Veg: Stuffed Eggplant Boat

It was my birthday and we decided to go for Mediterranean food; which is one of my favorite cuisine. There I tried stuffed veggie eggplant. I usually make stuffed baked potatoes ( Jacket Potato) at home and I never tried other stuffed veggies than this. I liked the combination and found it’s a wonderful way to eat eggplant who doesn’t like them in curries or in any dishes. Moreover, it’s baked with minimal qty of oil and you can add any veggies of your choice to it and make your own version. It was so tasty that next thing came to my mind was, I wanted to give it try to make at home. I found so many recipes online as well and took some ideas from different websites, and came up with easy version which is easy and quick to make.

Stuffed eggplants are typical main dish in many countries like Italy, Turkey Israel and Iran. It should be served hot, and usually these are stuffed with rice and meat. This veg. version will have tomatoes, onions and veggies; sauté well with the hot sauce.

I used:

1 eggplant ( Medium size without seeds)

1 finely chopped tomatoes

1/2 finely chopped onions

2 tbs Golden raisins

Salt to taste

1 tbs Soy sauce

1 tbp red chili sauce

1 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp powdered garlic

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp Sugar or Honey

Black Pepper and cheese for topping

1- 2 tbs oil

Make It:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Halve eggplants lengthwise. Trim a little off the undersides so they lie flat. Cut around the inside edge with a paring knife to separate the flesh from the skin. Scoop out the flesh(Pulp) and roughly chop; transfer them to a bowl.
  
• Set the shells(Eggplant) on the baking sheet lined with the aluminum foil paper.
• Now, coat the eggplant with the oil, salt and paper.
• Bake them for 40-45 min.
• While eggplant is in oven, prepare the stuffing.
• Heat 1-2 tbs oil in a small skillet/ pan, Add onion to it. Saute them until it tuns golden brown in color. Now, add raisins and let them cook for a min.
• Now, add eggplant pulp and tomatoes; cook them for 2-3 min, or until it softens. We want fully cooked eggplant, so allow enough time.
• It’s time to add garlic powder, salt and chili powder. Mix them well.
• Now, add chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce and 1 tbs water to the mixture.
• You can add greens of your choice ( Such as mint or basil), but this is optional. I didn’t add.
• Cook the mixture for 2-3 mins. And transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
• After 40 mins, check the status of eggplant, whether it’s baked or not. If you find it’s not baked enough allow 10-15 min more to bake.
• Once it’s baked, fill the shells with the prepared mixture, and sprinkle some cheese.
• Again bake them until cheese is melted and top is browned.
• Top them with basil leaves if you like. And serve hot. Hummus is the best option for a dip. It goes well with this recipe.

Enjoy.

~PS