Karnıyarık — Stuffed Aubergines with Minced Lamb or Beef

Split aubergines filled with spiced lamb or beef, onion and tomato, baked until soft and rich.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 medium aubergines
  • Sunflower oil, for frying
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 300g lamb or beef mince
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Turkish tomato paste (domates salçası) or tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 long green peppers, halved
  • 1 tomato, cut into 8 slices
  • 250ml hot water

Method

  1. Peel the aubergines in alternating stripes and soak in salted water for 15 minutes. Drain, pat dry and fry in 2cm of hot sunflower oil, turning, for 6 to 8 minutes until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for 6 minutes. Add the mince and cook for 8 minutes until browned, breaking up lumps. Stir in the garlic, chopped tomatoes, half the tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Place the aubergines in a baking dish and slit each lengthways, pressing the flesh apart to make a pocket.

  4. Fill each pocket with the mince mixture and top with two tomato slices and a pepper half.

  5. Whisk the remaining tomato paste into the hot water and pour around the aubergines. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until tender. Serve with rice.