Imam Bayildi, Braised Stuffed Eggplant
Imam bayildi is one of the great Turkish zeytinyagli dishes, eggplant stuffed with a sweet tangle of onion, garlic, and tomato and traditionally cooked in a startling amount of olive oil. The whole dish works without it: roasting the scored eggplant dry and hot collapses it just as tenderly, and the filling gets its richness from onions cooked slow until they turn jammy and sweet, which also removes any need for the sugar often added. Tomato cooked down thick binds it, lemon lifts it, and it is served cool, as it always is. Make it a few hours or a day ahead so it has time to settle.
Ingredients
- 2 wholes Eggplant, medium, halved lengthwise
- 2 wholes Yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 3 wholes Fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Score the cut face of each eggplant half in a deep crosshatch without piercing the skin, and roast them cut-side down on a lined tray until the flesh is completely collapsed and soft, about 30 minutes. The name means the imam fainted, supposedly at how much oil the dish drank; roasting the eggplant dry sidesteps that entirely, since a scored, high-heat roast softens it just as thoroughly with none.
- While the eggplant roasts, sweat the onions and garlic in a wide pan with a few tablespoons of water over medium-low heat until they are limp, sweet, and just starting to color, about 15 minutes, adding a splash more water whenever the pan dries. This slow, low cook is the heart of the filling: it turns two raw onions jammy and sweet, and that sweetness is what replaces the sugar many recipes add.
- Add the tomatoes and paprika and cook until the tomatoes break down and the mixture is thick with no watery liquid left, about 10 minutes. Cooking off the moisture concentrates the tomato into something almost jam-like, so the filling holds together in the eggplant rather than running out.
- Press the roasted eggplant halves open to make a hollow and pile the onion-tomato filling in, mounding it. Return them to the oven, loosely covered with foil, for 15 to 20 minutes so the flavors marry and the eggplant drinks up the tomato around it.
- Let them cool to room temperature, then finish with the lemon juice, black pepper, and parsley. Imam bayildi is always served cool, never hot, which is when the flavors read fullest, and the lemon at the end brightens the sweet filling in place of salt.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 130 calories, 3 g protein, 7 g fiber, 30 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
