Culinary Tours
Fascinating Turkey Culinary Tour 2015 ; October 25th - 30th, 2015.
Find out more
Cookery Classes
I teach Turkish cooking classes in England,Turkey & USA, hope you can join us!,
Find Out More
Recipes
Turkish cuisine provides healthy, hearty, delicious food for family and friends.
Find out more
By Ozlem Warren on March 31, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 36
Dried eggplants and peppers, stuffed with ground meat and aromatic rice; kuru patlican dolmasi
Have you ever had stuffed dried eggplants or peppers, kuru patlican ve biber dolmasi, in Turkey? Or ever wondered what to do with those dried eggplants beautifully displayed hanging at food stores? You are in real treat if you can get hold of them, as not only they are wonderful as a decoration (and a talking point, as I use them at my Turkish cookery classes), these dried vegetables (actually fruits, as they have seeds in them) are also scrumptious when stuffed. You are most likely served kuru patlican dolmasi, stuffed dried eggplants as a mezze at kebab houses in Turkey. You may also enjoy them at esnaf lokantalari, traditional, local Turkish restaurants, or specialty eateries like Ciya restaurant in Kadikoy, Istanbul, where they serve some of the best examples of Turkish regional cuisine.
Dried eggplants and peppers at Turkish food stores in Istanbul.
Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal, fresh produce and we as a country, are blessed with a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in every season. When eggplants and peppers (as well as baby okra and many others) are in abundance, some of the harvest is dried out to be used out of season. For instance, the fleshes of the eggplants (aubergines) are scooped out and the shells are tied together with a piece of string. These strings of eggplant shells are than dried out in the sun, accumulating a rich, concentrated flavor of the eggplants. You can buy these strings of dried eggplants and peppers at Turkish & Middle Eastern stores abroad.
Blanched, rehydrated dried eggplants and peppers
In order stuff the dried eggplants and peppers, you need to blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling water to rehydrate, until they start to soften up but still retain their bite. You then need to give them a “cold bath” in a pan of cold water, so that they retain their vibrant color and texture.
Kuru Patlican ve biber dolmasi; stuffed dried pepper and eggplants
As for the filling, I love the addition of fragrant dried mint, tangy pomegranate molasses and the rich pepper paste, biber salcasi (if you don’t have red pepper paste, you can add a delicious heat with red pepper flakes) to the stuffing mixture, as we do in southern Turkish cooking. They complement the dried eggplants and peppers beautifully, and the aromas take me right back to my hometown, Antakya. Bulgur can also be used instead of rice, as in Gaziantep cuisine and it is delicious. You can also omit the meat for a vegetarian course, and can add more onions and herbs to the filling.
I hope you can get some of these dried peppers and eggplants and enjoy these delicious dolmas. They make a great food for entertaining, a real crowd pleaser – dolmas do disappear very quickly, so I advise making a few extra! This recipe and many other delicious Turkish recipes included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, signed copies available to order at this link.
Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
4.7 from 3 reviews
Dried eggplant and pepper dolma with ground meat and spiced rice
I hope you enjoy these dried eggplants and peppers, stuffed with ground meat, aromatic rice, pomegranate molasses and spices, a Southern Turkish specialty. Afiyet Olsun!
Author: Ozlem Warren
Recipe type: Regional Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 12 dried eggplant shells & 15 dried small bell pepper shells, string removed
- 1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
- 200gr/7 oz. / 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed
- 400gr/14 oz. ground (minced) beef – or ground meat of your choice -
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 15ml/1 tbsp. Turkish red pepper paste (biber salcasi) – optional
- 15ml/ 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. pomegranate molasses (or a good balsamic vinegar, for substitute)
- 15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil (for the filling)
- 5ml/1 tsp. ground cumin
- 10ml/2 tsp. dried mint
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, as a cap (optional)
- 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil (for cooking)
- 500ml/ 16 fl oz. / 2 cups (or a little less) water for cooking
- Garlicky plain yoghurt to serve
- Turkish red pepper flakes to serve
Instructions
- Cut the strings of the dried eggplants and peppers and place on a large pan of boiling water. Blanch them for 3 minutes to rehydrate. Afterwards, gently place them on another pan with cold water for 2 minutes, to give them a “cold bath”; this will help them to retain their color and texture and not to break apart. Then gently place the hydrated dried peppers and eggplants in a sieve/colander, ready to be stuffed.
- Place the onions, garlic, pepper paste (if using), tomato paste, parsley, 1 tbsp. olive oil and spices in a large bowl. Season with salt and black ground pepper to your taste. Knead this mixture with your hands for a minute, making sure all blended well (this stage also helps to soften the onions). Stir in the ground meat, rice and pomegranate molasses to the bowl and mix well. Filling is ready.
- Get a wide, heavy pan for cooking and pour in the 2 tbsp. olive oil (it would be ideal to place the stuffed peppers/eggplants side by side in one layer). Spoon the filling mixture carefully into each pepper and eggplant, pressing gently for the filling to settle in. Make sure to leave about 1cm (0.4”) space at top for the rice to cook and expand. You can seal the tops with a piece of tomato as a cap or you may press the edges together for a gentle close. Place them up right, side by side, packed tightly.
- Pour in about 2 cups of water (or a little less) over and around the stuffed peppers and eggplants. The water should cover half length of the stuffed vegetables. Bring the liquid to the boil then reduce heat, cover and cook gently for 30 – 35 minutes or until the filling is cooked.
- Serve hot with Turkish red pepper flakes sprinkled over them, if you like. Thick plain yoghurt with a little crushed garlic goes very well with these stuffed eggplants and peppers. Cacik dip of cucumber, yoghurt and mint would complement these dolmas very nicely too.
Notes
You can use bulgur instead of rice. For a gluten-free option, you can use whole grain basmati rice.
You can omit ground meat for a vegetarian option. I suggest including more onions and herbs instead with extra olive oil for the vegetarian option.
Antakya Cuisine, kuru biber dolmasi, kuru patlican dolmasi, Ozlem's Turkish Table, stuffed dried eggplants, stuffed dried peppers, Turkish regional cuisine, Turkish style stuffed dried eggplants
Spinach and cheese filled filo pastry triangles; Muska Boregi
Poached anchovies or Anchovy Stew with vegetables; Hamsi Buğulama
36 Responses to Stuffed Dried Eggplant and Pepper Dolma; Kuru Patlican Dolmasi
-
senior dogs abroad April 1, 2014 at 5:12 am #
Özlem, Thanks so much for this delicious sounding recipe. You know, I’ve been eyeing those dried eggplants and peppers for years but I confess that up to now, I haven’t tried my hand at it. Now, you’ve given me the courage to try them. Really, the photo looks yummy. Teşekkür ederiz öpüyoruz.
Reply
-
Ozlem Warren April 1, 2014 at 9:56 am #
Rica ederim SD : ) I think you may enjoy the taste and they really are easy to make, afiyet olsun. co*k selam ve sevgiler, Ozlem
Reply
-
Angela August 7, 2020 at 7:37 am #
I made these for dinner. They were very nice. They needed a bit more salt and I squeezed lemon on top.
Reply
-
-
Joy @MyTravelingJoys April 1, 2014 at 9:37 am #
Yum! I didn’t eat any dolma this trip, but I do enjoy this delicious Turkish trip! I did “smuggle” back so loquat and plan to make loquat kebab like they do at Ciya sometime this week! 🙂
Reply
-
Peri's Spice Ladle April 1, 2014 at 1:08 pm #
I love meat stuffed in vegetables and cooked, the juices come together so well. Got my eye on the lovely bell pepper version. Thanks Ozlem, for the simple directions:) xxPeri.
Reply
-
TasteofBeirut April 5, 2014 at 7:02 pm #
Fantastic dolmas! Even though drying the veggies is also a tradition in Lebanon, it is not used much these days as fresh veggies are always available these days. One can see those at the Armenian stores though. I would love to try them some day, wonder if the flavor is more intense then with the fresh ones?
Reply
-
Phil in the Kitchen April 7, 2014 at 12:52 pm #
I’ve never tried dried eggplants or peppers, but I think they sound like something I’d really enjoy. I’ll be on the lookout for them from now on. Hopefully they’re not too delicate to handle because I’m a fairly clumsy cook.
Reply
-
Rob Saw April 7, 2014 at 5:23 pm #
Hi Ozlem – love the recipie, thanks!
My father in law keeps giving us the dried cases and finally I have a recipe to use them!
Just a note – you dont mention what to do with the rice – My understanding is that you mix it with the meat in the filling, so that’s what I did. Also you dont mention what to do with the pomegfranite mollases – I got the bottle out of the fridge, but forgot to use it! I guess it goes in the filling also?
Cheers!
Reply
-
Ozlem Warren April 7, 2014 at 8:23 pm #
Hi Rob,
Thank you so much for stopping by and your note, it was a life saver! Indeed the rice goes into the meat filling and the pomegranate molasses, I revised and included in the recipe, many thanks for this reminder. Some folks also add the pomegranate molasses mixed in water as the cooking liquid, if you like even a tangier taste. So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Selamlar, OzlemReply
-
-
Mona Petre September 14, 2015 at 3:02 pm #
Hi Ozlem, it looks wonderful!
Can you tell me what varieties of aubergine are used for drying?
Can I do this with any type of eggplant? Or usually some are preferred to others?Thank you!
Reply
-
Ahmad April 19, 2019 at 7:29 am #
Dear Ozlem
thank you for the article. Will you please be kind to provide me the contact details for one of these shops since Im searching to buy some quantity and ship to my country Jordan.
Thank you in advance
Reply
-
Ozlem Warren April 19, 2019 at 10:41 am #
Merhaba dear Ahmad,
Many thanks for your note; with regards to Turkish specialty ingredients, Malatya Pazari in Turkey provides one of the best quality, here is their website:
http://malatyapazari.com.tr/By the way, I am flying to Amman tomorrow, to teach Turkish cookery course, on April 21st and 22nd, if you are available, I would be delighted if you join our course. You can get more details from my course organiser and partner, Mrs Suhair Kilani, at this email SUHAIR@PANTHERA-JO.COM
kind regards,
OzlemReply
-
-
Ozlem Warren April 1, 2014 at 9:58 am #
thanks for sharing!
Reply
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Stuffed Dried Eggplant and Pepper Dolma; Kuru Patlican Dolmasi | Recipe Flash | Your all in one Recipe and Cooking News website - March 31, 2014
[…] Recette de Eggplant par Ozlem’s Turkish Table : Have you ever had stuffed dried eggplants or peppers, kuru …read more […]
- Gevulde gedroogde aubergine en paprika - tastykoken - December 6, 2014
[…] maakten een recept van Ozlem Warren voor Kuru Patlican Dolmasi. Een gerecht dat vooral in Zuidoost Turkije wordt gegeten.De groenten […]
- Turkey - Taste the World - Dietitian without Borders - May 27, 2015
[…] Dried eggplant & pepper dolma with ground meat and spiced rice – Ozlem’s Turkish Table […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner – H2O Of Live - October 13, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner - Joe D Wells - October 13, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner - October 13, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | C cLear - October 13, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | salishnews.com - October 14, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | thedusknews.com - October 14, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | jerzs.com - October 14, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | today-news.eu - October 14, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- A Good Appetite: An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner – Dallops - October 14, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | updated24.com - October 14, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- An Appetizer So Good It Should Be Dinner | 3qds.com - October 16, 2017
[…] wasn’t traditional. But neither was Meline’s recipe, which is her riff on a Turkish dish of dried pepper or baby eggplant dolmas, in which the dried vegetables are rehydrated in boiling water, then stuffed with a mix of highly […]
- Istanbul, One Bite at a Time – Degrees of Freedom - January 4, 2019
[…] (re)made kisir and adapted the wine leaves recipe into a version of kuru patlican dolmasi (stuffed, sun-dried eggplants). Strung like beads on a necklace, the sun-dried eggplants are sold […]
