour - 2 Tbsp
Milk - 1 1/4 C
Black pepper -  to taste
Ground nutmeg - a pinch
Red chilli flakes - to taste
Amul cheese - 2-3 slices
Dried Oregano – 1 Tsp (optional)
Dried thyme – 1/2 Tsp (optional

Instructions
1. Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Apply turmeric and olive oil on this.
2. Preheat oven to 185 degrees C.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown eggplant and potato slices.
4. Sauté onion and garlic until lightly browned. Pour in vinegar and reduce.
5. Stir in tomatoes, hummus, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes.
6. In a 6x6 inch casserole dish layer eggplant, potatoes, onions and paneer.
7. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables; repeat layering, finishing with a layer of eggplant.
8. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine butter, flour and milk. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with pepper and add nutmeg and chilli flakes and other herbs, if using.
10. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes.
11. Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle the cheese.
12. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve hot with warm toasted crusty bread.