Makdous
Makdous is a preserve from Syria and Lebanon, traditionally made at the end of summer when baby aubergines are cheapest. Tiny aubergines boiled, pressed under a weight for a day, stuffed with walnuts, red pepper, garlic and chilli, and covered in olive oil. After two days in the fridge the flavours meld and the aubergines turn salty and intense — eaten for breakfast with bread and tea. Note: traditionally makdous matures for weeks at room temperature and sits in the pantry for months, but vegetables with raw garlic under oil carry a botulism risk. This version is for the fridge only and must be eaten within 7 days.
Your own work in that: 40 min.
- Boiling the aubergines 15 min
- Salting and pressing 1440 min
- Filling 20 min
- Stuffing 30 min
- Packing the jar 10 min
- Maturing in the fridge 2880 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneBoil the aubergines
Trim the stalks, leaving the green caps. Bring the water to the boil with a tablespoon of salt and cook the aubergines 10–15 minutes, until soft but not collapsing — a knife should slide in easily.
Ingredients: 1000 g baby aubergines (5–8 cm) · 3 tbsp salt for the water and salting · 2000 ml water
Slit and salt
Drain and cool. Slit each aubergine lengthwise on one side to make a pocket — do not cut right through. Sprinkle a pinch of salt inside (about 2 tablespoons from the list go on the pockets).
Ingredients: 1000 g baby aubergines (5–8 cm) · 3 tbsp salt for the water and salting · 2000 ml water
A lengthwise pocket, not cut through.Press for a day
Lay the aubergines slit side down in a colander or on a tilted tray, cover with a board and weigh down. Refrigerate 24 hours to drain the excess water — otherwise it will seep into the oil in the jar.
Ingredients: 1000 g baby aubergines (5–8 cm) · 3 tbsp salt for the water and salting · 2000 ml water
Make the filling
Chop the walnuts roughly. Dice the peppers very finely and squeeze them hard in a cloth. Mix with crushed garlic, chilli and salt — you will have about 360 g of filling.
Ingredients: 150 g walnuts · 2 pcs red peppers · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
Squeezed peppers — the filling must be dry.Stuff the aubergines
Open each pocket and fill it with a heaped tablespoon of filling (about 18 g), pressing it in. Close the edges gently. The filling is just enough for 20.
Ingredients: 150 g walnuts · 2 pcs red peppers · 6 cloves garlic · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
Full pockets that do not split.Prepare the jar
Scald a jar of about 1.5 litres (or two 750 ml jars) with boiling water and dry it thoroughly — 20 stuffed aubergines plus oil will not fit in a 1 litre jar. Moisture in a jar of oil encourages spoilage.
Ingredients: 1000 g baby aubergines (5–8 cm) · 3 tbsp salt for the water and salting · 2000 ml water
Cover with oil
Pack the aubergines tightly into the jar, slit side up, and pour in olive oil to cover them by at least 2 cm. Tap the jar on the worktop to release air bubbles and top up with oil if needed.
Ingredients: 600 ml olive oil to cover
Refrigerate
Close the jar, write the date on it and put it straight into the fridge (4°C at most) for 2 days before eating. You have 7 days in total from covering with oil to eat it. The oil clouds and thickens in the fridge — take out only a portion 20 minutes before serving and put the jar straight back.
Ingredients: 1000 g baby aubergines (5–8 cm) · 3 tbsp salt for the water and salting · 2000 ml water
Before you start
Safety
Aubergine is a low-acid vegetable, and raw garlic under oil creates an oxygen-free environment where botulism bacteria can grow — the toxin has no visible sign, smell or taste. The fridge only slows this down, so homemade vegetables and garlic in oil must be eaten quickly. Keep makdous in the fridge only (4°C at most) and eat it within 7 days of covering with oil, maturing time included. Do not keep leftovers longer — freeze them in containers right after the 2 days of maturing (up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge). Never store it in the pantry or at room temperature.
The oil
The oil left after the aubergines is delicious, but treat it as part of the preserve — fridge only, used within the same 7 days, for salads or hummus. Do not reuse it for a new batch.
How to serve
In Syria makdous is eaten for breakfast with pita, labneh, olives and sweet tea. It is halved and eaten with a little oil from the jar.