Stuffed Aubergines with Minced Meat from the Oven

Stuffed aubergines conjure up an image of an Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere of days gone by

Another carefully preserved and cherished recipe: aubergines with special herbs. It once found its way from the south-eastern coast to the Eastern Mediterranean: Karniyarik. In the early 1900s, the grocery store of the Aslan brothers was no exception. Fresh aubergines that leave you craving for more... With the right ingredients you can have them on the table in no time at all (and of course we leave creating the right atmosphere all up to you).

50 min.

6 p.

mild

Time to get started

Cut a small slice off the top of the aubergines but leave the stems in place. Cut a strip of 1¼ cm lengthwise of the skin and leave 1¼ cm of the skin on.
Put the aubergines in cold water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 30 minutes to remove any bitterness of the flesh. Drain them and pat them dry (squeeze out any bitter juice by using your hands. In the meantime, preheat the oven.
Do you have an airfryer by any chance? Place the aubergines coated with some oil in the airfryer for 10 minutes at 200 °C. No air fryer? You can also pan-fry them in a little bit of sunflower oil. Fry 2 to 3 aubergine slices at a time until golden brown. Turn them regularly. Drain them on kitchen paper.
For the filling: fry the onion and garlic in another pan with 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil. Fry and loosen the minced meat (approx. 10 min.) until it is no longer pink.
Add the tomato puree, 1 finely chopped tomato, allspice, salt and pepper. Mix in all ingredients and leave to simmer until the liquid is fully absorbed. Finally, add some freshly chopped parsley to taste.
Place the aubergines side by side in a shallow baking dish. Using a sharp, pointed knife, score the aubergines lengthwise and push down the meat with a small spoon to create a cavity. Use the meat to fill the cavities of the aubergines and place a slice of tomato on top.
Pour a tablespoon of tomato juice over each aubergine and pour whatever is left into the oven dish - cover it with aluminium foil. Place the dish in the oven at 180 ˚C for 30-40 minutes until the aubergines are cooked. Now that is good food!
Suggestion: this dish is delicious with different kinds of rice pilafs and also with Turkish bread.
Suggestion: the vegetarian version of this dish is called Imam Bayildi (literally: the Imam has fallen over). Use a fried large onion cut into rings instead of the minced meat. Also add a sivri pepper, a red pepper, a tomato and especially a few cloves of garlic and ± 50 g of parsley for the filling!

Your shopping list

6 long thin medium-sized aubergines
salt
Miras sunflower oil
1 onion
400 g minced beef or lamb
1 tbsp Miras tomato puree
2 large tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic pressed
1 tsp Miras ground cinnamon
½ tsp Miras ground allspice
Miras black pepper
2½ dl tomato juice (or make your own: bring 1 large tablespoon of tomato puree to the boil, dilute with water and add a pinch of salt)
fresh parsley