Eggplant filled - with a spicy mixture of bulgur, vegetables and mushrooms

Hello dear friends here on Steemit! Today I show you a recipe with the wonderful and versatile eggplant.

Eggplant stuffed with minced meat and rice was a favorite meal of my friend, however she cooked it without meat especially for me, because I am a vegan. She used only rice with spices and unfortunately the taste was not satisfying.

Nevertheless, I thought this could be a very good dish; it just needed a little improvement. This is why I decided to experiment with different fillings, which one of them I would like to share with you now. This may not be the final one, but I really like the combination of bulgur and mushrooms. It is a very flavourful, wholesome and balanced dish and I think you would like it too.

The history of this type of preparation, as a filled Melanzani was originally practiced mostly in the Arab world and had three major advantages. Not only did it look pretty and appealing, it had the following practical backgrounds:

• The food was served on a large tray as a buffet and they sat in a circle on a carpet and could access it at will.
• Through the eggplant shell, the filling was pre-portioned and could be removed in a hygienic way.
• The hollowed-out eggplant stored the heat for a long time, keeping the fullness warm.
• The emptied shell was simply used as goat food or composted, making it the most environmentally friendly container.

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 medium organic eggplant about 450 g

90 g bulgur (pre-cooked wheat semolina)
150 ml of boiling water
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp pine nuts
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sea-salt
1 celery stick
2 spring onions
1 carrot
40 g king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii)
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp fresh parsley
Extra sea-salt for salting the eggplant

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Halve the aubergines lengthwise. Remove the pulp with a spoon, cut into small pieces and set aside. Rub in the hollowed-out aubergines from the inside with salt and let them steep for 20 minutes

Douse the bulgur with the boiling water. Set aside for about 20 minutes, until the water has been completely absorbed.

Cut the celery stalk, spring onions and mushroom also cut into small pieces.
Chop parsley small. Finely grate the carrot.

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Heat the oil in a pan, add the pressed garlic, pine nuts, turmeric, chilli powder, celery, spring onions, carrots, mushrooms and raisins and for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in the aubergine meat cut into pieces and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the parsley and mix well.

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Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the prepared bulgur.
Rinse the eggplant shells under cold water and pat dry with a kitchen papercloth.
Put the aubergines in a casserole dish and fill with the bulgur mixture (The eggplants should be close together, because that prevents them from falling over).
Add 150 ml of water and bake the aubergines in a preheated oven at 180 ° C for 15-20 minutes until they are really hot.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. I suggest to serve with salad.

If one of you makes it, please let me know how you liked it.

☙ ❧ Thank you all for your interest ☙ ❧