What is Imam Bayildi
Imam bayildi is a Turkish dish with eggplants, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and parsley. In most imam bayildi recipes, the eggplants are stuffed with the remaining ingredients and then simmered with olive oil.
History of (the name) Imam Bayildi
Stories relating to this dish vary. Imam Bayildi literally means “swooning imam.” Below are a few of the stories about the origin of the dish, or let us say the origin of the name of the dish:
- The Turkish Imam fainted with pleasure when served this dish by his wife;
- The Imam fainted when he was told by his wife of the cost of ingredients especially the amount of olive oil in the dish; (hint: take it from here – the secret why this dish is so delicious)
- The Imam married a lady whose dowry was 12 bottles of olive oil, but which she all used up by the 12th day of cooking the dish daily causing the Imam to faint.
There are more accounts and most of them are humorous; this makes cooking this dish with a smile compared with the many traditional recipes from Turkey.
Ingredients of Imam Bayildi
This recipe needs between 5-7 ingredients including olive oil:
Eggplants
Eggplants are the main ingredient for Imam biyaldi. You can use any eggplant type in this dish, even the bitter type. There are ways to get rid of the bitterness, as follows:
- Cut and salt the eggplants and leave them for about 30 minutes, then wash them with water and drain. YOu can also pat them dry with paper towels.
- Soak them in water, drain, or pat dry with a paper towel.
- Soak in salted water, wash and drain, or pat dry with paper towels.
Draining and drying the eggplants with paper towels helps ensure they do not take in a lot of cooking oil when frying, apart from discoloration due oxidation. You will find additional information on eggplants below; under “How to Cook Imam Bayildi.”
Garlic
Garlic provides aroma and a distinct touch of taste to the dish. However, this ingredient is optional. If you, or any member of your family, or friends do not fancy garlic, Imam bayildi can still be enjoyed without the use of those garlic cloves.
Onions
Sliced onions, apart from their taste, make the dish look good, especially with the alternating effect of colors with tomatoes. Slice the onions a bit roughly as they tend to limp when in the casserole.
Tomatoes
This gives the dish a little sauce as the tomatoes drain onto the eggplants. It also complements the onions in creating a to-die-for oomph. I suggest you get medium-ripe tomatoes.
Fresh Parsley
I add parsley midway in cooking imam bayildi; then sprinkle with minced parsley again onto the cooked dish.
Olive oil
Olive oil is the reason the imam fainted? Who would he not, though? If you opt for extra-virgin olive oil for this dish, expect some swooning from your guests because of this delicious dish.
Salt, black pepper, and a pinch of sugar
To enhance the taste of the dish.
This is an easy recipe. What takes time is the prepping. When all the ingredients are ready, you can use your creativity in placing them onto the baking dish before putting them in the oven. Set the timer; when you hear the nagging sound of the oven, turn it off, take the dish out, and leave it until eating time. No other attention is necessary.
Choose the eggplants
Simply said, choose good, fresh eggplants whose skin is devoid of rough or tender spots. but what about different types of eggplants? I am not going to go into further details, but if you are interested, here is an informative post from Allrecipes about varieties of eggplants. My opinion from experience: long slim eggplants are mostly sweet, and as much as I have a leaning to recommend using this for imam bayildi, the round robust ones, which are usually bitter, can be treated further to get rid of the bitter taste.
Prepping Imam Bayildi
Skin the eggplants in alternate lines or simply keep the skin on. Cut the eggplants crosswise into your desired length (I prefer about 3 inches). Cut into half, lengthwise, and make a slit in each. Leave in salted water for about half an hour, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Eggplants kind of take the longest to prepare. The rest of the ingredients should be easy.
Slice onions roughly. Slice the tomatoes similarly.
Mince parsley (or other fresh herbs, such as coriander) and divide them – those for mixing with the tomato mixture during the cooking process and for sprinkling at serving time.
Fry or grill eggplants until half done.
Sautee garlic (if using), onions, tomatoes, and parsley for a few minutes over medium heat.
Line an oven dish with pre-cooked eggplants. Insert tomato mixture on the slits of eggplants, and scatter the rest of the mixture (if you have extra) on top.
Sprinkle with salt, black pepper and sugar, then squeeze a lemon on top of the dish.
Cover and bake in preheated oven (350F) for 20-30 minutes.
How to serve Imam Bayildi
- Imam Bayildi is eaten hot or cold, as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to main dish.
- With salad. Green salad with vinaigrette is the best choice!
- As a main dish with pita bread or rice.
- As a side dish with fish or chicken and your choice of staple carb.
Storing/Keeping leftovers
Cover the same baking dish with cling film, and keep refrigerated for a day or two. This is one of my favorite dish, so I usually cook more and still want them the following day .
Cooking tips:
- Extra virgin olive oil or any finest olive oil would be the best choice for this recipe. It gives the eggplants the extra touch in texture and taste.
- Choose good tomatoes. Over-ripe tomatoes will make your imam bayildi watery. If your tomatoes are overripe, deseed them.
- White or yellow onion are good choices over red onion which tends to add an extra spice to the dish. You would want to achieve and highlight the competing sweet and sour tastes of imam bayildi.
- Adding green peppers to the mixture of onion and tomatoes is a welcome idea. Ditto with a tablespoon of tomato sauce.
- You can sprinkle them with broken feta cheese at serving time. They add character and oomph.
Imam Biyaldi Recipe (Swooning Imam)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: appetizer
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Description
Imam Bayildi Recipe – a delicious Turkish vegetarian dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Perfect for a flavorful and healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggplants
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 medium-sized onions (sliced)
- 2 medium-sized fresh tomatoes (sliced)
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley (or coriander)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp olive
- vegetable oil for frying eggplants
Instructions
- Skin eggplants in stripes. Cut cut them crosswise into 3” pieces and cut again sideways. Make a slit in the middle and put them in salted water for 30 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels.
- Brush with olive oil and fry until half-done. Arrange them in a baking pan slit up.
- Using the same frying pan, sauté garlic, onions, tomatoes, and minced parsley for 3-5 minutes.
- Spoon the vegetable mixture into eggplants, inserting some in the slits.
- Season with salt, black pepper, sugar, and juice of one lemon.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350˚F. Leave to cool in room temperature.
