Imam Bayildi stuffed eggplant with tomatoes, onions and parsley
Turkish Recipe

Imam Bayildi

For Imam Bayildi, eggplant is prepared, stuffed with a sweet-spicy tomato-onion filling and gently cooked. It tastes particularly round and lukewarm and goes well with bread, rice or yoghurt.

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Total time 1 hr 10 min
Calories 340 kcal
Servings 4 servings
Difficulty Medium
By the Published Updated Editorially approved

Why this recipe works

Imam Bayildi with eggplant, tomatoes and olive oil

Imam Bayildi does not need a heavy sauce. The flavour comes from soft braised onions, garlic, ripe tomatoes, olive oil and a little acidity. If the eggplant is salted and cooked well, the flesh becomes creamy instead of spongy.

Quick Dinners Mediterranean Cuisine Vegetarian Dinners Lunch

Recipe

Imam Bayildi

Imam Bayildi is a Turkish eggplant dish with lots of olive oil, onions, garlic and tomatoes. The eggplants are stuffed and slowly stewed until soft.

Ingredients

4 servings

Method

  1. 1

    Prepare eggplants

    Slash the eggplant lengthwise, season with salt and leave to stand for 20 minutes. Pat dry and brush with olive oil all around.

  2. 2

    Pre-cook the eggplant

    Pre-cook the aubergines in a pan or oven until soft and easy to open.

  3. 3

    Braise stuffing

    Fry the onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, paprika, tomato paste, tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and boil for 10 minutes.

  4. 4

    Filling and cooking

    Open the eggplant, put in the filling and place in a pan with a little water or tomato juice. Cook at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

  5. 5

    Serve lukewarm

    Finish with lemon juice and parsley. Imam Bayildi tastes lukewarm and particularly aromatic.

Kitchen know-how

Tips for Imam Bayildi

Consciously using olive oil

Imam Bayildi lives on olive oil. It should be aromatic, but do not drown the eggplant in grease.

Slowly simmer

The filling will be better if onions and tomatoes are braised until soft instead of being heated briefly.

Serve lukewarm

The dish tastes more rounded after a little rest time, because the eggplant and filling are then better combined.

Variations

How to adapt this recipe

More green peppers in the filling makes Imam Bayildi more aromatic and a little lighter.

Use small eggplants, let cool completely and serve with bread as meze.

Nutrition per serving

340kcal
26.0 gCarbohydrates
5.0 gProtein
24.0 gFat

Values are estimates and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.

Frequently asked questions

FAQ about Imam Bayildi

It is useful because salt draws moisture and the eggplant becomes creamier when cooked. Afterwards, pat dry well.

It tastes particularly good when warm or in the room. After a little rest, olive oil, tomatoes and aubergines combine better.

Yes, the dish is very good for preparing. Store in the refrigerator and remove in good time before serving.

Flatbread, rice, yoghurt or a fresh herb salad go well and absorb the aromatic olive oil.