Islim Kebabı (Aubergine Meatball Wraps)

Aubergine Stripes

1. Wash the aubergines and dry them with a paper towel.
2. Peel the aubergines vertically in a zebra pattern. Do not completely peel them.
3. Slice the aubergines vertically. Make sure each aubergine stripe is dry before frying them to avoid oil splashing. Set them aside.
4. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan.
5. Fry each side of the aubergine stripes until they get slightly brown.
6. Place the fried aubergines on paper towels to get rid of the excess oil. Set them aside.

Meatballs

1. Place the minced beef, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin powder, and paprika into a deep mixing bowl.
2. Mix them with your hands until all ingredients are well combined, and knead for about 5 to 6 minutes.
3. 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).
4. Heat a frying pan with a splash of oil.
5. Fry the meatballs in the pan until they turn into slight golden color (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

1. In a bowl or glass mix the tomato paste and the water until well combined. Set aside.

Assembling the Aubergine Stripes and Meatballs

1. Prepare the cherry tomatoes and green peppers by cutting the tomatoes in halves and slicing the peppers into chunks. Set them aside on a plate as we will put them on skewers to secure the aubergine wraps.
2. Lay 2 fried aubergine stripes on top of each other to form a cross and place one meatball in the middle.
3. Bring first one end of the aubergine up to the top and then in turn the other three ends to form a wrap.
4. Place a piece of green pepper and half a tomato on a toothpick and secure the wrap with it. Repeat the same process until you finish all ingredients.
5. Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
6. Nicely arrange the aubergine wraps in a baking dish.
7. Gently pour the tomato sauce on the aubergine wraps using a spoon. Do not pour the sauce directly on the wraps as this will cause them to fall over in the dish.
8. Place the baking dish in the oven, and bake the meatballs until cherry tomatoes and green peppers look cooked. It will take around 20 - 25 minutes depending on your oven.
9. Give 5 minutes to cool down before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with buttery Turkish rice pilaf.