Every year, at the end of Ramadan, Murat and his wife Lily host a big dinner for their friends of all backgrounds.“Food is universal, that’s why I like to cook for friends, both to introduce them to Turkish food and celebrate Ramadan and introduce them to what it means, and to Muslim culture, so that it counteracts the negative things people hear.” And, he adds, "when you eat with friends, food is tastier.”

Murat grew up in Istanbul, first on the European side, west of the Bosphorus , then on the Asian side. He learned to cook by watching his mom, though she never wanted the kids in the kitchen, which she considered to be her sanctuary. Murat started to get practice when he went to university and started living by himself. Using his years of observation and a bunch of cookbooks, he started experimenting with recipes and inviting his college friends over for dinner parties. Over time, he adapted the recipes to his taste.

After university, Murat convinced a bunch of his friends to apply for US visas. They all got it except him as it appeared someone with the same name was on a US watchlist. It took another try but he eventually made it to the US to learn English, and stayed on for a master’s degree before getting married to Lily who was also getting her master's degree here as an international student from Taiwan.

Murat's cat, Matrix, watching him cook. He reminds him of the cats of Istanbul.

He rarely gets to spend Ramadan in Turkey anymore but recalls fondly waking with his family to eat surhoor together before going bak to sleep. In Turkey, he recalls, “after sunset, kids will go from neighbor to neighbor to get candy and desserts and every household is prepared with Baklava for the occasion”.

Today, Murat is cooking Karıyarık, stuffed eggplants. This dish takes time to make so it is reserved for special occasions like Ramadan. Murat takes great care in both the taste and the presentation: “You first eat with your eyes, before actually tasting the food, so it’s important”.

While Murat’s mom has yet to taste his cooking, we guarantee this is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Be sure to also check out Murat's Salatalıklı Ayran (cucumber- yoghurt drink) recipe as a classic accompaniment to the meal and a great thirst quencher.

Karıyarık, stuffed eggplants

Murat's secret ingredient: wild oregano, picked up from the mountains of Turkey by a friend

Ingredients for 6 people

6 small eggplants. In the US, Murat uses Japanese eggplants as it's the closest he found to the Turkish eggplants in sweetness and size. (If the eggplant is too big you can cut it in a half.)

2 mid-size onions, cut in small cubes

3 tomatoes: 2 for the filling, finely chopped, 1 for the top presentation, sliced in half moons

8 green peppers (in the US you can use Korean green peppers)

5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbs tomato paste

Sun flower oil, salt, black paper , red pepper (optional-spicy)

225 gr (1/2 Lb) ground beef or lamb

Half bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Hand full of pine nuts (optional, Murat likes the nutty flavor that it adds to the dish)

If you can get your hands on it: a bunch of wild Turkish oregano

Directions

Peel eggplants in stripes, and place in a bucket of salty water for 30 minutes. This process will take away the bitterness of the eggplant and prevent too much oil absorption when you lightly pan fry them later on.
Dry eggplants with paper towel pan fry them with one cup (200gr) of sun flower oil (Murat likes sunflower oil because of its mild taste). Make sure the oil is very hot before placing the eggplants in.
Once the eggplants are fried, soak the excessive oil by resting them on a paper towel, and then place them on an oven dish.
Set 1 or 2 green peppers aside for the stuffing (depending on how spicy you want the dish) and lightly fry the rest of it in the same oil. Once fried, soak the excess oil with paper towels.
Keep the oil and add chopped garlic, cook fro 30 seconds to 1 minute
Add finely chopped pepper(s) (remove the seeds before cutting for less spiciness and make sure to wash your hands)
Add handfull of pine nuts
Add cubed onions to the mix and continue frying them until onions are slightly softened, stirring occasionally.
Add ground meat and two chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper, mix and continue cooking the filling for 5 minutes or until tomatoes' liquid is reduced
Add fine chopped parsley (and wild Turkish oregano), mix, and continue cooking for another minute and turn the stove off.
Slit the eggplants in the middle, keeping the top and bottom attached. With a spoon stuff the eggplant with the meat filling mixture and press lightly
Place one fried pepper and one tomato slice on top of each eggplant.
Mix the tomato paste with 1 cup a hot water in a saucepan and pour the sauce between the eggplants (don’t put it on top). This helps the eggplant stay moist while cooking.
Preheat the oven to 170 C / 340 F degree. Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.