Garni Yarikh (قارنی یاریخ) — Azerbaijani Stuffed Eggplants

• 4Eggplants (medium, firm) (about 1.2 kg total; choose similar size for even cooking)
• 18 gSalt (12 g for salting eggplants, 6 g for filling and sauce (adjust to taste))
• 240 mlWater (for simmering the sauce)
• 90 mlCooking oil (neutral oil such as sunflower; divided)
• 200 gOnion (finely diced)
• 12 gGarlic (minced (about 4 cloves), divided)
• 450 gGround meat (halal beef or a beef-lamb blend (15–20% fat preferred))
• 30 gFresh parsley (finely chopped (about 1 packed cup))
• 2 gBlack pepper (about 1 teaspoon, freshly ground)
• 2 gGround turmeric (about 1 teaspoon)
• 60 gTomato paste (about 4 tablespoons)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the eggplants: trim stems but keep the tops intact. Peel alternating strips (zebra style) so they hold shape while becoming tender. Cut a long slit down the length of each eggplant, stopping 2 cm from both ends to form a pocket. Sprinkle 12 g salt inside and out, set in a colander 25 minutes, then rinse and pat very dry.

2. 2

   Brown the eggplants: heat 90 ml oil in a wide, lidded skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add eggplants and fry 10–12 minutes total, turning every 2–3 minutes, until lightly golden and flexible. Transfer to a plate. Pour off excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan to cook the filling.

3. 3

   Cook the filling: return the pan to medium heat. Add diced onion and cook 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add half the minced garlic (6 g) and cook 30 seconds. Add ground meat, turmeric, black pepper, and 4 g of the remaining salt; cook 8–10 minutes, breaking up lumps, until no pink remains and moisture mostly evaporates.

4. 4

   Finish and stuff: stir in chopped parsley and cook 1 minute to wilt and release aroma. Taste and adjust salt with the remaining 2 g if needed. Using a spoon, gently open each eggplant pocket and pack in the hot filling, dividing evenly. Do not overstuff; the eggplant should close slightly around the filling without tearing.

5. 5

   Build the tomato sauce: in the same pan (wipe if heavily browned), warm 15 ml oil over medium-low. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until darkened slightly and fragrant. Add water (240 ml), remaining garlic (6 g), and bring to a gentle simmer for 3 minutes, scraping the pan to dissolve the paste fully.

6. 6

   Simmer until tender: nestle stuffed eggplants into the sauce slit-side up. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 35–40 minutes, turning the eggplants once halfway through. The eggplants are done when a knife slides in easily and the sauce is thick and glossy. Uncover for 5 minutes if you want a more reduced sauce.