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Eggplant Rolls

Eggplant slices are broiled and rolled around seasoned ground meat patties, then baked in tomato sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 21 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Eggplant Rolls

Oven400°F
Timeabout 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the components

  1. Broil drained eggplant slices on both sides after spraying or brushing them with olive oil for about 10 minutes or until soft and browned in spots (they do not need to be fully cooked).

  2. Mix kufta ingredients and knead briefly.

  3. Divide mixture into 18 pieces and form each into an elongated, oval-shaped patty about 3 ½ inches long.

  4. Broil patties, turning once to brown on both sides, about 10 minutes (they do not need to be fully cooked).

Assemble the rolls

  1. Make 18 rolls by placing a kufta patty crosswise at one end of a spread eggplant slice.

  2. Roll up the eggplant slice around the kufta; secure the roll by tying it with a parsley stalk softened in hot water.

  3. Arrange finished rolls side by side, seam side down, in a glass baking pan 11-by-7 inches or approximate size.

Make the sauce and bake

  1. Spread diced tomatoes on rolls.

  2. Add basil, sugar, salt, and pepper to diluted tomato paste or sauce or juice.

  3. Heat until it starts to bubble, or microwave for 3 minutes on high.

  4. Pour liquid all over the rolls.

  5. Ensure there is enough liquid to cover them; add a little hot water if needed.

  6. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F, loosely covered, for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and nicely thickened.

  7. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm bread or cooked rice, along with salad.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

675Calories
17 gProtein
3 gFat
148 gCarbs

Counts 15 of 17 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Allspice1 tsp ground (1.9g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Meatnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Parsley + cumintop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together821 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,306 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lean meat
Forms the savory filling that gives the rolls their body and bite.
Eggplant (in the method)
Soft, lightly browned slices wrap the filling and absorb the sauce.
Tomatoes
Provide moisture and acidity that build the sauce.
Tomato paste
Concentrates tomato flavor and thickens the sauce as it bakes.
Flour or breadcrumbs
Absorb moisture and help the patty hold its shape.

The step that matters

Ensure there is enough liquid to cover them. The rolls need enough sauce to keep them moist during baking. Too little liquid can leave the filling dry and the sauce unevenly thickened.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, flour, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, pepper):

  1. Turmericfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Oreganofits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against meat, flour, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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