Imam bayildi (braised stuffed eggplants)

Eggplants

Peel the eggplants in lengthwise stripes, zebra-style. Cut a deep slit along each one, stopping 2 cm from the ends and not cutting all the way through. Rub with salt and leave for 20 minutes.

Chopping

While the eggplants are salting, thinly slice the onions into half-moons, cut the pepper into strips and the garlic into slivers, finely dice the tomatoes and finely chop the parsley.

Drying

Rinse the eggplants and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels, inside the slit too.

Get them completely dry — water droplets make hot oil spit violently.

Browning

Heat 100 ml of the oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat and fry the whole eggplants on all sides until soft and golden, 10–12 minutes. Place them slit side up in a baking dish.

Filling

In the same pan, cook the onions and pepper in the remaining oil until soft, 8 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, sugar and salt and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in half the parsley.

Stuffing

Heat the oven to 180 °C. Open up the slits with a spoon and pack the filling into the eggplants. Pour 100 ml hot water into the dish.

Simmering

Cover the dish with foil and braise in the oven for 40 minutes, until the eggplants are completely tender.

Serving

Let cool until just warm, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve. Done!

Imam bayildi tastes even better the next day — take it out of the fridge in advance and serve at room temperature.