Greek Moussaka Veg.

                                               

Ingredients:

Base:
Eggplants - 6 (medium size)
Oil / Olive oil - 2 table spoon

Veg Sauce:
1.Minced vegetables - 500 grams (boiled and mashed chickpeas/ green peas, softened and minced soya nuggets, zucchini etc.)
2. onions - 2 medium finely chopped
3. Bell peppers - 1 finely chopped
4. Garlic - 4 cloves ( grated )
5. Tomato puree - 1 cup
6. sugar - 1 teaspoon (optional)
7. Red wine / water - 1/2 cup
8. Pepper powder and salt to taste
9. Oil /olive oil - 1/4  cup  (preferably pomace)
10. Tomato sauce - 2 tablespoon
11. Spices: Oregano - 1/2 teaspoon; cumin - 1/2 teaspoon; cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon

Bechamel sauce:
1. Milk - 2 cups
2. butter - 1/4 cup
3. Flour - 1/4 cup
4. All spices - 1 teaspoon
5. Egg yolk - 1
6. Parmesan / Cheddar cheese - 100 grams

Potato Layer:
Potato - 6 medium sized ones ( cut into 1/4 inch rounds )

Preparation:
Eggplant:
Take a saucepan of water and add 1/4 cup salt into it.Cut the top and bottom ends of the eggplant and cut 1/4 inch rounds.Drop them in salt water and set aside for 30 minutes. In the meantime we can prepare the vegetable sauce.After 30 minutes, take out the eggplant slices from salt water and dry each piece using a kitchen towel.

Heat a shallow fry pan, add 2 tablespoon of pomace olive oil / oil and cook the eggplant slices on both sides until they are golden brown. Keep aside.

Veg Sauce: 
Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add olive oil / oil and fry the onions till it becomes translucent.

Add bell peppers and saute for a couple of minutes.

Add grated garlic, tomato puree, tomato sauce, pepper, salt and the powdered spices. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add sugar only if you want, not necessary.

Add minced vegetable mixture and combine well. Fry for 5 minutes on medium flame.

Add red wine / water and cook on high flame until it boils. Turn down to medium high heat and keep it covered and stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and oil separates.

Potatoes: 
Add the sliced potatoes in water with half spoon of salt and boil for 5 minutes on medium heat until the potatoes are just cooked. Do not overcook the potatoes.

Drain and keep aside until all the components are ready.

Bechamel Sauce: 
Heat milk in a sauce pan. Bring down the flame once it is boiled. Let the milk be on flame till the butter and flour cooks.

Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed pan on low heat.

When the butter melts completely and shows up bubbles add the flour little by little, stirring continuously, to avoid any lumps.Keep the flame low. Let it cook for a couple of minutes. Keep stirring.

Add the hot milk slowly and continuously into the butter-flour mixture while stirring continuously. Add salt and all spice. Mix well.

Keep stirring on medium flame until it thickens up a bit. Switch off the stove.

Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl.

Add about half a cup of the hot sauce into the whisked egg yolks and mix well. Here we are tempering the yolks to not cook up and scramble.

Now add this egg mixture into the hot sauce while stirring well. Keep this back on the flame and cook until it thickens up a bit.

Assembly and Baking:

Bring and keep all the things you need together: Baking dish, Egg plant, potato, veg sauce, bechamel sauce, grated cheese. Since i couldn't get parmesan/cheddar cheese, i used Mozarella.
1. Butter the baking dish. Arrange the eggplant slices overlapping and covering the base. Sprinkle  some grated cheese over this.( If you prefer to use potatoes as the base you can do that and the egg plant slices can be layered over the first veg sauce layer)
2. Add half of the veg sauce over the egg plant layer and spread evenly.
3. Arrange half of the potato slices on top of the veg sauce layer.
4. Add the remaining half of the veg sauce layer over the potato layer.
5. Layer the remaining potato slices over this.
6. Now pour the bechamel sauce over this potato layer and smooth out.
7. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the top as the final layer. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree C for 20 - 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8. The top layer is bubbly in the oven and it is soft while it is hot. It will set when it cools down. Cool on wire rack and serve while it is just luke warm to get clean slices