Recipe Imam Bayildi (Stuffed Aubergines)

[Elawin]

Although this is normally regarded as a Turkish dish, it is eaten in Greece too, as well as being thought to be a Moorish dish originally.

There are many versions of the same story as to how the dish got its name. Once there was a famous Turkish Imam who was particularly fond of aubergine. His wife tried to give him aubergine as often as possible, and was always thinking up different ways to cook it. One day she prepared some aubergines in the manner of this recipe and the delighted Imam found them so good that he swooned in ecstasy. Since then, both her recipe and the story have become legendary, hence the name, which means 'fainting Imam'.

Two other reasons given for the swooning are that the Imam was a mean man who fainted when he saw the vast quantity of oil used; or that he fainted because the richness overpowered him.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 long aubergines
3 onions, chopped
3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes, sliced
Crushed garlic, to taste
Plenty of parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
280 ml hot stock or water
280 ml olive oil (yes - honestly!)
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tsp sugar (optional)

Method:

1. Cut off and discard the green ends of the aubergines and make 3 slits in each, stretching from end to end. Do not peel them.
2. Sprinkle a little salt inside the slits and leave for 20 minutes. Then gently squeeze each aubergine to rid it of excess water.
3. Heat the oil and fry the aubergines for 5 minutes or until they begin to wilt, turning 2 or 3 times. Take them from the pan and put aside until required.
4. In the same pan, fry the onions until they are a golden brown. Also take these from the pan and put into a basin.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to the onions. Mix well and stuff the mixture into the slits of the aubergines.
6. Arrange the aubergines in baking dish and pour over them the olive oil in which you fried the onions.
7. Cover the aubergines with the sliced tomatoes, pour in the stock, the lemon juice, sugar (if used), and a little more salt.
8. Cover the dish and bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes until the aubergines are quite soft.
9. Leave to cool before taking them out of the pan, and then serve quite cold with a green salad.

Notes:

1. The Greek way of serving this dish is cold, i.e. at room temperature. It is just as good served hot, if you prefer.
2. Sugar is optional, only added to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes and lemon juice.
3. If you find this dish rather rich, use half the quantity of olive oil and follow the recipe; or use half the quantity of olive oil and do not pre-fry the aubergines or the onions. Instead mix the vegetables with some of the oil, using the remainder for cooking. It will still be a tasty dish, but will not be a real Imam Bayildi.
4. You will notice that no oven temperature has been given. Certainly in the village where I stayed in the late 1960s there was no gas or electricity, and most of the cooking was done over an open fire outside, or with the pan buried in the embers or being taken to the local bakers instead of being put in an oven, and my cookery book was written some 10 years before that! The modern equivalent of "moderate" would be 160-180 C/140-160 fan/325-350 F/Gas mark 3-4.

Here is a photo showing the stuffed aubergine before cooking (step 5).

 

[Morning Glory]

This looks delicious - I've made the dish before ages ago but did not stuff it using slits and didn't use that much oil! - I think that technique looks very attractive.

 

[Elawin]

This looks delicious - I've made the dish before ages ago but did not stuff it using slits and didn't use that much oil! - I think that technique looks very attractive.

I used half the amount of oil but otherwise cooked it as per recipe. I think the idea of the slits is to stop the stuffing leaking out. You don't see them in the finished dish because they are covered with slices of tomato. It was very filling and very more-ish. I shall be making this again. P.S. I've kept the leftover cooking liquid to use as stock.

 

[Morning Glory]

I started off following the recipe but rapidly realised I was never going to get the mixture into my small baby aubergines. So this was a paired down version - much quicker to do but it probably only works for baby sized. I'll post it as a new recipe with a link back here.