Repeatable menu... Karnıyarık (Turkish stuffed eggplant)

One from many traditional Turkish meal. Served in almost every family dinner table and also one of repeatable menu. Eggplant with minced meat stuffing, spice with some seasoning topping with green banana pepper then wet roasted in oven.

Some variation, we can roasted them in tomato sauce gravy to get rich flavor. Serve them warm sprinkle with some parsley or coriander.

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs medium size eggplant, peeled in stripes lengthwise
• 200 gr ground meat
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 onions, small cubed
• 1/2 bunch (about 25 stalks) parsley, finely chopped the leaves
• 1 big tomato, small diced 
• salt to taste
• 2 tbs olive oil 
• Enough frying oil for deep fry
• olive oil for sauteing
• about 1 cup hot water (or you can add tomato pasta in it)

For topping:

• 1 tomato, slice crescent shape 
• green banana peppers, as many as eggplants
• parsley or coriander leaves for serving

How to Cook:

1. Peel eggplants leaving lengthwise stripes and then put them in salty water for 10 minutes. Dry them well and fry them as a whole in a deep pot corn or vegetable oil. (Make sure oil is really hot before you place eggplants, otherwise eggplants will soak many of oil)
2. Soak the excessive oil by resting them on a paper towel, and then place eggplants on an heat proof dish.
3. Heat enough olive oil. Add ground meat. Cook until ground meat soaks all the juice out Add onions and garlic, stir for about 4 or 5 minutes.
4. Add diced tomato. Stir until cooked. add salt Turn fire off. Add chopped parsley, Mix well.
5. Slit eggplants into two (you can do it by help of two spoons). But leave the tops and bottoms attached. Stuff eggplants with filling mixture.
6. Place a slice of half moon shaped tomato and a green pepper on top of each stuffed eggplant. Then pour 1 cup of hot water on baking  dish and bake them in preheated oven at 160 C until green peppers are nicely baked.

Serve warm with sprinkle of parsley. Afiyet Olsun (^,^)