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TURKISH STUFFED EGGPLANT - IMAMBAYILDI

Try this delicious, vegan and gluten free stuffed eggplant recipe!
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Turkish

Ingredients
  

To fry:

  • 9-10 eggplants
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Granulated sugar

The Filling:

  • 1/4 cup of olive oil 1 cup is 200 ml.
  • 4-5 onions
  • 2 heads of garlic
  • 4 large tomatoes
  • 4-5 sweet green chili peppers
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 10 sprigs of parsley
  • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Wash the eggplants and peel them variegated. Soak in saltwater (without splitting the middle) for a while.
  • Start preparing your filling.
  • Chop the onions in a half-moon shape and chop the garlic.
  • Chop the peppers into rings, remove the seeds from the tomatoes and dice them.
  • Chop the parsley thoroughly.
  • Put the onions and garlic in a deep pan and add the oil.
  • Roast it together for 2-3 minutes and add sugar and fry for a little more.
  • Add the green peppers. Fry all together until the onions become transparent like glass and settle down.
  • Add the peeled diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of tomato paste. Stir and cook until the tomato juice is absorbed from the pan.
  • They should all be cooked and mixed. The filling should not remain too watery, and when you take it with a spoon, it should not leak and have a solid consistency.
  • Turn off the heat, add the parsley, mix everything, and set aside the pan to cool.
  • Take the eggplants in the water and dry them well with a kitchen towel.
  • Put your vegetable oil on your pan, heat it. Fry the eggplants in hot oil until they are soft.
  • Take the fried eggplants on a paper towel and let them drain.
  • If you are going to cook the food in the oven, take your oven tray, put the fried eggplants in the tray, cut the middle of the eggplants in a vertical line with a knife, and gently mash the inside of the eggplants with a fork.
  • Sprinkle 2-3 pinches of granulated sugar into each of the crushed eggplants, depending on their size.
  • Fill the eggplants generously with a spoon with your cooled filling.
  • If you are going to cook your food on the stove, do the same with the eggplants in the pan. (take into the pan, open the eggplants halfway, mash, sprinkle sugar, and fill them.)
  • We will add the cooking water to the dish. Put some (2-3 cups) hot water into the pan where you cook the filling and stir the pan. (why did we put water in this pan, probably there must be nice water with greasy tomatoes at the bottom of the pan so that we don't waste it and get its flavor for the meal)
  • Pour this water into the tray or pan with eggplants with a ladle from the sides. Do not add too much water to the food on the tray or pan, so the food does not float in the water.
  • The food will be cooked in a short time. Food does not absorb too much water and too much water spoils the taste of the food.
  • Take the pan or tray in your hand and tilt it slightly to the right and left to let water enter all over. If you are going to cook in the oven now, cover the opening of the tray with foil or oiled paper soaked in water and put the tray in the heated oven.
  • If you are going to cook on the stove, cover the pan with a lid.
  • First, boil then lower the heat. Cook your food on the stove over low heat.
  • Either way, your food will be cooked in 25-35 minutes.
  • After your food is cooked, let it cool on the tray or pan.
  • After it cools, pour it into a glass tray, cover it well with stretch, and put it in the refrigerator.
  • If you have time, let your food rest in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. The colder the food is served, the more delicious it will be.
Keyword Turkish Stuffed Eggplant