Turkish-style eggplant
So, the ingredients are simple. The base is eggplant and ground beef. To make the ground beef more flavorful and juicy, it's complemented with tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs.
Wash the eggplants. There's no need to peel them like I did. I thought it just made the dish look prettier. Soak the eggplants in lightly salted water for 20 minutes.
While the eggplants are releasing their bitterness into the water, let's get to the ground meat. Place diced onion, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, bell pepper, and chili pepper into the frying pan.
Add ground beef and tomato paste. Season with salt and your favorite spices. I used cumin and sweet paprika.
Add vegetable oil and simmer-fry everything in a frying pan for about 5 minutes.
Remove the eggplants from the water and dry them with a towel. Fry them whole in a frying pan (I use a grill) in vegetable oil until golden brown.
We "rip" them open and form "pockets".
Fill with prepared minced meat.
Place a slice of tomato and a strip of chili pepper on each eggplant. Place the eggplants in a baking dish and add 2 cups of water (broth or tomato juice). Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil 10 minutes before the end of baking.
Turkish eggplant with ground beef is ready. Enjoy!
