İmam Bayıldı — Stuffed Eggplant

What you’ll need

Ingredients

Ingredient amounts make 4 servings. Nutrition below is for one serving.

• 800 g Eggplant, trimmed, edible weight
• 300 g Onion, peeled
• 400 g Tomatoes, trimmed
• 16 g Garlic, peeled and minced
• 20 g Fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, washed and dried
• 50 g Olive oil
• 25 g Tomato paste, no added salt
• 20 g Fresh lemon juice
• 1 g Ground black pepper
• 4 g Fine salt
• 150 ml Water, plus extra for washing or soaking as directed

Make it

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat a conventional oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Halve two large eggplants lengthwise, score the flesh without piercing the skin and brush with 20 g oil. Roast cut-side up for 30–35 minutes until soft.

2. 2

   Thinly slice onions and cook gently in remaining 30 g oil for 15 minutes. Add chopped garlic for 1 minute, then chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley and lemon juice.

3. 3

   Press a shallow hollow into each softened eggplant half without removing flesh. Divide all filling and its oil among the halves. Add 150 ml water to the baking dish around them and cover loosely with foil.

4. 4

   Bake 25–30 minutes until completely tender. Rest 10 minutes, then serve one half with a quarter of the pan juices. All oil and filling are counted. Refrigerate promptly if serving later.