Imam Bayıldı

İmam Bayıldı is a classic Turkish dish of aubergines filled with gently stewed onion, tomato and garlic. The dish is prepared generously with olive oil and should be served lukewarm or at room temperature. The name literally means “the imam fainted”, according to legend either from delight or from shock at the amount of olive oil used.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 60 minutes
Total time: approximately 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 small to medium aubergines
• Salt
• 125–150 ml good olive oil
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 green pepper or mild green chilli
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Handful of fresh parsley
• A few sprigs of fresh dill, optional
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cut the aubergines
   Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, or make a deep cut lengthways without cutting all the way through.
2. Score the flesh
   Lightly score the flesh without cutting through the skin.
3. Salt the aubergines
   Sprinkle the aubergines lightly with salt and leave them to drain for 20–30 minutes.
4. Slice the onions
   Peel the onions and slice them into thin rings.
5. Chop the garlic
   Peel the garlic and chop it finely.
6. Dice the tomatoes
   Peel the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes.
7. Slice the pepper
   Cut the green pepper or chilli into thin strips.
8. Chop the herbs
   Finely chop the parsley. Finely chop the dill, if using.

Method

1. Pat the aubergines dry
   Rinse the aubergines briefly and pat them thoroughly dry.
2. Heat the olive oil
   Heat a generous layer of olive oil in a wide pan.
3. Fry the aubergines
   Fry the aubergines over a medium heat until golden brown all over and almost soft. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
4. Add olive oil
   Add a little more olive oil to the pan if necessary.
5. Soften the onions
   Cook the onions over a low heat for about 15 minutes until soft and translucent.
6. Add the garlic
   Add the garlic and cook briefly.
7. Add the tomato
   Add the tomato, green pepper or chilli, sugar, salt and black pepper.
8. Stew the mixture
   Leave to stew gently until a juicy, fragrant mixture forms.
9. Add the herbs
   Stir in the parsley and the dill, if using.
10. Fill the aubergines
    Return the aubergines to the pan and fill them generously with the onion and tomato mixture.
11. Add the cooking juices
    Spoon some of the oil and cooking juices over the aubergines. Add a few tablespoons of water if the pan is dry.
12. Cook gently
    Cover the pan and cook everything over a very low heat for another 30–40 minutes, until the aubergines are completely soft.
13. Leave to cool
    Leave the İmam Bayıldı to cool until lukewarm or at room temperature.

Serving

Serve with Turkish bread, rice or bulgur.

This dish often tastes even better the next day.