Karniyarik, Turkish Stuffed Eggplant in other words, is one of the most popular and traditional dishes in Turkish cuisine. Combination of eggplant and ground meat is quite popular in the region. Prepared with fresh summer vegetables, this dish can be your next meal to prepare for serving during an occasion, or family dinner.
Ingredients
Karniyarik is made with summer vegetables such as, eggplant, green peppers, onion, parsley, and fresh tomatoes, and ground meat. To give more flavor, garlic, salt, and black pepper is used.
Eggplant: Eggplant can be considered the most popular summer vegetable in the world. If it is cooked properly, this vegetable tastes so good, and goes very well with red meat.
Ground Meat: Ground meat is used to stuff eggplants in karniyarik recipe. To give it more flavor, onion, green peppers, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper is used.
How to Make Karniyarik?
Preparing this delicious dish can be quite long and tiring, but we promise that it worths the result. So, do not be afraid to spend your valuable time. Just make your way to the kitchen, and start preparing the eggplants.
Prepare the Eggplants: Wash the eggplants and peel them into strips. Soak them in salty water to remove their bitterness. After around 15 minutes, pat the eggplants dry with a paper towel. Grab a large skillet and heat vegetable over high heat. Once the oil is hot, start frying the eggplants until golden brown. Place them in a baking dish to fill later.
Prepare the Filling: Finely chop the onion, garlic, green pepper, and parsley. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Sautee the onion, garlic and green pepper until they soften. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until browned. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the peeled and diced tomatoes, and keep cooking.
Combine the Karniyarik: Carefully open the slits on eggplants and stuff them with the filling. Place a slice of tomato and green pepper on top of each filled eggplant for garnish. Pour a little water or broth mixed with a bit of tomato paste into the baking dish to keep the dish moist during baking.
Bake the Karniyarik: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the stuffed eggplants for around 30 minutes, until fried on top.
Serve: Serve the Karniyarik, Turkish Stuffed Eggplant, with Turkish White Rice and a dollop of yogurt.
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggplants
- 2 medium green peppers, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 350 grams ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tesapoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup of vegetable oil (for frying eggplants)
- 1 cup of water
Instructions
- First, wash the eggplants and peel them in stripes. Soak them in salted water to remove their bitterness.
- In a large pan, heat vegetable oil for frying. After soaking the eggplants, drain and dry them well using a paper towel. Fry the eggplants in the hot oil, turning them occasionally until they are golden brown.
- Remove the fried eggplants from the oil and place them in another pot. Let them rest until they release their excess oil.
- Heat olive oil in another large pan and add the chopped onions. Sauté until they soften. Then, add the chopped peppers and continue to sauté.
- Add the ground beef, minced garlic, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper to the onion and pepper mixture. Cook until the meat is well-done.
- Add the peeled and diced tomatoes to the meat mixture and cook until the tomatoes are fully cooked.
- Make a lengthwise slit down the middle of each eggplant without cutting all the way through. This slit will be used to fill the eggplants later.
- Place the fried eggplants in a baking dish. Carefully open the slits and stuff them with the prepared filling.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Optionally, you can place a slice of tomato and green pepper on top of each filled eggplant for garnish.
- Pour a little water or broth into the baking dish to keep the dish moist during baking. Bake the karniyarik for about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve the karniyarik hot, typically with a side of Turkish White Rice and a dollop of yogurt.
Notes
- Salting Eggplants: Soaking the eggplants in salted water is crucial to remove any bitterness and to help them absorb less oil during frying.
- Frying: Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying the eggplants to achieve a golden, crispy exterior while keeping the inside soft. Drain the excess oil on paper towels.
- Filling Consistency: The filling should be well-cooked and not too watery. This ensures that it stays inside the eggplants without making them soggy.
- Oven Baking: Adding a bit of water or broth to the baking dish helps keep the dish moist.
- Serving: Karniyarik pairs well with rice or pilaf and yogurt. These sides balance the rich flavors of the dish.