This dish means 'Imam fainted'. So legend has it that Imam was so impressed upon tasting this dish made by his wife that he fainted from joy. Whilst I have no Imam to impress, I do have some lovely whole baby eggplants sitting in the fridge for quite some time now and this dish was the perfect way to use up those eggplants. It's flavoured with onions, tomatoes, fresh dill and parsley and slowed cooked in olive oil for over an hour. Whilst not necessarily traditional, I've also paired this dish with a fresh mixed herb yoghurt which bring a lovely tangy creamy element to the dish. You may also want to lightly toast some Turkish bread to mop up the lovely sauce.
Ingredients
Imam Biyaldi
- 500g small round eggplants
- 125ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 large onions thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
Fresh Mixed Herb Yoghurt
- 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dill finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- salt
Method
1. Cut each of the baby eggplants into 6 wedges whilst leaving the stem intact to keep it in shape. Soak in salted water for 20-30 minutes. Drain out the water and dry thoroughly with kitchen paper towel.
2. Add 2 tbsp of oil to a cast iron pot, fry the onion and garlic until fragrant and well caramelised. Take it out into a bowl, add the tomatoes, dill and parsley and mix well.
3. Add the remaining olive oil to the cast iron pot, pan dry the eggplants until softened. Add the onion and garlic mixture back into the pan togehter with the sugar, chicken stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and reduce to the lowest heat to simmer over the next 60 minutes.
4. Traditionally this dish is served as a cold dish. I can't wait and have eaten it warm with a generous dollop of mixed herb yoghurt and Turkish bread and happiness is restored.
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