The trouble with karnıyarık is always the oil. Aubergine behaves like a sponge; whatever is in the pan, it takes it up. Half an hour in salted water fills the cells with water and leaves no room for oil. You can do the same job by roasting them in the oven, though the flavour is not quite what the pan gives.
Ingredients
For the aubergines
For the filling
For the top and the sauce
Method
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Prepare the aubergines
Peel the aubergines in stripes. Leave them in salted water for 30 minutes, then dry them.
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Fry
Turn them in hot oil until browned all over, then transfer to kitchen paper.
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Cook the filling
In a separate pan, fry the onion for 5 minutes, add the mince and cook until it takes its liquid back up. Add the garlic, pepper, tomato and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in the salt, pepper and parsley.
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Fill them
Lay the aubergines in a tray, split them lengthways down the middle and open them out. Spoon in the filling.
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Top them
Put a slice of tomato and a long green pepper on each aubergine.
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Pour over the sauce
Dissolve the tomato paste in hot water and pour it in from the side of the tray. Do not pour it over the aubergines; let it run underneath.
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Bake
Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 35 minutes. The tops should colour lightly and the sauce should thicken.
Tips
- Do not skip the salted water; the aubergine takes up twice the oil and the dish turns heavy.
- Peeling in stripes is not only for looks: a fully peeled aubergine falls apart as it cooks.
- Pour the sauce from the side rather than over the aubergine, or the filling sits in liquid and breaks up.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.