Imambayldi: Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

David Tsirekas, Executive Chef at The Civic Hotel Sydney shares one of his gorgeous vegetarian stuffed eggplant recipes with us.

INGREDIENTS
3 large eggplants, quartered lengthwise
60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
plain flour, to dust
vegetable oil, to deep-fry
natural yoghurt to serve

Tomato filling
8 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup coriander leaves
¼ cup firmly packed dill leaves, chopped

METHOD
1 To make the tomato filling, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2 Place eggplants in a large bowl with flour and toss to combine.
3 Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 170°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds). Working in batches of 6, gently drop eggplant into the oil and fry, turning halfway, for 4 minutes or until golden and slightly softened.
4 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Allow to cool.
5 Preheat oven to 210°C. Turn eggplant pieces skin-side up and press lightly to flatten slightly. Using a small, sharp knife, make an incision lengthwise down the centre of the eggplant, about three-quarters of the way through to open it up. Place eggplant on a greased oven tray and spoon some filling down the centre of each.
6 Drizzle with oil and cook for 20 minutes or until eggplant is softened.
7 Serve drizzled with yoghurt and topped with shredded spring onion.