Hünkar Beğendi (Sultan's Delight)
ہنکار بیگندی (سلطان کی پسند)
Hünkar beğendi means "the sultan liked it", and it's one of the grandest dishes of Ottoman palace cooking. A tender meat stew, slow-cooked with onions, tomatoes and butter, is spooned onto a bed of *beğendi*: smoked eggplant whisked into a white sauce with milk, butter and a little cheese until smooth and creamy. It's comfort food fit for a dawat, and the eggplant purée will win over even people who think they don't like baingan.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 50 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 1 hr 30 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Heat the butter and oil in a and brown the meat on high heat for 8 minutes. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 6 minutes until soft.
Add the grated tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and hot water. Cover and simmer on low heat for 60–75 minutes until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick.
Meanwhile, char the eggplants over a flame or on a until black and soft, 12–15 minutes. Peel, chop the flesh and toss with the lemon juice so it stays pale.
For the purée, melt the butter in a , stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk until smooth and thick, then add the eggplant and mash with the whisk for 3–4 minutes.
Stir in the cheese and salt until melted and silky. Spread the purée on plates and spoon the stew into the middle.
Serve hot with bread or pilav.
Kitchen notes
Whisk constantly once the milk goes in. The flour sauce catches easily.
Turkish cooks use kaşar cheese. Cheddar, mozzarella or a mix work well.
The stew can be made a day ahead. Make the purée fresh.
A dish from the Ottoman palace
Turkish cooks tell the story that hünkar beğendi was created for a royal banquet in the 19th century and that the sultan liked it so much it took his name. Whether or not the story is exact, it’s a dish of the palace style: rich, carefully made and built from two separate parts that come together on the plate.
The stew
The meat is browned, then simmered gently with onion, green pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste until it’s falling-apart tender and the sauce is thick. It’s close to a mild Pakistani salan without the ground spices.
The beğendi
Beğendi is the eggplant purée. Smoked eggplant is folded into a béchamel-like white sauce of butter, flour and milk, then finished with cheese. A splash of lemon on the eggplant keeps it pale.
Serving
Serve on warm plates, with the purée spread out and the stew in the middle, alongside şehriyeli pilav or bread and a fresh salad. It’s a fine choice for a special dinner.
Questions people ask
Can I use a pressure cooker for the meat?
Yes. Cook it for 20–25 minutes under pressure, then simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce.
Is the eggplant purée like a bharta?
It starts with the same smoked eggplant, but it's cooked into a creamy white sauce with milk and cheese instead of a spiced masala.
Can I use chicken?
Yes. Use boneless thigh and simmer for only 25 minutes.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 560
- Protein
- 36 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
