Name: Turkish aubergine in tomato sauce (Imam bayildi)
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 1½ teaspoons sugar; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 4–5 tomatoes, about 400 g (14 oz), diced; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon salt; a pinch of freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup (125 ml) hot water (from a kettle); ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil, for pan-frying, plus extra if needed; chopped parsley, to garnish (optional); salt, for salting the aubergines; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1½ teaspoons tomato paste (concentrated purée); 4 tablespoons olive oil; 3 onions, sliced; 6 thin aubergines, or 3 large round ones

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Pomegranates & Artichokes

By Saghar Setareh

Published 2023

About

This classic Turkish dish has its roots in legend. Quite a few theories circulate around its name, which literally translates to ‘Imam fainted’. Some say the fried aubergine with the tomato sauce and onion filling was so ridiculously good that the Imam fainted. A counter argument to this theory is that the Ottoman cuisine of the time was so lavish with meat, eggs, dairy, animal fats, nuts and dried fruit, that this relatively simple dish could hardly qualify to make an Imam — who would be u