İmam Bayıldı

Silky baked eggplants are split and filled with a sweet-savory mixture of slow-cooked onions, tomato, garlic, and parsley. The result is tender, fragrant, and richly infused with olive oil, with a delicate balance of sweetness and acidity.

Nutrition · per serving

493kcal

6.5gProtein

28.8gCarbs

41.5gFat

10.3gFiber

2 servings

Ingredients

15 items

For the eggplants

small eggplants2 (about 600 g total)

fine salt1 tsp

olive oil60 ml

For the filling

olive oil30 ml

onions300 g, thinly sliced

garlic cloves4, thinly sliced

ripe tomatoes250 g, peeled and diced

tomato paste15 g

sugar1 tsp

fine salt1/2 tsp

black pepper1/4 tsp

flat-leaf parsley15 g, finely chopped

For baking and serving

hot water120 ml

olive oil15 ml

flat-leaf parsley5 g, chopped

Tips

•Choose small, firm eggplants so they cook through within the 60-minute target and hold their shape well.
•If your tomatoes are very juicy, cook the filling a minute or two longer so it stays rich and concentrated.
•İmam Bayıldı is traditionally generous with olive oil; this version is still authentic in character but slightly lighter for everyday cooking.
•The dish often tastes even better after cooling to room temperature, when the eggplants absorb more of the fragrant oil and tomato juices.

Steps

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel the eggplants in alternating lengthwise stripes for the classic look, leaving bands of skin intact. Cut a deep slit down the length of each eggplant without cutting all the way through. Sprinkle with the salt and leave for 10 minutes to draw out a little bitterness and help them soften faster.
2 (about 600 g total) small eggplants1 tsp fine salt
2
Pat the eggplants dry. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat and cook the eggplants for 6-8 minutes, turning carefully, until lightly golden and beginning to soften on all sides. They should not be fully cooked yet. Transfer to a baking dish slit-side up.
60 ml olive oil2 (about 600 g total) small eggplants
3
In the same pan, add the olive oil for the filling and the onions. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and sweet but not deeply browned. Properly softened onions are the heart of the dish, so do not rush this stage.
30 ml olive oil300 g, thinly sliced onions
4
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes jammy rather than watery.
4, thinly sliced garlic cloves250 g, peeled and diced ripe tomatoes15 g tomato paste1 tsp sugar1/2 tsp fine salt1/4 tsp black pepper
5
Turn off the heat and fold in the parsley. Open the slits in the eggplants gently with a spoon and divide the onion-tomato filling between them, pressing it into the cavities and mounding any extra on top.
15 g, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley2 (about 600 g total) small eggplants
6
Pour the hot water around the eggplants in the baking dish and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the eggplants are completely tender and a knife slides in easily.
120 ml hot water15 ml olive oil
7
Let the dish rest for 5 minutes so the juices settle. Spoon some of the pan juices over the eggplants, scatter with the remaining parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature with bread or rice.
5 g, chopped flat-leaf parsley

Origin & History

İmam Bayıldı is a classic Ottoman-era zeytinyağlı, a category of vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil and often served at room temperature. Its name means 'the imam fainted,' with legends claiming he swooned either from the dish's deliciousness or from the lavish amount of olive oil used to make it.

turkish vegan eggplant baked olive-oil mezze tomato

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Steps

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel the eggplants in alternating lengthwise stripes for the classic look, leaving bands of skin intact. Cut a deep slit down the length of each eggplant without cutting all the way through. Sprinkle with the salt and leave for 10 minutes to draw out a little bitterness and help them soften faster.

2 (about 600 g total) small eggplants1 tsp fine salt

Pat the eggplants dry. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat and cook the eggplants for 6-8 minutes, turning carefully, until lightly golden and beginning to soften on all sides. They should not be fully cooked yet. Transfer to a baking dish slit-side up.

60 ml olive oil2 (about 600 g total) small eggplants

In the same pan, add the olive oil for the filling and the onions. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and sweet but not deeply browned. Properly softened onions are the heart of the dish, so do not rush this stage.

30 ml olive oil300 g, thinly sliced onions

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes jammy rather than watery.

4, thinly sliced garlic cloves250 g, peeled and diced ripe tomatoes15 g tomato paste1 tsp sugar1/2 tsp fine salt1/4 tsp black pepper

Turn off the heat and fold in the parsley. Open the slits in the eggplants gently with a spoon and divide the onion-tomato filling between them, pressing it into the cavities and mounding any extra on top.

15 g, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley2 (about 600 g total) small eggplants

Pour the hot water around the eggplants in the baking dish and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the eggplants are completely tender and a knife slides in easily.

120 ml hot water15 ml olive oil

Let the dish rest for 5 minutes so the juices settle. Spoon some of the pan juices over the eggplants, scatter with the remaining parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature with bread or rice.

5 g, chopped flat-leaf parsley

Origin & History