Karniyarik

Turkish Stuffed Eggplant
Contributed by Ylvia Asal

Behind the Dish

Ylvia describes Karniyarik as an everyday, uniquely Turkish dish. Growing up in Giresun, in the Black Sea Region of northern Turkey, Ylvia remembers her mother and grandmother making this dish. Of the two, she says her mother was the best cook. Her secret? She loved eating!

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 eggplants – use the small size with no seeds, like an Italian eggplant – about 6 inches long by 2 - 3 inches wide

• Vegetable oil – about ¾ cup

• ¾ lb. ground beef

• ¼ cup onions, finely chopped

• ¼ cup garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 green pepper

• 1 can tomato paste, for making tomato sauce

• Sprigs of parsley, for garnish

• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Prepare the eggplant:

1. Trim the leafy parts of the stems from each eggplant.

2. Peel strips from the skin of the eggplants so that they resemble a zebra pattern.

3. Cut a slit in the middle of the eggplants without cutting all the way through.

4. Fill a large bowl with water and add 1 teaspoon salt to it. Place the eggplants in saltwater for 30 minutes to get rid of their bitterness. This also helps the eggplants absorb less oil when frying them.

5. After 30 minutes, gently squeeze the eggplants and then dry them with a paper towel.

6. Heat vegetable oil in a pan and fry the eggplants on all sides until cooked and brown. The eggplants will be soft. Place the fried eggplants on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

 Prepare the ground beef filling:

1. While the eggplants are soaking in saltwater, make the filling by sauteing the finely chopped onions in olive oil.

2. Add garlic to the onions and sauté until golden brown.

3. Mix in ground beef and brown it completely.

4. Add the chopped green pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Assembly:

1. Put the eggplants in a baking dish. Open them up along the slit that you created earlier and fill them with the ground beef mixture.

2. Make the sauce by mixing tomato paste and hot water. Spoon it over the stuffed eggplants and pour excess sauce into the dish so that this sauce covers the bottom of the dish.

3. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the eggplants are fully cooked and soft.

4. Remove from oven and garnish with a strip of green pepper and parsley.

How to Serve
Karniyarik is a complete meal on its own, although it also goes well with white rice pilaf. It is commonly served with a bowl of cold Cacik (Tzatziki, or yogurt with cucumbers and herbs).

NOTE: Imam Bayildi “the Iman fainted,” is the vegetarian version of Karniyarik. The story goes that this dish was so delicious that the imam who first ate it fainted out of pure pleasure. For the filling, onions are substituted for the meat, with added garlic and tomatoes, salt and pepper. This mixture is then simmered in olive oil.