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Dried eggplant dolma recipe (kuru patlican dolmasi)

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  • Cuisine: Turkish
  • Serves 6

Dried eggplant dolma is a specialty of Somer’s mother. Traditionally, small long eggplants are cut in half, hollowed out, then put on strings and dried out in the sun. In the rural areas, it is not possible to find eggplant in winter, so this is a great way of preserving them.

Ingredients

25 (about 1 pack) dried eggplants*
2 tbsp sunflower oil
185ml (¾ cup) olive oil
80g (½ cup) pine nuts
3 large onions, finely chopped
200g (1 cup) short-grain rice
2 tsp dolma bahari*
½ tsp caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup dill leaves, chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
30g (¼ cup) dried cranberries (craisins)
1 small tomato, chopped
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Preparation

Soak eggplants in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain, then remove stems. Set aside.

While eggplants are soaking, heat sunflower oil and 60ml olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook for 1 minute or until golden. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes or until softened. Stir in rice and cook for a further 3 minutes or until transparent. Add dolma bahari, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper, and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add 250ml warm water, bring to the boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is just cooked. Remove from heat, stir in dill, mint, parsley and cranberries, cover and set aside to cool to room temperature. Season.

Spoon rice mixture into eggplants. Stand eggplants, filled-ends facing up, in a single layer in a pan. Add remaining 125ml olive oil and 250ml water, and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes or until eggplants are soft.

Remove from heat and stand for 5 minutes. Serve with chopped tomato spooned over.

* Dried eggplants and dolma bahari are from Turkish food shops. Dolma bahari is a spice mix made specifically for dolma dishes. Substitute 1 tsp sweet paprika and 1 tsp allspice.

DRINK Sari Zeybek Raki ($24)

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 8, pg94.

Photography by Alan Benson.

If you enjoyed this Dried eggplant dolma recipe (kuru patlican dolmasi) then browse more Turkish recipes, vegetarian recipes, vegetarian recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.

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