Aubergine is the king of vegetables in Turkey. Like a tomato, it is actually classified as a fruit because it has seeds. This is one of my favorite and scrumptious Turkish eggplant recipes. Eggplant, Lentils and Peppers cooked in olive oil, also known as Mercimekli Mualla is from Antakya and has been cooked in the southern Turkish kitchens for generations. Dried mint and olive oil flavour the green lentils and aubergine/eggplant beautifully. We make this recipe using the Turkish Zeytinyagli method (Vegetables cooked in olive oil) and it’s important to let the dish cool in the pan so it can rest and the flavors develop. Passed on to me by my grandmother and mother, I share this recipe with you in the hope you enjoy it as much as we all do.
About Ozlem: I love Turkish food and would love to my share my homeland’s healthy, delicious, easy Turkish recipes with the home cooks and foodies. Having lived in Turkey over 30 years, I am also very passionate about the amazing history, landscape and heritage that my country offers. I look forward to sharing photos and stories of my culinary and cultural trips to Turkey and some wonderful Turkish recipes that you can easily create in your home. I started the blog with our favorite Turkish word, “Hosgeldiniz”, which means “Welcome”. Hospitality is a big part of Turkish culture and you can feel it everyday life all around. I was born and raised in Turkey, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this rich, generous and welcoming culture.
Check out Ozlem’s website here! https://ozlemsturkishtable.com/
Click here for our interview with Ozlem Warren and our book review of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.
Eggplant, Lentils, and Peppers cooked in Olive Oil (Turkish)
Ingredients
- 6 ounces green lentils, rinsed
- 2 medium eggplants
- 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in half and thinly sliced
- 14 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp dried mint
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put the green lentils in a pan of boiling water, stir and cover. Simmer in low heat for 15 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the aubergine/eggplant in zebra stripes. Then, cut the aubergine/eggplant in half lengthways and cut each half into medium slices. Spread them on a wide tray, sprinkle salt over and leave aside for 15 minutes. Using a paper towel, squeeze the excess water out of the aubergines/eggplants.
- Heat the 3 Tbsps of olive oil in a heavy pan and very lightly sauté the aubergine/eggplant slices for a minute or two. This will help aubergines/eggplants to soften up and start bringing out their lovely sweet flesh.
- In a large bowl, combine the partially cooked lentils, onion, garlic, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, salt, dried mint, th rest of the olive oil, and the sugar. Season with ground black pepper, check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.
- In a wide heavy pan, place a layer of the aubergine/eggplant slices. Spread the half of the vegetable mixture over the aubergines/eggplants evenly. Place the remainder of the aubergine/eggplant slices over the top and spread the remaining vegetable mixture over also. Add the water, cover and cook on a medium to low heat for about 35 minutes.
- Once cooked, cover and cool the dish in the pan, this will allow the flavours to develop and blend well. Serve at room temperature with some crusty bread.
- Afiyet Olsun (means ‘May you be happy and healthy with this food you eat”).
Nutrition
About the Author: Ozlem Warren
Whipped this up last night and quite enjoyed it. Made a few adjustments at my chef husband’s suggestion to give the dish a huge pop of spice-driven flavor. Into the onions, peppers, garlic mix we added turmeric, cumin, curry powder, garlic salt and a few shakes of McCormick’s All Purpose seasoning blend which is a mix of basil, oregano, paprika, lemon peel, parsley and red pepper. All this added ‘to taste’. Though the recipe doesn’t call for it, I sauteed that for just a minute to soften the veggies and let the spices start doing their magic. Layered as directed. Before popping the lid on the dish to simmer, I added a whole cinnamon stick and 5 cardamom pods. Turned out absolutely fantastic. Served with some homemade pita bread on the side. Probably will make this again next week!
Wow! I love all the spices you added. Especially the cinnamon stick and cardamom pod, which probably made it such an aromatic dish! Thanks for sharing!
Good recipe and easily adapted to make one serving. Had it with ½ cop whole wheat couscous.
Thank you Lesley! Glad you enjoyed it. Couscous sounds delicious with it!
Was I supposed to sauté the onions, peppers and garlic before adding to the lentils?
Nope!