Vegetarian Moussaka Recipe ~ Step by Step Pictures

Two nights ago i was watching this travel cum cooking show on Travel and Living and saw this lovely lady making moussaka…. she had such a lilt in her voice and was so delighted to be showing how to make this famous greek / arab dish…. K and i looked at each other and he said to me…” I want to eat Moussaka” . This evening, when i was struck at 7 p.m with the question of “what to make for dinner?” i said to myself “Moussaka”. Well i threw in some elbow macaroni to make it a complete meal. So this is my version of vegetarian “Not Quite Moussaka”. This dish was cooked up with a minimum fuss. Its also the first time that i am cooking with fake mince otherwise called soya granules. I was very pleased with the result. This is the first time I’ve made something from a TV show…. try it, you will love it. The paneer in the bechemel sauce was lovely without being too heavy. Since i made many changes to the original recipe, i am not claiming any authenticity 😀

I also fell all over myself and almost broke my camera trying to take pictures of the making of the moussaka so that i could post a step by step….. humour me… while i do this… cos it doenst look likely that i will go through all of this again! Oh and since making the bechemel sauce in itself is difficult to do with the whisking etc, i dont have a step by step of that…. kind of the wrong recipe to choose to do a step by step… but what the hell…. i cant waste all the pictures i took!!

I’ve been off the blogging world radar for way longer than i expected… was just mentioning to my namesake that i am not keeping track of any blog events or participating in them… this moussaka then, goes to JFI- Paneer, the event conceptualised by Indira, being hosted this month at The Spice Who loved me!!

peel and slice the potatoes. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, if like K you cant stand too much olive oil, use any neutral vegetable oil. place the potato slices in a single layer and half cook them on both sides.

Drain out any liquid from the brinjal slices and repeat the half cooking process in the remainder of the oil.Transfer to a plate.

Cook pasta as per the instructions on the package. Plunge in cold water, drain and reserve.

soya granules, soaked in 2 cups of hot boiling water

add the olive oil, add the cinnamon stick, add the chopped onions and garlic and fry till transluscent. add the soya granules and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree, grated fresh tomato, cumin, salt and pepper and red chilli powder and cook till its almost dry.

place a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a buttered baking dish.

at this point, i realised i HAD to clean the counter of the clutter…. with one hand…

Cover the potatoes with a layer of the fried brinjals.

Spread a layer of the cooked pasta. (i added this step to make this a full meal, omit if you are serving this with garlic bread on the side.)

cover this with a layer of the soya ragu.

evenly spread the bechemel sauce on top.

Bake for 30 minutes in the hot oven, or till the top is browning slightly. Leave to settle in the oven about 5-10 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and serve with a light salad on the side.

Here’s the full Recipe

(Serves 4-5 main courses)

8 slices of brinjal (1/4 inch slices of the large bharta variety)

10-12 slices peeled potato (1/4 inch thick)

1 cup of cooked pasta (i used elbow, rigatoni also would do)

Slice the brinjal into 1/4 inch thick pieces and sprinkle with a little salt, leave in a colander to drain about 30 minutes. peel and slice the potatoes. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, if like K you cant stand too much olive oil, use any neutral vegeatble oil. place the potato slices in a single layer and half cook them on both sides. Transfer to a plate and reserve. Drain out any liquid from the brinjal slices and repeat the half cooking process in the remainder of the oil.Transfer to a plate.

Cook pasta as per the instructions on the package. Plunge in cold water, drain and reserve.

for the ragu:

1 cup red onion, chopped fine

10-12 pods of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup of soya granules, soaked in 2 cups of hot boiling water

1 cup of tomato puree

1 inch stick of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder/ cayenne

1 ripe red tomato, grated

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In the same skillet in which the potatoes and brinjal slices were fried, add the olive oil, add the cinnamon stick, add the chopped onions and garlic and fry till transluscent. add the soya granules and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree, grated fresh tomato, cumin, salt and pepper and red chilli powder and cook till its almost dry.

for the bechemel sauce:

2 tablespoons all purpose flour ( i used whole wheat)

11/2 cup milk (i used low fat)

1 cup of ricotta cheese (i used homemade grated paneer)

1/2 cup cheddar/ parmesan cheese (i omitted this)

2-3 tablespoons of plain yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon butter

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the butter and before it starts to brown, add the flour and saute till all the butter is absorbed. ensure neither the flour nor the butter gets burnt. this process needs your full attention. Add the milk, slowly using a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. add the salt and pepper to taste, while it is coming to a simmering point, add the cheese, grated paneer  and yogurt. Mix well. When the sauce has a custard like consistency (about 1-2 mins), turn off the heat. cool it a little before using for the layering.

To assemble the moussaka. butter a 8×8 inch baking dish. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. place a layer of potatoes at the bottom. over that, assemble a layer of the fried brinjals. cover this with a layer of the cooked pasta. i added this step to make this a full meal, omit if you are serving this with garlic bread on the side. cover this with a layer of the soya ragu. evenly spread the bechemel sauce on top. Bake for 30 minutes in the hot oven, or till the top is browning slightly. Leave to settle in the oven about 5-10 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and serve with a light salad on the side.