Imam bayildi is a much loved Turkish dish. In its traditional Ottoman form, it's a simple stuffed eggplant dish that's more than the sum of of its parts.
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What is Imam Bayildi?
The name "imam bayildi" literally translates "the imam fainted." Turkish folk tales tell of an imam that swooned and fainted with pleasure when his wife presented him with this dish.
This classic stuffed eggplant dish can be found in varying forms in Bulgaria, Israel, Macedonia, Greece and Iran. There are literally dozens of ways to prepare it.
I've reduced the traditional heavy use of olive oil, and added some crunchy, garlic infused breadcrumbs.
I can't guarantee that you'll swoon and faint, but you'll probably love this dish enough to make it part of your regular vegan dinner rotation.
Ingredients
- Eggplant: Use two large or three small eggplants. An eggplant is ripe when you can press on it, and the skin springs back. If your finger leaves an indent, it may be over ripe.
- Cherry Tomatoes: We are using cherry tomatoes (as opposed to regular tomatoes) because they are much sweeter.
- Oregano: Bold and earthy oregano strikes the perfect note with sweet cherry tomatoes.
- Cinnamon: Spicy with a hint of warmth, cinnamon is a much loved spice in savory Turkish dishes.
- Onion: Onion is a major player in the more traditional forms of imam bayildi. Some recipes call for 3 or 4 onions. We will only be using one here.
- Red Pepper: Red pepper adds bit of texture, sweetness and color.
- Olive Oil: Choose the best quality olive oil you can afford. The flavor of a quality extra-virgin olive oil really brings this dish up a level.
- Parsley: A good handful of parsley really brings imam bayildi to life.
- Vegan Butter: We'll be sauteing the breadcrumbs in a few tablespoons of vegan butter for extra crunchiness.
- Breadcrumbs: I've added a crunchy breadcrumb topping. You can make your own breadcrumbs or use store bought.
- Garlic: Garlic will be added to the breadcrumbs to make a garlicky, crunchy topping for your imam bayildi.
- Salt: Salt enhances all the other flavors.
How To Make Imam Bayildi
- Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cut your eggplants in half lengthwise, and using a sharp knife, score a crisscross pattern across them. Brush with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
- While your eggplant is baking, begin preparing your filling.
- Saute your onion in two tablespoons of olive oil for about three minutes.
- Add your red pepper, oregano, cinnamon and parsley. Season everything with salt and saute for a further three minutes.
- Chop your cherry tomatoes in half and add them to a large bowl.
- Transfer your onion and red pepper mixture to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes.
- Heat the vegan butter in a saute pan and saute the garlic and breadcrumbs for two minutes, or until the breadcrumbs have evenly absorbed the butter and the garlic has released its scent.
- Take the eggplants from the oven, and when they're cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the inside and add it to the bowl with the onions, red peppers and cherry tomatoes. Give everything a good stir.
- Mound the filling into the eggplant shells. Top with your breadcrumb mixture and return the Imam Bayildi to the oven for an additional twenty minutes.
- Serve with vegan yogurt, rice and flat breads.
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Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
You can serve imam bayildi as a vegan main course, or as part of a larger mezze spread. I like to serve it with rice or bulgar, a wedge of lemon and flat breads. You could also serve it with a simple salad, such as Jerusalem Salad.
You can store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven until it's hot and the topping has a nice crunch to it - 10-15 minutes.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
Easy Vegan Quinoa Salad - Vegan And Gluten free
Za'atar Bread - Za'atar Manaquish
Roasted Aloo Gobi - Vegan and Gluten Free
Recipe
Imam Bayaldi
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 3 tablespoon olive oil *divided
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and score the flesh a few times with a sharp knife. Brush with one tablespoon of olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the eggplants are cooking, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan and saute the onion for 3 minutes.
- Add the red pepper,cinnamon, oregano and parsley to the pan and saute for a further 2 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture a bowl with the cherry tomatoes.
- Scoop the flesh from the roasted eggplants, and add it onion and red pepper in the bowl.
- Clean out the pan and melt two tablespoons of the vegan butter. Saute the breadcrumbs and garlic for three minutes.
- Put the eggplant skins in baking dish and distribute the filling between them. Top with breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
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