İmam Bayıldı (Olive Oil Stuffed Eggplant)

Method

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1. 1Peel the eggplants in stripes, soak in salted water for 20 minutes and pat completely dry. Fry in the sunflower oil for 8-10 minutes, turning, until golden all over and soft inside, then drain on paper towels.
2. 2In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, until completely soft and lightly caramelized.
3. 3Add the garlic and chopped pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, sugar and 1 tsp salt and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down, then stir in the parsley off the heat.
4. 4Arrange the eggplants side by side in a wide lidded pot or baking dish. Slit each lengthwise with a spoon, open it into a boat and sprinkle the remaining salt inside.
5. 5Fill the eggplants generously with the onion mixture and drizzle over any oil left in the pan. Top each with a tomato slice and a strip of pepper.
6. 6Pour the hot water around the edges. Cover and cook over the lowest heat for 35-40 minutes (or bake covered with foil at 180 °C for 40 minutes) until the eggplants are spoon-tender and the liquid has mostly gone.
7. 7Let them cool to room temperature in the pot. Drizzle with lemon juice if you like and serve warm or cold.