4mediumaubergines (eggplants)(cut into strips of 1.5 centimetre thickness)
3clovesgarlic(peeled, smashed & roughly chopped)
3tablespoonsolive oil(for frying)
1 teaspoonchilli flakes(optional)
½teaspoonground cumin
For The Tomato Sauce
8mediumtomatoes(roughly chopped)
2teaspoonsvinegar
2teaspoonsdried thyme(or oregano)
1 teaspoongranulated sugar
1teaspoonsalça(tomato puree)
salt & pepper(to season)
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Instructions
For The Kızartma - Fried Vegetables
Add your olive oil to a large saucepan or deep frying pan and gently heat.
Once your oil is hot, add your sliced aubergines (eggplants) and let them sizzle and absorb the oil. Be careful not to let them stick to the base of your pan.
As the aubergines start to colour and soften, add your smashed garlic, cumin and chilli (if using).
Now add your halved green peppers and stir in.
Allow them to start to soften and colour. This will take 10-15 minutes.
Once your peppers and aubergines have softened, season well with salt and pepper.
For The Tomato Sauce
Now it's time to add your chopped tomatoes to the pan. Mix them all in.
Add the rest of your sauce ingredients, stir and cover the pan with a lid, leaving a small gap.
Leave to simmer for around 10 minutes until your tomatoes have started to break down. Be careful not to let the sauce become a soupy texture.
Now remove your kızartma from the heat and add to your serving bowl.
Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Common vegetables for making kızartma are aubergines, green peppers, courgettes and potatoes.
When you slice your aubergines, slice them in half horizontally. Then take each half and make vertical slices around 1 centimetre thick.
In Turkey, we use the long thin pointed peppers; sivri biber. If you can't find those, bell peppers will be fine sliced into wide strips.
If you want to, you can make your tomato sauce in a separate pan and pour it over your vegetables before serving. We just like our fried vegetables to absorb the flavours and juices.