Eggplant Boats Stuffed With Meet and Cheese

Choose a small(medium) eggplant that is firm and shiny. Wash it thoroughly and pat it dry.
Cut off the stem and slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Make diagonal cuts on the eggplants, moving away from the skin by about 0.7-1cm. Sprinkle salt on them and let them stand for about half an hour to an hour. This way, excess moisture and bitterness from the eggplants will be released.

Meanwhile, let's prepare the filling. Take a frying pan, pour in some oil, and fry finely chopped onions until golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add minced meat (any of your choice), I have turkey minced meat. Fry until almost cooked, then add garlic through a press and all the spices (coriander, cumin, paprika). Turn off the heat.

Once the eggplants have released their juices, drain them and rinse or dry them with a kitchen towel.

Place the eggplants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil over the eggplants and season with pepper to taste. Bake them in the oven at a middle level for approximately 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.

When the eggplants become soft, you can check by poking them with a fork or toothpick. Take the eggplants out of the oven and scoop out the soft inner flesh of the eggplants with a teaspoon, leaving only a shell of about 0.5cm. Mix the eggplant flesh with the meat filling. Divide the filling into 4 parts and fill them back into the eggplant shells.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top generously; this will affect the final taste of the dish, making it juicy and delicious.

Return the stuffed eggplants boats to the preheated oven "Grill setting" at 200-210C (about 10 minutes) until the cheese will melt and the golden brown

Take the eggplant boats out of the oven and serve them hot immediately. The eggplant is soft and filled with a juicy, satisfying filling! A good alternative for these on Keto-Diet, as a low-carb dish.
Enjoy it as a starter or main dish for dinner. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.