Karnıyarık
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 05 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Country of Origin: Turkey
Description
Whole pan-fried eggplants split open and stuffed with a savory filling of ground lamb or beef, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and parsley, then baked.
Presentation & How It's Eaten
Served hot accompanied by Turkish white rice pilaf (sehriyeli pilav) and cold garlic yogurt (cacık).
Ingredients
4 medium eggplants (peeled in zebra stripes)
1/2 lb ground beef or lamb
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 Italian green peppers, chopped (plus 1 sliced for garnish)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Vegetable oil (for shallow frying)
Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes
Step-by-Step Directions
Fry Eggplants: Peel eggplants in zebra stripes. Shallow-fry whole eggplants in hot oil until tender and browned on all sides (10 mins). Drain on paper towels.
Cook Filling: Sauté chopped onion and green peppers in 2 tbsp oil. Add ground meat, browning thoroughly. Stir in garlic, diced tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato paste, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Split & Stuff: Place eggplants in a baking dish. Cut a slit lengthwise down center of each eggplant and mash inside gently with a fork to form a pocket. Fill pockets generously with meat mix.
Sauce & Bake: Mix remaining 1 tbsp tomato paste with 1 cup hot water and pour into bottom of dish. Top eggplants with sliced green peppers and tomato slices.
Bake: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25–30 minutes until soft and bubbly.
Optional
Pine Nuts: Add toasted pine nuts into meat filling.
Cooking Tips
Salt Bath: Soak peeled raw eggplants in salted water for 15 minutes before frying to remove bitterness and cut oil absorption.
Nutrition Facts
(Estimated per serving, based on 4 servings)
Calories: ~380 kcal
Total Fat: 22g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 520mg
Total Carbohydrates: 28g
Dietary Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 18g
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