Imam Bayildi – Turkish Aubergine (eggplant) and Tomato dip

Turkish memories

This was my favourite dish when I was waitressing at a restaurant in Istanbul.

I did not intend to waitress while I was living in Istanbul.  It just kind of came to me.  

I used to go to a particular restaurant around the corner from my room, in the evenings, to study my Turkish language texts and relax with a glass of wine.  It wasn’t long before the owner asked if I had any CDs as they were bored with their selection.  So then I used to study and be in charge of the CD player behind the bar for the few hours a night I was at the restaurant.

One night after I’d been going there for about a month, the restaurant was super-busy and understaffed.  The sole waiter was covering both floors of the restaurant and the bar and I could see he was running out of clean glasses for drinks and the dishwasher was full.  

So I went behind the bar, emptied out the clean glassware and put it away, re-filled the dishwasher and turned it on again.  I cleared some tables and ran orders downstairs to the kitchen for about an hour, while the waiter focussed on taking and delivering orders, then I went back to my books.

The next day the owner offered me a job for $10.00 USD a night.

The restaurant was just around the corner from the Four Seasons hotel and got a lot of well heeled American tourists as clientele.  He needed an experienced worker who also spoke good English as there were often mixups with the communication with Turkish-only speaking staff.  I agreed to work for a few weeks until he found a local person with the English skills he was looking for.  

I ended up working there for about three months.

My own prowess in Turkish didn’t stretch to the names for spices when the chefs explained to me how to make Imam Bayildi (lots of pointing and miming was involved) so I’m not sure if the recipe is exactly the same as theirs.  Goodness knows every Turkish recipe has a thousand different ways of making it!  But I’m always pretty happy with how this version turns out.

We enjoy this with toasted pita bread and a yoghurt and cucumber dip (known as cajic in Turkish).

Imam Bayildi – Turkish Aubergine (eggplant) and Tomato dip

Course: Lunch, Dinner, SnacksCuisine: Turkish

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

A classic Turkish aubergine and tomato dip, rich in antioxidants, folate, and vitamin K. This nourishing, plant-based dish supports hormone balance and reproductive health, perfect for a fertility-focused diet.

Ingredients

• Aubergine

• Coconut oil

• Onion

• Chilli powder

• Turmeric

• Cumin

• Tomatoes

• Sultanas

Directions

• Dice 2 large aubergines.
• Heat 2 spoonfuls of coconut oil in a large pan and fry the aubergine for about ten minutes over a medium high heat so it browns a little and gets soft.
• When it is quite soft but not slushy, tip into a colander to drain.
• Dice the onion and add to the pan.
• Saute until soft.
• Add half a teaspoon each of the spices and cook for a further minute.
• Return the aubergine to the pan with two large diced tomatoes and a handful of sultanas. I didn’t have any sultanas so used a few chopped up dates instead which added the required touch of sweetness and nicely disappeared into the mix.
• Stir in a Jamie Oliver sized splash of olive oil and simmer uncovered, on a low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Serve warm or cold with flatbread