Aubergine Meatball Wraps (Islim Kebabi or Kurdan Kebabi) is one of those traditional Turkish dishes mainly known and loved by regular households in Turkey. It is not a landmark dish widely representing Turkish cuisine abroad such as the Döner kebab. However, it is an oriental dish that is an extremely flavorful and delicious combination of meat and vegetables.
Jump to:
You need to try these aubergine meatball wraps especially if you enjoy Mediterranean cuisine in general and looking for an authentic and delicious dish.
Islim Kebab is comprised of the amazing combination of thinly sliced fried aubergines, juicy meatballs, and tomato sauce. If it sounds (or looks) delicious to you, keep reading to learn how to make this traditional Turkish dish!
Why This Recipe Works?
- Islim kebabı (also known as Kurdan Kebabi) is a great dish for special occasions. Although it is not the easiest and quickest recipe, it is an extremely indulgent and rewarding dish you and your family & friends will enjoy.
- You can make this dish a couple of days ahead and finish baking in the oven when needed.
- The leftovers will freeze beautifully.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Minced beef - 30% fat to meat ratio is ideal for juicy meatballs. Using lean mince will make them dry and tough. If you want to use lean mince, you should add some fat or oil to the mixture. You can also use lamb mince or a mixture of both.
- Aubergine - Pick slightly firm but not hard aubergines with a shiny&smooth skin and peel them in stripes like a zebra pattern. Small ones are better as they have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and tend to be sweeter, tenderer and less bitter.
- Onion - It adds extra flavour and moisture to the meatballs. I prefer grating it into the mixture. You can also finely chop and sauté them if you prefer. You can substitute it with shallots.
- Garlic - It is another great flavouring for kofte dishes and is absolutely essential. You can turn it into a paste with a Mortar and Pestle or grate it with a Microplane Zester Grater. You can substitute the fresh garlic with the garlic powder.
- Egg - It helps to bind the meat, breadcrumbs, spices and herbs. For up to one kilo of meat, you usually won't need more than one egg.
- Breadcrumbs - They absorb the juices from the meat as it cooks, trapping them within the meatball. Also, they give meatballs a nice and soft texture.
- Kofta spices - Most kofte recipes call for a blend of black pepper, paprika and/or chilli but you can also add coriander powder, cayenne pepper, cumin or a touch of cinnamon.
- Olive oil - It is optional. You don't need to add olive oil if you use minced meat with 30% fat to meat ratio.
- Oil - You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil or peanut oil for frying the aubergines.
- Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking and adds an umami flavour to the dishes as well as a bright red colour. You can buy them from Turkish/Mediterranean shops or online from Amazon .
How to Make Aubergine Meatball Wraps (Islim Kebabi)?
Making this dish may seem a bit complicated at first glance. However, the instructions are pretty straightforward and there are a few tips and tricks that you should follow to achieve the best results.
Prepare the Aubergines
The shape of your aubergines is important. Try to pick the longer aubergines as it will allow you to make longer stripes. It is necessary to form long strips to wrap around meatballs easily.
Wash the aubergines and dry them with a paper towel. Peel them vertically in a zebra pattern, do not completely peel them. Slice the aubergines vertically and make sure each aubergine stripe is dry before frying them to avoid oil splashing. Set them aside.
Fry the Aubergine Stripes
Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan. Fry each side of the aubergine stripes until they get slightly brown. Place the fried aubergines on paper towels to get rid of the excess oil and then set them aside.
Prepare the Meatball Mix
Place the minced beef, egg, breadcrumbs, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin powder and paprika into a deep mixing bowl. Use your hands, as if you are kneading dough. It will take around 4-5 minutes for all ingredients to completely combine.
Divide a little piece from the mixture and roll them into a meatball in the size of a walnut (these meatballs should be able to fit into aubergine wraps. Depending on the size of your aubergine stripes, you can make the meatballs slightly bigger or smaller).
Heat a frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Fry the meatballs in the pan until they turn into slight golden colour (you don't need to make sure the meatballs are completely cooked at this stage as they will cook further in the oven. A few minutes in the pan should be enough at this stage).
Assemble the Aubergine Stripes and Meatballs
Place 1 piece of Padron green pepper or Turkish chilli and half of a cherry tomato on each toothpick and set them aside. We will be using these toothpicks to secure our aubergine wraps. Lay 2 fried aubergine stripes on top of each other to form a cross and place one meatball in the middle.
Bring first one end of the aubergine up to the top and then in turn the other three ends to form a wrap. Secure them with a toothpick. Repeat the same process until you finish all ingredients.
In a bowl or glass mix the tomato paste and the water until well combined. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the aubergine wraps in a baking dish. With a tablespoon gently pour the tomato sauce on the aubergine wraps. Do not pour the sauce directly on the wraps as this will cause them to fall over in the dish.
Place the baking dish in the oven until cherry tomatoes and green peppers look cooked. It will take around 20 minutes depending on your oven. Give 5 minutes to cool down before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with buttery Turkish rice pilaf.
If you decide to try out this dish, make sure you serve it with delicious buttery Turkish Rice Pilaf which is the best companion of many Turkish dishes and islim kebabı is no exception.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Aubergine dishes why not try:
It is important to have at least a 30% fat to meat ratio in minced beef to achieve a juicy and flavorful meatball. If you make the meatballs with minced beef that has a lower fat ratio, you may end up with dry and chewy meatballs. If you can't find this sort of minced beef, you can increase the amount of olive oil you put in the meatball mixture.
Also, make sure you chop the onions and garlic very finely. Otherwise, the pieces of onions and garlic will burn when frying the meatballs, and give an unpleasant taste to the dish. Use a food processor or a grater for chopping the onions and garlic, unless you have very good knife skills! Make sure you mix the ingredients very well when preparing the meatballs.
The aubergines that you will use in this recipe will make a huge difference. It is better if you are making this recipe when aubergines are in season (usually from July to September). If not, you should soak the aubergine stripes in saltwater for at least 30 minutes before frying them.
Don't forget to pat them dry well with a paper towel before frying. Soaking them in saltwater will help to get rid of the bitter taste of the aubergines.
This delicious dish is best when served with buttery Turkish Rice Pilaf but there are many other ways to enjoy it. Why not try it with some healthy Bulgur Pilaf or Creamy Mashed Potatoes? Add some salad to make it a complete feast such as Tomato and Walnut Salad or a bowl of Greek Cucumber Salad.
Top Tip From the Chef
You should be careful when frying your aubergine stripes. They are very delicate and cook quite easily. If you over fry them, you may end up with soggy and soft stripes which will make the process of assembly very difficult, if not impossible.
Keep in mind that the aubergines will further cook in the oven, so don't worry if they don't look fully cooked after frying. It is enough for them to slightly turn golden. Usually frying each side of the aubergine stripes for 2-3 minutes is sufficient.
I hope you enjoy the process of making the Islim Kebabi - Kurdan Kebabi (Aubergine Meatball Wraps) as much as you would enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appetite! / Afiyet Olsun!
Islim Kebabı (Aubergine Meatball Wraps)
Equipment
- 1 Peeler
Ingredients
Aubergine Stripes
- 4 aubergines (medium size, preferably long ones to create long stripes)
- sunflower oil (amount depends on the pan that you will fry the aubergine stripes)
Meatballs
- 500 g minced beef (30% fat to meat ratio is ideal for juicy meatballs)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large white onion (finely chopped, preferably with a food processor or a grater)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (plus 1 tablespoon for frying the meatballs)
- 3 cloves of garlic (preferably finely diced with a food processor or a garlic press)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 300 ml warm water
Garnish
- 1 handful of fresh parsley leaves (finely chopped, for garnish)
- 5 cherry tomatoes (sliced into half)
- 3 green Spanish padron peppers or Turkish chilies (sliced into 2 cm cubes)
Instructions
Aubergine Stripes
- Wash the aubergines and dry them with a paper towel.
- Peel the aubergines vertically in a zebra pattern. Do not completely peel them.
- Slice the aubergines vertically. Make sure each aubergine stripe is dry before frying them to avoid oil splashing. Set them aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan.
- Fry each side of the aubergine stripes until they get slightly brown.
- Place the fried aubergines on paper towels to get rid of the excess oil. Set them aside.
Meatballs
- Place the minced beef, egg, breadcrumbs, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin powder and paprika into a deep mixing bowl.
- Mix them with your hands until all ingredients are well combined, knead for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Divide a little piece from the mixture and roll them into a meatball the size of a walnut (these meatballs should be able to fit into aubergine wraps. Depending on the size of your aubergine stripes, you can make the meatballs slightly bigger or smaller).
- Heat a frying pan with a splash of olive oil.
- Fry the meatballs in the pan until they turn into slight golden colour (you don't need to make sure the meatballs are completely cooked at this stage as they will cook further in the oven. Few minutes in the pan should be enough at this stage).
Tomato sauce
- In a bowl or glass mix the tomato paste and the water until well combined. Set aside.
Assembling the Aubergine Stripes and Meatballs
- Place 1 piece of Padron green pepper or Turkish chilli and half of a cherry tomato on each toothpick and set them aside. We will be using these toothpicks to secure our aubergine wraps.
- Lay 2 fried aubergine stripes on top of each other to form a cross and place one meatball in the middle.
- Bring first one end of the aubergine up to the top and then in turn the other three ends to form a wrap. Secure them with a toothpick. Repeat the same process until you finish all ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Place the aubergine wraps in a baking dish.
- With a tablespoon gently pour the tomato sauce on the aubergine wraps. Do not pour the sauce directly on the wraps as this will cause them to fall over in the dish.
- Place the baking dish in the oven until cherry tomatoes and green peppers look cooked. It will take around 20 minutes depending on your oven.
- Give 5 minutes to cool down before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with buttery Turkish rice pilaf.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Ayla
Amazing dish
Sophia
A huge eggplant fan here! Love the way you combine eggplants and meatballs. Thanks for the tips you share about preparing eggplants.
Jeanine
This was fantastic! My whole family loved it and will definitely be making it again. Thank you!
Amandine
Second time making this. This is by far the best eggplants recipe ever. The whole family loved it!