İmam bayıldı (Turkish Stuffed Eggplants)
by Jay Wadams
Made from meltingly tender roasted eggplants, stuffed with a spicy tomato sauce and lashings of olive oil, İmam bayıldı or ‘the Imam fainted’ is one of the most famous of all Turkish dishes.
Did the Imam faint because the olive oil was so expensive? Or because this dish was so tasty? Try it and see for yourself!
Did the Imam faint because the olive oil was so expensive? Or because this dish was so tasty? Try it and see for yourself!
Ingredients
- 4 long eggplants see notes
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
for the tomato stuffing:
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 red onions. halved and sliced
- 1 long green pepper diced
- 4 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 125 ml tomato passata (puréed tomatoes)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sweet Pul Biber mild red pepper flakes
- bunch fresh parsley chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
- sea salt and black pepper
- extra olive oil for drizzling
Scan the QR Code to view the online recipe with detailed instructions, photos, hints, tips and more at daysofjay.com
Instructions
- PREPARE: Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas mark 6. Use a vegetable peeler or small, sharp knife to peel the eggplants in wide strips (like a zebra!).
- ROAST THE EGGPLANTS: Poke plenty of holes into the eggplants with a fork, then brush generously with the oil. Place on a rack set over an oven tray and roast in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until tender.
- MAKE THE STUFFING: While the eggplants are roasting, heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Gently cook the onion and pepper for 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes gently.
- FLAVOUR THE SAUCE: Add the passata, oregano, sugar, pul biber and half the parsley to the pan, season generously with salt and pepper and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until reduced and thickened.
- STUFF THE EGGPLANTS: When the eggplants are cooked and soft, remove them from the oven and place them in an oven-proof casserole dish. Cut a long slit down the length of each eggplant, then use two forks to pull apart the sides and to mash the soft eggplant flesh a little. Divide the tomato filling between the eggplants. If there is any leftover, spoon it into the dish.
- ROAST THE STUFFED EGGPLANTS: Stir the tomato paste together with 250ml (1 cup) of warm water and pour over and around the eggplants. Drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil, then return to the oven for a further 45 minutes.
- SERVE: Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with the remaining parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
Try to seek out long, thin, Middle Eastern style eggplants if possible. Otherwise choose smaller eggplants for best results.
Pul biber, sometimes known as Aleppo pepper, is used extensively in Turkish and Cypriot cooking. These pepper flakes have a lightly smoky flavour and a beautiful deep red colour. Try picking them up in a Turkish or Middle Eastern shop, or order online. They vary in heat from mild (Tatli) to very, very hot (çok çok acı), so be careful which ones you buy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1stuffed eggplant | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1486IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg