Imam Bayildi or Turkish stuffed Eggplants with Cheese

Name: Imam Bayildi or Turkish stuffed Eggplants with Cheese
Total time: 2700 s
Yield: 4-5 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 large Eggplants or Aubergine; 1 tsp Salt or to taste; 4 tbsp Olive Oil; 2-3 crushed Garlic Cloves; 2 large Red Onions chopped; 2 large Tomatoes chopped; 1 large Capsicum chopped; 1 tsp Cumin powder; 2 tsp Red Chilli flakes; 1 small bunch chopped Coriander or Parsley Leaves; 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

ZMA @zesty5

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#cookpadindia
A classic dish with a little tweaking by me. An interesting name and an equally interesting tale behind this simple, healthy Vegetarian dish from Turkey. Basically it's a stuffed Eggplant dish. The story goes like this- there was an Imam who was a great foodie and when he married a rich Olive Oil merchant's daughter, he was given big canisters of Olive Oil as gifts by the merchant. And everyday the new bride would prepare this tasty dish to him and one fine day it so happened that she did not make his favourite dish and when asked about the reason, she replied that there was no more Oil left and upon hearing this, the priest almost fainted. Not in the actual sense but it was like a big shock to him. He was such an ardent lover of this healthy Oil. And thus, this dish got it's so called name and is a sought after dish with the Turkish people. Sounds interesting, right. Well, yes and not only is it healthy, but also very very delicious. Try this awesome Veggie dish for your families and friends this Ramadan just like me.

You gonna absolutely love it. Mark my words. And I had made it a bit Cheesy as well. So what more one could ask for? Especially the kids. They would love it because of Cheese. And that's it. No more fussy eaters. Only pure bliss. Enjoy !

Happy Baking !

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

Happy Baking !

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

ZMA @zesty5

Happy Baking !

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

Happy Baking !

Enjoy Cooking with Zeen!

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Ingredients

45 minutes

4-5 servings

2large Eggplants or Aubergine
1 tspSalt or to taste
4 tbspOlive Oil
2-3crushed Garlic Cloves
2large Red Onions chopped
2large Tomatoes chopped
1large Capsicum chopped
1 tspCumin powder
2 tspRed Chilli flakes
1small bunch chopped Coriander or Parsley Leaves
1 cupshredded Mozzarella Cheese

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Steps

45 minutes

1

Wash the Eggplants and give a slit in the centre taking care not to cut it fully. Keep it immersed in salted water until the oven gets preheated.

Imam Bayildi (The priest fainted)
2

Rub some Salt and Olive oil in the slit Eggplants and arrange them in a baking tray lined with a butterpaper. Bake them on 240° for about 30 minutes at first.
3

Keep it on the middle rack with both the rods on with the fan assisted feature too if your oven has it. Otherwise there is no need to worry. It gets done even without that feature.
4

Next, while the baking is being done, prepare the stir fried Veggie mix. In a broad pan, heat 3 tablespoon of Olive Oil. Add the crushed Garlic and Onions first. Saute them for a minute.
5

Now add the chopped Capsicum and the Tomatoes followed by the Cumin powder and the Chilli flakes. Blackpepper powder can be used instead of Red Chilli flakes.
6

Adjust the Salt proportion according to your taste and saute these on a medium flame just for 3 to 4 minutes. Switch off the flame and set aside.
7

After the Eggplants are baked for 30 minutes, take them out and carefully fill the sauteed veggies into them. Sprinkle some chopped Parsley or Coriander on top and bake it again for about 10 minutes. Keep checking after 6 to 7 minutes because every oven has different temperature settings. Also top it up generously with the shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
8

It gets done in almost 45 minutes. After done, take these out onto a serving platter and garnish with some more Parsley or Coriander and drizzle on top any juices that get left out after baking.
9

Serve this amazing dish with Naans or Pita bread or even your favourite Rice. I served it with homemade Butter Naans for Iftaar. Yum!

Linked Recipes

Imam Bayildi (The priest fainted)

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Cooksnaps

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ZMA @zesty5

on April 16, 2022 04:17

Homemaker by choice and a passionate cook by heart. An aspiring cook who actually never knew anything about Cooking until i became a mother myself.With Motherhood came the responsibilities as well and this was the turning point in my life.I started to learn the ABC's of cooking, taking help from my mother and my MIL. And time just flew. I spread my wings higher and higher. With my love for excellence and innovation, i stepped into a world of homecooks with my exposure to Cookpad one fine day on the social media. And there was no looking back since then and i have not only shared recipes here on this wonderful platform but also have made some lovely friends as well. Today iam successful because of my hard work, dedication and loads of good wishes of my family and my kids in particular.