Karnıyarık

Where This Goes Wrong

Stripes, not full peeling.

Salt for twenty minutes so they drink less oil.

Split without cutting through, or the filling escapes.

Making Karnıyarık

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1. Peel the aubergines in stripes, leaving alternating bands of skin.

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2. Rub them with the drawing salt and leave 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

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3. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a wide pan and fry the aubergines whole for 8 minutes, turning, until browned all over and softening. Lift into a baking dish.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

4. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F.

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5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the lamb for 6 minutes, until browned.

   Mark done Start 6 min timer

6. Add the onions and cook 6 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 1 min timer

7. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, half the tomato purée, the cumin, pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes.

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8. Stir in the parsley and take off the heat.

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9. Split each aubergine down the middle without cutting through, press the sides open and pack the filling in.

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10. Lay a tomato slice and a green pepper on each, whisk the remaining purée into the hot water and pour it round, then bake 35 minutes.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What's Going On Here

Peel the aubergines in stripes rather than fully or not at all. Left whole-skinned they are tough to cut on the plate; peeled completely they collapse in the pan. Alternating stripes hold the shape together while letting the flesh soften. Salt them for twenty minutes first — it draws water out so they absorb far less oil in the frying.

After You've Cooked It

Keeps 3 days refrigerated and is good at room temperature.

If You're Missing Something

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Good With

• Turkish pilav
• Cacık
• Flatbread

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Turkish Pilav.

Questions and Answers

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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