Bulgur tahılı - Bulgur wheat​

Recipe: Eggplant rolls with two variations. Patlıcan Sarma

Eggplant is one of the best and most versatile fruits (yes!), it’s used widely in Turkish food as well as across Asia and the middle east, from baba ghanoush to baingan bharta and fish flavoured sichuan eggplant, it’s a perfect vehicle for flavours and can be grilled, fried, steamed, boiled roasted.. anything. Actually not raw… but anything else.

In this recipe the eggplant is fried and roasted which makes it soft and sweet and still juicy.

Tony’s sarma tip!

This is fun to make with friends: one on eggplant duty, one on sauce and one on filling.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants
• Olive oil for frying
• Toothpicks

Filling option #1 Potato filling

• Butter
• 1 medium onion
• biber salcasi
• 1 zucchini
• 1 large carrot
• 2 medium potatoes

Filling option #2 Bulgur filling

• Butter
• 1 medium onion
• biber salcasi
• 1 cup of uncooked bulgur

For the tomato sauce:

• Butter
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• optional spoonful of biber salcasi
• 1 can of tomatoes or 4 large over ripe tomatoes diced
• 1 tablespoon of dried mint (Turkish if you can get it)
• 4 tablespoons of fresh basil torn or cut up

Slice the eggplant about 2mm thick and soak in salty water until the water will goes brown, about 20 mins, then pat them dry.

Shallow-fry the eggplant.

Eggplant frying tips:

Fry in olive oil.

When you fry slices of eggplant for this dish you want the heat to be medium to strong, and already hot before you put the eggplant in otherwise it will soak up too much oil.

If you cook it at too strong a heat it will burn and crisp up the eggplant so it will be hard to roll. So please ensure you have the perfect temperature! Don’t stress though lol.

If it goes papery and dark it is overcooked and you’ll just have to eat that one, sprinkle with a little salt first :). If the oil isn’t warm enough it will soak up too much oil, but… you can pat the extra off with a paper towel. If it rips or gets a hole, you’re rolling it up so it will be cover itself up.

Leave the eggplant aside to cool.

Filling option #1

Get working on the Turkish sofrito – melt butter in a saucepan, add diced onions and sauté. When the onions are translucent add a large spoonful of biber salcasi and mix around until it’s coated and the aroma is released – then add in the grated potato, zucchini and carrot and sauté until cooked through. Let this mixture cool.

Filling option #2

Same Turkish sofrito – melt butter in a saucepan, add diced onions and sauté. When the onions are translucent add a large spoonful of biber salcasi and mix around until it’s coated and the aroma is released – then add in the bulgur and stir until it’s evenly red, add 1.5 cups of hot water and bring to boil stirring all the time. Once it boils bring it back to a simmer until the bulgur is cooked. Let this mixture cool.

Lay out the eggplant and put a large spoonful of either mixture into it and roll it up gently. Secure with a toothpick. Place it in a pyrex or baking tray. Do this until the eggplant and mixture is finished.

(If the bulgur mixture is too crumbly you can knead it and make little koftes to make it easy to roll up.)

Make a light tomato sauce. Start with the same Turkish sofrito – heat up a little butter in a saucepan, then add finely diced onion and this time some garlic and sauté on a medium heat until translucent, optional dollop of biber or dolmates salcasi. Add tomatoes and bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer until it’s a nice consistency and not too watery. Take off the heat and stir through the mint flakes and basil. Season to taste.

Let it cool a little and then pour this over the eggplant rolls. Then pop them in the oven for 10 -15 minutes at 210C.

Then it’s ready to eat!

Enjoy with the friends you made it with and some Turkish Efes beer if you can find them!