Ingredients

• Six medium-sized eggplants
• 250g minced lamb (or beef)
• 2 medium-sized onions
• 1 medium-sized tomato
• 6 long green peppers (mild if preferred)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1tsp of salt
• 1tsp of black pepper
• 1tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 cup of parsley leaves for filling and some for decoration
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste (or pepper paste if preferred) for sauce for cooking

Preparation and Cooking

• The name “karnıyarık” in Turkish translates to “split belly” in English, which refers to the way the aubergines are prepared for stuffing. Aubergines are commonly prepared by peeling their skins to create four lengthwise stripes using a plain or serrated scraper tool. Then, they are soaked in salted water for a few hours to help remove some of their bitterness while preventing oxidation.
• Remove the aubergines from the water, and then cut through the middle lengthwise with a knife. Gently coat them with olive oil before pre-roasting in a wood-fired oven for about 20 minutes to soften.
• Let the eggplants cool down, and then use a fork and a spoon to press down the fleshes in middle and inner edges of the eggplants until soften while creating space for the filling. Place the aubergines side by side inside a large, oven-safe dish (earthenware, glass, or stainless steel).
• In the meantime, prepare the filling by add olive oil to a pan and sauté the finely chopped onions and garlic. Then add the minced meat and cook for about 5 minutes, add finely chopped peppers, tomatoes, parsley, salt and spices, and mix all. After adding 1/4 cup of hot water, mix again and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Generously fill the space in each aubergine and decorate each with a slice of tomato and a long green pepper. Add about 1-2 cm of sauce to the bottom of the dish, which should be made by the tomato paste and the hot water. Cook the dish for about 30-40 minutes (or until fully cooked) at 150-170°C.
• Serve the stuffed aubergines hot and garnished with parsley leaves if desired. A variety of side dishes can accompany the stuffed aubergines, including red lentil soup, rice pilaf, bulgur pilaf, cacik (yogurt with finely chopped cucumber, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt) and seasonal salad.

Hints and Comments

• To select aubergines that are suitable for this dish: Choose medium-sized aubergines since they will have enough core and flesh space for the filling, while larger ones have a tougher texture; Select straight and evenly shaped aubergine is easier to split and stuff; Make sure the skin should be smooth, glossy, deep purple colour and firm to touch and spring back when pressed gently; Choose heavy aubergine as this indicates a sign of freshness and high moisture content; and Make sure that the stem of the aubergine should be green and fresh-looking.
• The wood fired oven-roasted aubergine itself can also be used as an ingredient in the mixture for filling, which offers highly flavoursome roasted and smokey taste.
• Note that there are two versions of the same dish: “Karnıyarık” and “İmam Bayıldı”. The first one is prepared with ground meat or chunks of meat and the latter one is prepared with plenty of onions, tomatoes and peppers and with olive oil.