Stuffed Eggplant (Imam Bayildi)
Stuffed Eggplant (Imam Bayildi)
Description
This vegetarian dish is one of the classics in Turkish cuisine. It has a kind of funny name in Turkish, which means “Imam (the priest of the mosque) Fainted”.
So the name tells its story by itself: It is overwhelmingly good, so people can faint after they taste it.
Ingredients
Preparation
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Peel the eggplants in stripes and soak them in salty water for 1/2 hour to get rid of their bitter taste.
Wash and pat dry them with a paper towel.
Using a sharp knife, make a slit cut, lengthwise.
Be careful not to cut all the way through the other side.
Put 1 cup olive oil in a frying pan.
Fry the eggplants over medium heat, turning occasionally until they turn slightly brown. Remove from the pan. Set aside.
Add olive oil into another pan.
Sauté the onions and the cubanelle peppers until they are tender.
Add tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar; and cook 8-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Gently pull apart the eggplants along the slits, fill with the vegetable mixture. Arrange them in a pan, add 1 cup of hot water, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, set aside to cool down.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
Bon Appetit!