2tablespoonsall purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK)
1cupmilk
½cupcheddar cheese - grated
1pinchsalt
1pinchground black pepper
Meat Sauce Ingredients
½kilogramground pork (minced pork)
4mediumwhite onions - finely chopped
8clovesgarlic - minced
3mediumtomatoes - ripe, finely chopped
2teaspoonschili powder (chilli powder in British English)
1tablespoonparsley - finely chopped
1tablespoonbasil - finely chopped
1tablespoonsage - finely chopped
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonground black pepper
Vegetable Ingredients
1largeeggplant (brinjal, aubergine, or guinea squash) - sliced lengthwise
3mediumpotatoes - sliced thin
Instructions
Bechamel Sauce Instructions
Add butter in a thick bottomed pan. And, immediately add the flour (the trick here is to burn off the floury taste, so don’t let the butter brown). Whisk well to prevent any lumps.
Then, add the milk little by a little while also whisking the mixture to ensure that no lumps are formed. Do this till the sauce is reduced to a, well, saucy consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste. And then, add the grated cheese and let it melt into the mix.
Once the sauce is done, you can add one whole egg and mix vigorously until well incorporated. Doing this when the sauce is hot ensures that the egg gets cooked well with the sauce. This entire process helps the top layer of white sauce hold itself together and not seep into the rest of the mixtures.
Meat Sauce Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Put around 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan or wok. Fry the garlic and onions till translucent, add the powders and fry well.
Then, add the chopped tomatoes (if you’re using tomato paste, then add that before the fresh tomatoes to fry off the extra tanginess).
Saute this till oil leaves the sides of the wok. Add the pork and cook until cooked.
Finally, add the kheema and the Italian herbs and salt as per taste. Keep aside.
Vegetable Instructions
In the case of the brinjal, to get rid of the bitter, ‘iron’y taste, add salt to the slices at the very beginning. This will release the juices of the brinjal. Before using, press the pieces to remove as much water content as possible with a muslin cloth.
After this, put some oil in a nonstick pan and fry the brinjal and potato slices till golden brown and add a little salt to the batches of fried veggies. You can also use a griddle pan for a charred taste and marks.
To assemble, in a greased oven-proof dish, place half the brinjal and potatoes as the base layer. On top of this, put the red sauce. Layer that again with the veggies and then the red sauce. Once it’s all done, pour the white sauce right at the top and add grated cheese.
Pop this into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for around 20 minutes until the cheese bubbles and then becomes a lovely golden-brown crust. Serve with garlic bread or any other bread of your choice.