Name: İmam Bayıldı (Olive Oil Stuffed Eggplant)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 2 Eggplant, medium, slit lengthwise without cutting through; 3 tbsp Olive Oil, divided for cooking; 1 Onion, thinly sliced; 3 clove Garlic, thinly sliced; 2 Tomato, ripe, finely chopped; ½ tsp Sugar, to balance acidity; ¾ tsp Salt, divided; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, for the filling; 3 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped; ½ cup Water, for braising; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, for finishing

İmam Bayıldı (Olive Oil Stuffed Eggplant)

1 hr 25 mintotal

1 hr 5 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 45 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

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Method

Pat the slit brinjals dry. Warm part of the measured olive oil in a wide pan and sear the brinjals until the skins look glossy and slightly softened.
Move the brinjals to a plate. In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil, onion, and garlic, then cook until the onion is soft and sweet-smelling.
Add the tomato, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the tomato softens into a moist filling.
Stir in most of the parsley. Open each brinjal slit gently and spoon the filling inside without tearing the flesh.
Place the stuffed brinjals back in the pan. Add the measured water around them, cover, and cook on low heat until the brinjals are very tender.
Rest the dish off the heat, then finish with lemon juice and the remaining parsley before serving warm or at room temperature.

How to tell it's done

The brinjal should be spoon-tender, glossy, and juicy, while the filling should remain moist but not watery.

Getting it right

Tip

Cook the onion filling slowly; its sweetness is central to the finished dish.

What to serve it with

Serve with bread, rice, or a cucumber-tomato salad.

Common mistakes

The eggplant soaks up all the oil.: Sear the halves briefly at a good heat rather than frying them slowly. Eggplant absorbs oil greedily while it is raw and stops once the flesh has collapsed, so a hot, quick sear uses far less than a gentle one.
The flesh is bitter or spongy in the middle.: Choose firm, glossy, heavy brinjals and cook them until genuinely soft under the skin. İmam bayıldı wants melting flesh; anything short of that leaves an unpleasant texture no amount of filling covers.

Substitutions

Baby brinjal can be used if medium brinjals are unavailable; reduce cooking time once tender.
Tomato puree may replace part of the fresh tomato if tomatoes are pale or watery.
Fresh coriander can replace parsley, but the flavor will move away from the Turkish profile.

Storing and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and is traditionally eaten at room temperature the next day, when the olive oil and tomato have settled into the eggplant. It does not freeze — the flesh turns watery.

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Ingredients