Karnıyarık: Turkish-style stuffed aubergines recipe
A true celebration of Turkey’s bountiful fresh produce, karnıyarık is a dish that makes a real star of aubergine, which cookbook author Özlem Warren describes as “the jewel in the crown of Turkish cuisine”.
In this recipe, extracted from her award-winning debut cookbook Özlem’s Turkish Table: Recipes from My Homeland, aubergines (or eggplants) are split and stuffed with a herby, garlicky, tomato-based minced meat mix, before being baked until the aubergines are soft and creamy and the filling fragrant. Served with rice and a dollop of cooling yogurt, it makes for a wonderfully tasty, low-effort meal.
This theme continues throughout the book, with Özlem offering a delicious tribute to the culture and historical riches of her country’s cuisine, exploring local dishes from her beloved hometown and family recipes passed down through the generations in a warm, reassuring style.
Özlem’s family home in Antakya, the capital of Turkey’s Hatay Province, was destroyed by the catastrophic earthquake that hit the country in early 2023. Following the natural disaster, she launched a fundraising campaign to help the relief effort, donating all the proceeds from signed copies of her book to the Turkish Mozaik Foundation throughout February. Since then, she has pledged that 25% of all cookbook profits will continue to be donated to Turkey’s earthquake relief funds.
Things to note:
Long, slim aubergines work best for this recipe, as they’re easiest to fill.
If you want to get ahead, could cook the minced meat mix in advance and simply assemble and bake when needed.
For a little extra, top with slices of tomato and/or green pepper before baking (at the end of step 6).
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select ‘Cups’.
Ingredients
- 3 medium, dark purple aubergines
- 340 g lean lamb or beef mince
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp Turkish red pepper flakes or chilli flakes
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 240 ml water
- 60 ml rapeseed oil, for shallow frying
Details
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Recipe Type: Minced meat
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 25 mins
- Cooking Time: 65 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Cut the aubergines (eggplants) in half lengthways, leaving the stalks intact. Make a deep split down the middle of each aubergine (eggplant) half, without cutting through to the skin on the opposite side and leaving about 13 mm (0.5 in) uncut at both ends. Sprinkle salt over the flesh side of the aubergines (eggplants) and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a heavy-based frying pan and sauté the onion over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened
- Add the lamb or beef mince (ground lamb or beef) and cook until all the moisture has been absorbed. Stir in the garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée (paste) and red pepper or chilli (chili) flakes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
- Continue cooking for a couple of minutes more, until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat off and stir in most of the chopped parsley. Seasoning is key at this stage, so taste and adjust accordingly.
- Dry the aubergines (eggplants) thoroughly with kitchen roll. Pour the rapeseed (canola) oil into a wide, heavy-based pan set over a medium-high heat. Once you can feel a strong heat rising from the pan, add the aubergines (eggplants) and fry until lightly browned on both sides.
- Transfer to a baking dish, with the cut sides facing up. Spoon the filling into the aubergine (eggplant) halves.
- Mix the water with the remaining olive oil. Pour this mixture into the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the aubergines (eggplants) are tender and nicely browned on top.
- Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve hot with rice and a dollop of plain yogurt on the side.
Recipe adapted from Özlem’s Turkish Table: Recipes from My Homeland by Özlem Warren. (GB Publishing). Photography: Sian Irvine.
Özlem’s Turkish Table: Recipes from My Homeland by Özlem Warren
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