Meatballs or lamb chunks wrapped in ribbons of fried eggplant, pinned with toothpicks, and oven-braised in tomato sauce. The eggplant jacket bastes the meat as it bakes, and the name comes from an old word for steam.
Also known as: islim kebabı, kürdan kebabı, toothpick kebab, islim kebab, steamed eggplant kebab
Visual recipe guide
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Watch it made
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 5 mm ribbons
- 400 g minced lamb
- 1 onion, grated and squeezed
- 40 g breadcrumbs
- 15 g parsley, chopped
- 30 g tomato paste
- 250 ml tomato passata
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 80 ml sunflower oil
- 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp pepper
How to make it
- 1
Salt the eggplant ribbons 15 min, pat dry, then fry in the oil just until pliable, not browned.
- 2
Knead the lamb with onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper and roll 12 walnut-size meatballs.
- 3
Wrap each ball in two ribbons laid in a cross, pin the top with a toothpick and crown with a cherry tomato.
- 4
Stand the parcels in a baking dish and pour over the passata whisked with tomato paste and 100 ml water.
- 5
Bake at 190 C for 30-35 min until the sauce bubbles thick and the eggplant is silk-soft.
Pro tip: Pull the ribbons from the pan while still bendable; they only need to fold, and they finish cooking in the oven.
