Imam Bayildi/Turkish Stuffed Eggplants

Imam Bayildi is a Turkish dish  calls for whole eggplants, which is later stuffed with a mixture of onions, garlic and tomatoes simmered in olive oil. Its is one of the most known and popular Turkish olive oil based dishes, you can serve this dish either at room temperature or warm. Imam Bayildi literally means The Imam Fainted, a funny name rite. Actually many tales do exists to tell us the reason behind this funny name. Wikipedia says that this name is derived from a tale of a Turkish imam who fainted once he heard the cost of the ingredients or the amount of olive oil used to cook the dish. An another folk relates that an imam married the daughter of an olive merchant and her dowry consists of twelve jars of finest olive oil.. Everday she prepared an eggplant dish with tomatoes and onions, on the thirteenth day, there was no eggplant dish at the table. When the imam heard that there was no olive oil, the imam fainted. Seriously these both tales made me laugh.

However this Turkish eggplant dish makes an excellent meal when served with turkish breads. If you are vegan lover, then you should give a try to the baked Eggplant casserole. Though this dish do call for a cooking or baking process, you can dish out this dish a day before or else you can keep them in fridge for 2-3days. Very easy to make, this stuffed eggplants calls for usual ingredients which is easily available in our pantry. I crossed this Imam Bayildi here where the author of this site proudly named her dish as My version of Imam Bayildi, just loved her version as her recipe went for less quantity of olive oil.

1 or 2 Eggplants (medium sized)
4tbsp Olive oil
2nos Onions (chopped)
4nos Garlic cloves (chopped)
5nos Tomatoes (chopped roughly)
1/2tsp Cumin seeds
1/2tsp Allspice powder
Chopped parsley leaves
Salt
1/2tsp Black pepper powder
1tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Heat enough olive oil and saute the onions for few minutes. Add immediately the chopped garlic and cumin seeds and let them cook for a minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, parsley, all spice powder, salt and pepper.

Bring everything to the boil and let them cook for a while in simmer.

Slice the eggplants into two halves, cut gently the flesh of the eggplants as cubes and keep the eggplant intact.

Add the eggplant cubes to the tomato sauce, and stir them in well, add quarter cup of water. Bring to the boil,cook for few more minutes.

Add the parsley leaves and tomato ketchup and stir it well and cook until the mixture turns thick.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Fill the eggplant with the cooked sauce and drop half of the sauce into a baking dish .

Add one cup of  water to sauce to make a watery sauce as the base for the eggplants.

Place the stuffed eggplants in the baking dish and bake for an hour. Serve hot or at room temperature.