The first story says that the court chefs created the recipe for Sultan Murad IV in the early 17th Century. The Sultan enjoyed the meal so much that it was named Hunkar Begendi, literally translated as the Sultan liked it. The second story says the dish was named in honor of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III. The pair visited the Ottoman Court in 1869, and sampled a dish which the Empress was immediately enamoured of. She had her personal chef go to the kitchen with measuring scales and notebook in hand, only to have the poor fellow thrown out by chefs who said a true recipe cannot be quantified. The Ottoman court was nonetheless so impressed by the Empresses liking of the dish, that it was named Hunkar (a gender-neutral word in Turkish for Sultan) Begendi.
While finding their delivery a tad harsh, I would tend to agree with the chefs. True recipes, true cooking is not an exact science. So much depends on the very moment of cooking: the freshness of the ingredients, the cook's palate on that day, climate, mood, etc., etc. . . To cook, and to cook well for others means using all of your senses to create and refine an individual dish, which can never truly be replicated.
That being said, here is how I usually make my Hunkar Begendi:
Roast 2 large sized eggplants/aubergines in a well heated oven at 400F.
(There are many different ways people prefer to roast their eggplants, and in Turkey the preferred method is to literally char grill the vegetable in and over an open fire. While this does increase the smokiness of the eggplant, it can also be messy and a tad dangerous. I prefer the lazy option of cutting the eggplants in half, placing them cut sized down on a lightly-oiled baking pan, and roasting the hell out of them. The skin can and should char in a few places, and you have to wait until the eggplant is completely cooked through and very soft.)
Gently peel the eggplants and put the cooked vegetable in a bowl on the side, mashing up any bits that are not already in pureed form.
Saute some 1/2 a chopped onion and 3 - 4 cloves sliced garlic in olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, until both are cooked through and translucent. It is better to slightly overcook and caramelize the mixture then to under cook it. Add approximately 1 - 1 1/2 pounds diced lamb shoulder (without too much of the fat removed) and braise meat on each side over high heat. Reduce the heat, adding approximately 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, Turkish red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste to the mixture. Cover the mixture and let stew very, very slowly over low heat until meat is extremely tender, at least 1 hour. If you find that too much of the liquid is being absorbed during cooking, add water a few tablespoons at a time to rehydrate the meat.
(For the less squeamish, the stew is excellent when prepared with veal, for the more squeamish, a very tender cut of beef works just as well.)
While the meat is cooking, make a basic bechamel sauce in a large frying pan or wok by melting approximately 4 tablespoons of butter and a 4 tablespoons flour. Cook the flour through until it starts turning a light golden brown, and slowly whisk in approximately 1/2 cup milk. Once the mixture is smooth, add the reserved cooked eggplant and fold together. Add approximately 1/3 cup grated Kashar cheese, a hard sheep's-milk cheese from Turkey. Any hard and fairly mild sheep's or cow's milk cheese can be used.
To serve the dish, spread the eggplant puree generously over a dinner plate. Spoon the lamb stew on top of the eggplant, et voila, bon appetite!
Here is a picture courtesy of blog I found featuring some great Turkish recipes. Once I locate one, I will also add a picture of my mother's cafe's, Ayse's Cafe, version, which is consistently spectacular.
