Oil-stuffed fasting eggplant (yalanji). If you don't know this dish yet, you should try it — it's a very popular Syrian recipe. Here are the details.

Ingredients:

1 cup Egyptian rice

1 cup water

2 large onions

oil (for sautéing)

2 tbsp sweet pepper paste

2 tbsp tomato paste

pinch of black pepper

hot red or green chili (to taste), finely chopped

2 tomatoes

salt (to taste)

pomegranate molasses (to taste)

lemon juice (to taste)

chopped walnuts

small eggplants (for stuffing)

For cooking the eggplants:

water

a little salt

pomegranate molasses and lemon juice (to taste)

Accompanying sauce

tahini

2 cloves garlic

lemon (juice)

salt

water as needed

Method:

Rinse the rice well and leave it in a strainer to drain.
Finely chop the onions and sauté them in a little oil in a pan until they soften.

Once the onions are soft, add the sweet pepper paste, tomato paste, and black pepper, and stir.
Finely chop the hot chili, add it as well, and stir.
Peel and finely chop the red tomatoes, add them, and cook until the vegetables soften and the sauce thickens.
Add the rice at this stage with 1 cup of water, salt, pomegranate molasses, and lemon juice. Stir, then reduce the heat, cover the pan or pot, and let the rice cook.
Allow the yalanji filling to cool before adding the chopped walnuts, then mix.
Stuff each prepared eggplant (pierced or hollowed as needed) about three-quarters full with the filling.
Place the stuffed eggplants in a pot on the stove and cover them with water mixed with lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, and salt.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the fasting eggplants simmer gently until cooked through.

Sauce

Mash the garlic and add the tahini, lemon juice, water, and salt. Whisk well and serve it with the stuffed eggplant.

This lovely recipe is from Armenian culinary heritage — the oil-style fasting eggplant (yalanji) — courtesy of our friend and cook on the site.

Georgina Bitar

Click Georgina's name to visit her profile on our site

For more of Georgina's vegetarian recipes, see Syrian tabbouleh

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Armenian-Style Oil-Stuffed Fasting Eggplant (Yalanji)

Prep checklist

Cooking notes