Eggplant culinary recipes: Kalleh Kabab Reshti and Turkish-style dishes

Various eggplant-based recipes are highlighted, including the meatless Kalleh Kabab Reshti and a Turkish-style stuffed eggplant dish.

Kalleh Kabab Reshti is a nutritious option made from grilled eggplant, sour pomegranate seeds, ground walnuts, garlic, and local herbs such as choochagh. The recipe suggests three methods for preparing the eggplant: grilling over a gas flame, baking in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius, or grilling over charcoal, which is the chef's recommendation for achieving a smoky aroma. The sauce is prepared by mixing walnuts, garlic, herbs, pomegranate paste, sour pomegranate juice, and spices.

A Turkish-style eggplant dish, described as 'baghcheh' (small bundles), involves wrapping a meat mixture inside eggplant slices. The filling consists of ground meat, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and tomato paste. The process involves frying eggplant slices and potato rings, preparing the seasoned meat mixture, and then shaping the ingredients into small bundles to be cooked with tomato sauce.