INGREDIENTS

• 6 eggplants (about 900 g)
• 2 medium red onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 5-6 sprigs of parsley
• 1 sweet green pepper
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste
• 4 tbsp. l. olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

STEP-BY-STEP COOKING RECIPE
Step 1
Preheat oven to 220 ° C. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and brush with olive oil.
Step 2
Prepare eggplants for baking and stuffing
Using a peeler, cut off some of the eggplant skin to create wide strips. Slice the eggplants lengthwise, but do not slice them all the way through. Salt the eggplants inside and out, then put them in a colander and let sit for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Bake the eggplant in the oven
Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 4
Prepare Imam Bayaldi Stuffed Eggplant Filling Ingredients
Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely. Chop the parsley. Remove seeds and partitions from bell peppers, cut into cubes. Cut the tomatoes crosswise and place in a bowl, cover with boiling water for 2 minutes, then pour over with cold water. Remove the skin, finely chop the pulp.
Step 5
Fry the eggplant stuffing in a skillet
Heat 2 tablespoons in a skillet. l. olive oil and sauté the onion until soft. Add pepper and garlic and continue to fry for another 7-10 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, cumin and parsley. Add sugar if needed. Simmer for 5 minutes. and remove from heat.
Step 6
Bake Imam Bayaldi’s stuffed eggplant in the oven
Reduce the oven temperature to 180 ° C. Place the eggplant in a baking dish and fill with the tomato mixture. Drizzle with olive oil, add 2 tbsp. l. water into a mold and bake for 40–45 minutes.
Step 7
By the end of cooking, the eggplants should be nearly flat and the liquid in the mold should have almost evaporated. Serve the eggplants warm or completely cooled.