Secrets for an authentic moussaka recipe

Moussaka is one of those unforgettable dishes – the béchamel, the eggplant, the meat sauce… a symphony of flavors that’s hard to forget. But if you want a moussaka that’s light and still incredibly tasty, there are a few “secrets” that can make a big difference without compromising any of the pleasure.

• How to avoid too much oil in the pan?

To make it really delicious, the eggplant needs to be fried. To keep it from soaking up too much oil during frying, it should be left for a few hours in a bowl of salted water. Then, drain it well on an absorbent towel and fry in hot oil until lightly golden.

It’s essential to let it drain in a colander afterward to remove the excess oil. It’s a good idea to place a weight on top while draining to help press out all the excess oil.
Alternatively, you can bake the eggplant as shown in the video below.

Of course, you can brush the eggplant with oil and bake it in a pan until lightly golden and softened.

• How to make it lighter?

As mentioned earlier, a good way is to roast the vegetables instead of frying them.

Eggplant in the freezer?

On a day when you have time, you can fry the eggplant and drain it well. Then, layer it with parchment paper in between and store it in a container in the freezer. It keeps for several months without spoiling and defrosts in just a few minutes.

Vegetable moussaka: Whether or not you add other layers of vegetables is entirely up to you.

However, eggplant should always be used in larger proportion than the other vegetables, because the combination of eggplant, meat sauce, and béchamel is simply unbeatable.

How to get a golden, crispy crust?

To achieve that golden, crispy, and delicious topping, baking it properly is key, but it also needs a little help from us.

A crunchy, golden-brown crust forms if you sprinkle the top with a mix of breadcrumbs and grated kefalotyri cheese.

• How to reduce the excess vegetable liquid in the baking dish?

Here’s a great trick to absorb the moisture from the vegetables in the pan:
Cut out one corner of the dish while it’s still warm. In the space left by the removed piece, insert a thick slice of stale bread.

This will soak up all the excess liquid and help the remaining pieces stay firm and uniform when you serve them.

• How should it be served?

After baking, let the moussaka rest at room temperature for at least 45 minutes.
If you try to cut it sooner, the pieces will fall apart. It should be served warm, but not hot (it’s impossible to cut into neat slices when it’s piping hot), or ideally at room temperature if it was freshly baked that day.