Lebanese seven-spice powder can be found in specialty grocery stores. It can be replaced in this recipe with allspice. To make your own blend, combine 1 tsp ground allspice, ½ tsp each ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom and ground cloves, and ¼ tsp each ground black pepper and ground ginger.
To make your own fried pita chips, open whole pitas and brush them with clarified butter or olive oil. Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Let cool. Break the pitas into pieces.
Traditionally this dish is flambéed with a few drops of steaming clarified butter, which is carefully poured over the eggplant before serving. This step can easily be omitted from this recipe.
