İmam Bayıldı: Stuffed Eggplant in Olive Oil

İmam bayıldı sits at the head of the Turkish olive oil dishes. The name translates as “the imam fainted” — depending on which story you believe, from pleasure or from the amount of olive oil involved.

Eaten cold, never hot. That is what makes these dishes what they are, and it is also why they are worth making a day ahead.

Serve with rice and a good salad.

Serves 6

Ingredients

6 small eggplants
3 medium tomatoes
2 medium onions
1/2 bunch parsley
2–3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil, for the filling

For frying

Olive oil

Method

Wash the eggplants and trim the stems short, leaving the caps on. Dry them thoroughly — wet eggplant spits violently in hot oil.

Peel the skin in stripes, leaving alternating bands of skin and flesh. This is how it is traditionally done: the stripes let the eggplant absorb the sauce while the remaining skin holds it together.

Fry the eggplants whole in olive oil, turning, until softened and browned on all sides.

Drain on paper towel and let them cool.

Make the filling

Finely slice the onions and cook them in olive oil over medium heat until soft and sweet. Take your time here — this should be 10 to 15 minutes, not 3. The sweetness of slow-cooked onion is the backbone of the dish.

Add the pine nuts and the sliced garlic.

Peel and dice the tomatoes and add them. Cook until they have released their liquid and it has reduced away.

Finely chop the parsley and stir it in off the heat.

Assemble and cook

Split each eggplant lengthwise down the center, cutting most of the way through but not all the way. Open the halves gently to make a pocket.

Spoon the filling into each one, pressing it in.

Arrange them snugly in a wide pot.

Stir the salt and sugar into the cup of water and pour it around the eggplants, not over them.

Cover and cook on low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the eggplants are completely tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Ten minutes is not enough — this is where the filling and the eggplant become one thing.

Take the pot off the heat and let them cool completely in the pot.

Serve at room temperature or cold, with the pan juices spooned over and a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Chef’s note

Better on the second day. Make it in the morning, or the night before, and let it sit in the refrigerator.