Turkish Style Braised Eggplant

Eggplants are great for braised dishes. Braising gives them a great texture and a very intense flavor. In my “Turkish style braised eggplant”, the well-seasoned tomato sauce provides the delicious flavor. By braising them in the oven, the vegetables soak up the flavor. So delicious! Therefore, I advise you: cook the recipe necessarily after!

The important thing to remember when processing eggplant is to dehydrate it at the beginning. By dehydrating, the bitter substances are removed from the vegetable. Also, after processing, the eggplant will retain a more pleasant texture.

There are two ways to dehydrate the eggplant: Either you put the eggplant in salt water. Or, as I did in this recipe, you can sprinkle the cut surfaces of the eggplant with salt. Then let the salt soak for at least 15 minutes. Before you process the vegetables, remove the salt and pat the eggplant dry.

It is the tomato sauce that gives this recipe its Turkish style. The intense flavor of the sauce is provided by these ingredients: ground coriander, chili flakes, red wine, cumin, oregano and, of course, black cumin.

Benefits of black cumin

Black cumin offers many health benefits because the oils in black cumin contain antioxidants and other nutrients. The ingredients in the small seeds can help your body prevent various diseases. Black seed oil has even been used as a natural remedy for centuries.

One of the most important benefits of black seed oil is its anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation can lead to serious diseases in your body, these include arthritis, asthma and even cancer. For this reason, it is always wise to include antioxidants in your diet.

Black cumin has a very special, intense flavor. If you haven’t used it in dishes yet, be sure to give it a try!

Bulgur for the Braised Eggplant Turkish Style

I cooked bulgur as a side dish with the braised eggplant. Bulgur is made from shredded durum wheat, and it’s rich in fiber and minerals. The grain is also an excellent source of protein. Bulgur is a delicious and uncomplicated staple food that is easy to prepare. To prepare it, rinse the bulgur under cold water, then boil the bulgur with about the same amount of water and turn off the stove. Let it stand for about 20 minutes so that the bulgur can swell. At the end you fluff it up with a fork.

I garnished my meal with black cumin seeds. I also added some vegan plain yogurt.

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Turkish Style Braised Eggplant

Course: dinnerDifficulty: medium

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant

• 1 red Bell Pepper

• 3 red onions

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1 cup red wine

• 2 cup tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp oregano

• 1 tbsp black cumin seeds (nigella)

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• Side Dish

• 2 Cup Bulgur

• 1/2 Cup vegan yogurt

Directions

• Cut the eggplant in half, lengthwise and crosswise. This will create a diamond pattern. Salt the cut surfaces of the eggplant and let the salt soak in for at least 15 minutes.
• Mince the onions and garlic.
• Fry the onions and garlic in a little oil.
• Add cumin, chili flakes, coriander and fry everything briefly.
• Add paprika spice, tomato paste and pour everything with red wine and add maple syrup. Boil down the red wine.
• Add tomato sauce and season with oregano, black cumin and salt. Let the sauce simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the salt from the eggplants and dab off the water with a cloth.
• Slice the red bell bell pepper.
• Place the eggplant in an ovenproof dish and insert the bell pepper slices into the slits from the eggplant. Pour the sauce over everything.
• Bake the eggplant for about 45 minutes at 175ºC.
• Prepare the bulgur as a side dish. Wash the bulgur under cold water until the water runs clear. Then boil the bulgur with about the same amount of water, turn off the heat and let the bulgur swell (with the lid closed).
• I eat some vegan yogurt with the eggplant and bulgur.