Imam Bayildi

A Turkish dish of eggplant and tomato seasoned with allspice and currents.
(Satiated or fainting Sultan)

The story behind the name of the dish is that the first Imam to try it was so impressed by the flavor that he fainted! So the dish is called ‘the imam fainted’ in Turkish.

When you want to take a fancy dish to a vegetarian potluck, this is a great dish to make. It’s vegan, it’s not hard to make, and it can be served hot over rice or noodles or served at room temperature as an appetizer with bread or crackers. It does take 2 hours to cook down, which means you can make it a day ahead.

Myra served it hot over fettucine or brown rice with sliced tomatoes on the side. I took it to a Thanksgiving potluck as an appetizer, and James made bread to go with it. It was a big hit!

I looked at several recipes online, because Myra’s recipe started out “fill a large metal bowl with eggplant cubes” and I needed to know how many eggplants to use. Two medium eggplants make about 8 cups of cubed eggplant and that’s just right for this size of the recipe. I also realized that mom’s version is very unique and delicious. Enjoy.

Imam Bayildi

A Turkish dish of eggplant and tomato seasoned with allspice and currents.

(Satiated or fainting Sultan)

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Entrees and Favorite Rice Combinations

Cuisine Turkish

Servings 8 full servings

Equipment

• 1 large stew pot (6 quarts)
• 1 knife and cutting board
• 1 large bowl for soaking 8 cups of eggplant
• 1 colander to drain eggplant
• 1 big spoon

Ingredients

  

• 2 medium eggplants (8 cups, cubed)
• 2 TBLS salt
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup currents or raisins
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teas. black pepper
• 1 TBLS ground allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or tomato juice I rinsed out the tomato can and used that
• a handful of parsley or mint to sprinkle over the top (optional)

Instructions

 

• Cut the unpeeled eggplant into cubes about 1 inch square. You should have around 8 cups from 2 medium sized eggplants. Dump them in a large bowl, sprinkle with 2 TBLS of salt and cover with water. The eggplant will float, so weigh it down with a large plate or lid.

  Let it stand for at least 15 minutes while you:
• Sauté the garlic and onion on medium in 1/4 cup of olive oil until clear. (About 15 minutes).
• Add the tomatoes, currants or raisins, soy sauce, spices and lemon juice to the pot. Bring to a boil.
• Rinse the eggplant in a colander and add to the pot when the sauce boils.

  Cover and cook at a slow simmer for 2 hours. Stir it every 15 minutes or so. Add more water or tomato juice if it gets too thick and starts to stick.

  Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley or mint. (optional)

Notes

I left the lid on for the first hour, and tilted the lid for the second hour, to cook down some of the liquid. It didn’t start to stick until right at 2 hours. 

Myra served this over brown rice or fettucine noodles, with sliced tomatoes on the side. 

It can also be served as an appetizer at room temperature, with bread or crackers.

Keyword Allspice, currants, Eggplant, onion, tomatoes