Imam Bayildi, eggplant stuffed with aromatics. A colorful, delicious vegan dish, packed with so much flavor! An amazing combination of fresh aubergines stuffed with a juicy tomato based filling, onions, garlic with aromatic herbs!
So, if you want to try something beyond traditional Greek dishes but stick with something that many Greeks enjoy, Imam Bayildi is a perfect idea. This dish is a classic of Ottoman and “Politiki” cuisine, that is the best way to serve eggplants (or aubergines if you like) and is really easy to make!
What is Imam Bayildi?
Imam Bayildi, its a classic vegetarian dish that its served as a main or side dish. The story behind the name of the dish is that the first Imam to try it was so impressed by the flavor that he fainted! So the dish is called ‘the imam fainted’ in Turkish. The impact upon the Greeks during the Byzantine Empire and then the Ottoman domination of Greece was profound. Cooking methods and ingredients blended, with Greeks making many dishes their own. This is why even though this recipe is basically of Ottoman origin, we can add Feta cheese on top of the Imam Bayildi before cooking to give it the rich, creamy flavor of Greece.
What you’ll need to make it the traditional way
You can make this Imam Bayildi recipe at any time of the year but to get the best results, it is worth using summer aubergines and the best tomatoes. But if you can’t get good quality plum tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes. Keep in mind that this dish is very flling.
Key Ingredients
Basics: For this Imam Bayildi recipe, you will want 1 large eggplant per person. You’ll also want onion and garlic cloves along with fresh peppers and plum tomatoes for the basics of the dish. Want to make this a bit spicy? Along with one of the peppers, use a chili pepper instead.
Seasoning: To add flavor to the ingredients, you may choose to use cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. In this recipe things are more simple, to bring out the rich flavor of the vegetables. Topped with chopped parsley and a tomato based sauce poured over the eggplants before baking and when served. Have some tomato puree to use to bind them together and a little black pepper to finish.
Imam Bayildi
Ingredients
- 5 large eggplants
- 2 large onions
- 2 bell peppers
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch parsley
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Wash the eggplants, pat dry. Cut off a small slice of the bottom of the eggplant. Using a sharp potato peeler, peel the eggplant in 4 evenly spaced strips, so that some of the eggplant is exposed. Place into a large bowl of cold water, sprinkle with plenty of salt and let soak for about one hour. This procedure will help remove the bitterness of the eggplant.
- Chop the onions into half moons and thinly slice the garlic.
- Wash and pat dry the bell pepper. We recommend one green and one red for the sweetness. Cut into medium sized cubes.
- Wash the tomatoes. Using the potato peeler, peel off the skin, or if you prefer, blanche and peel. Cut into bite sized cubes.
- Time to make the filling. In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil with 1/4 cup olive oil, setting medium heat.
- Add onions to pan, sautee until soft, approx. 5 minutes. Cover pan with lid to sweat the onions, not to caramelize. After 5 minutes add the garlic and sautee. Cover for another 5 minutes.
- Put the peppers into the pan and mix well. Add in the tomatoes and 1/2 of the chopped parsley. Reserve the other 1/2 for serving. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and lower heat to simmer. Allow to cook about 15 minutes. Once vegetables are soft and cooked, remove from heat. Place into a bowl and set aside.
- Do not rinse the saucepan to make a tomato sauce. Simply keep the pan on the low heat and put in one tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir it around and cook for about 1-2 minutes, just to warm it up. Pour in 1 cup water. Mix until it just starts bubbling, then remove from heat. Set aside.
- Remove the eggplants from the water. Do not rinse, just pat dry. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment or baking paper. Sprinkle with salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Rub the eggplant with the oil and bake in the oven about 25 minutes, or until a bit soft.
- Remove from oven and set aside. Allow to cool a bit.
- Prepare a large baking dish to place the eggplants side by side to cook. Oil bottom of pan with olive oil and place the parsley stalks on the bottom of the pan. Put the eggplants into the pan. Preset oven to 180 celsius or 365 farenheit.
- Make an incision lengthwise in the eggplants, leaving 2 cm ( 1" ) at both ends, without cutting through the bottom. Using 2 spoons, open up the incision and shape the eggplant into a boat. Stuff the eggplant with the vegetable mixture.
- With a ladle, pour the tomato sauce over each eggplant, and a ladle or two into baking dish. Reserve some to spoon onto eggplant at serving. Bake about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven. Its ready to be served when golden brown.
