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Turkish Imam Bayildi Recipe

Imambayildi topped with tomato sauce and herbs served in a white oval dish.
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5 from 1 review

Baked eggplants are stuffed with a cooked mixture of onion, tomato, pepper, garlic and herbs. Then they are baked for the second time.

Ingredients

Scale

Roasting Eggplants:

  • 4 medium eggplants
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil

Filling:

  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
  • ¼ cup sweet green peppers, chopped
  • 3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Sauce:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

Instructions

For the eggplants:

  1. Preheat the oven at 350F/180C. Line a baking pan with baking paper.
  2. Peel the eggplants in stripes. Don’t cut the stems out.
  3. Let them sit in salted water for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze and pat dry with a paper towel. 
  4. Prick each eggplant a few times with a fork and place them on a grilling rack or in a baking pan.
  5. Brush each eggplant with a generous amount of olive oil.
  6. Bake in the oven until tender, for 30 minutes.

Filling:

  1. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook the chopped onion in it until translucent. 
  2. Add in chopped green peppers and cook for a few minutes.
  3. Add in chopped tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and add in chopped mint and parsley. Give it a good stir. 

Stuffing eggplants:

  1. Cut a slit lengthwise on each eggplant but don’t go all the way through.
  2. Use a teaspoon and give each eggplant a boat shape by making enough space to stuff them.
  3. Stuff the eggplants with the filling and place them in a baking pan. 

Make The Sauce and Bake:

  1. In a small bowl, mix together water and tomato paste. Pour this over the eggplants. 
  2. Bake for 40 minutes.
  3. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Notes

  • Definitely choose the best eggplants like globe eggplants and the best tomatoes you can find, even if it comes at a slightly higher price tag. 
  •  You have to soak the eggplants in salted water. Not only does it help soften them and extract extra moisture, but they help remove the bitterness that eggplants have.
  •  The same goes for poking holes in your eggplant before roasting it. These holes will help your eggplant cook better and more evenly. Skipping this step can cause some parts to be overcooked while others aren’t cooked enough.
  • Do not be shy when using olive oil. This is a type of olive oil dish and especially when roasting them, it is important to use a generous amount. Before serving this dish, add even more olive oil!
  • You can fry your eggplants instead of roasting them.
  •  If there are any leftovers, you can easily wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.giverecipe.com/imam-bayildi/