Mderbel

What we know so far

Mderbel is the Algerian aubergine stew, a Ramadan table regular: lamb or beef simmered with chickpeas in a red sauce built on a dersa of pounded garlic, chilli and paprika with a spoon of tomato paste (the Algiers version keeps a white, cinnamon-scented sauce instead), and finished with thick slices or cubes of aubergine, fried or grilled, that are laid in to soak up the sauce and cook almost to a confit without falling apart. Caraway goes into the older recipes and a splash of vinegar at the end sharpens it. It is served meat underneath, aubergine and chickpeas on top, with parsley and a round of matlouh bread to mop the dish. Courgettes or artichokes take the aubergine's place in other seasons.

The draft was written from 2 published sources and holds 12 ingredients and 7 steps. It has never been cooked by anybody at AFN, which is why it is waiting.

What claiming it means

1. Cook it the way you actually make it. Change anything in our draft that is wrong, and most of it probably is.
2. Photograph your own, so the page carries a real picture instead of somebody else's.
3. Send it in. An editor reads it, and it publishes with your name on it and a link to your profile.

See every dish waiting