The wonderful thing about Jewish food is that there are many dishes that (deliciously!) demonstrate Jewish migration. There are so many examples of the same dish cropping up in different countries with only a slight variation and nowhere is this proved more than with the dish ingree.
This slow-cooked dish of lamb, eggplant and tomatoes with the Iraqi signature sweet and sour gravy varies only slightly in recipe and spelling in Jewish kitchens across the Middle East. It continues to be a firm favourite among the Iraqi community, who call it “ingerie,” where it’s served for Shabbat and festivals as a wonderful showstopper. Many Jews of Baghdad emigrated to Bombay, India as early as the 1700s and, unlike other Jewish communities in India, they were able to kosher their own meat, and therefore, could eat dishes like ingree. Over the years, the dish remained the same regardless of the country it’s cooked in; both communities maintain the traditional tangy flavour with the Iraqis using lemon and the Indians using tamarind to give the sharp tang.
One of the reasons that this dish was so loved by both communities was that it was just as good served at room temperature the following day and was therefore a great dish to finish off for Shabbat lunch. There is also documentation of the lamb being substituted for beef or ground beef depending on what was available at the time. Curiously, the Indian version stays true to the Iraqi original and has not absorbed any of the Indian flavourings. For example, the much loved Iraqi dal sambusak or aruk (rice patties with fish or meat), which the Indian community adds a punch of garam masala to the filling.
Interestingly, in Claudia Roden’s book “The Book of Jewish Food”, she tells of the similarities to another Arab dish, tabahiya, a slow-cooked lamb dish, which is, of course, cooked without tomatoes as they were not available at that time and dates to the 13th century.
Although this dish takes two to three hours to cook, the assembly and preparation is short and sweet, and the finished dish stores beautifully for a day or two (if it lasts that long) covered in the fridge.
Note: Store the dish, covered, for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
Ingree
This slow-cooked sweet-and-sour lamb with eggplant and tomatoes is tender, tangy and worthy of any celebration.
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes-3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 kg cubed lamb shoulder
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 500 ml water
- 1 Tbsp date syrup (aka silan)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 eggplants
- ⅔ Tbsp oil, for frying
- 3 beefsteak tomatoes
- juice of 1 ½ lemons (1 lemon if it is a big one)
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Begin by sauteing the onion and cubes of lamb until they are golden brown.
- Add 1 Tbsp date syrup and cover with 500 ml of water. Turn the heat to low and leave to simmer for an hour, until the meat is tender.
- Whilst the meat is simmering, slice the eggplant and fry in olive oil with a little salt and pepper. Once cooked, keep to one side to cool.
- Remove the meat from the liquid and lay at the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Layer the eggplant slices on top and press down slightly.
- Slice the beef tomatoes and lay them on top of the eggplant.
- Pour the cooking liquid from the meat into a saucepan and gently heat through with the other ingredients.
- Pour over the layered dish and bake at 365°F (185°C) for 1 hour until everything is cooked through and bubbling.
- Serve as a stand-alone dish or over rice.
Notes
Store the dish, covered, for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2-3 hours
- Category: Main
- Method: Slow-Cook
- Cuisine: Mizrahi
What size/type of eggplants do you use?
Italian eggplants or any larger eggplant will work. Enjoy!