Vegan stuffed zucchini is one of the most popular and traditional flavors of Turkish cuisine. It is frequently made in the Mediterranean region. This dish has its origins in the Ottoman Empire and is usually made during the summer months when fresh zucchini is abundant. Vegan stuffed zucchini stands out as a light and healthy dish. It is enjoyable to eat both hot and cold. I strongly recommend you to consume it by drizzling garlic yogurt on it. Because this way it creates a perfect combination.
Dishes with olive oil are an important part of Anatolian and Ottoman cuisine. These dishes are usually cooked with olive oil and do not contain meat. Vegan stuffed zucchini cooked with olive oil is one of these traditional dishes. And it has a long history in Turkish cuisine. Although the stuffed zucchini recipe has varied over time according to different regions, its basic ingredients and the importance of olive oil have generally been preserved.
Since I am from Gaziantep, the baklava and pistachio paradise, I will make this dish Antep style. The difference of the Gaziantep style vegan stuffed zucchini recipe is that it does not use spices and greens such as cumin, mint, dill and parsley, as in other Antep style stuffed vegetables. In Gaziantep, we use pomegranate molasses in all stuffed vegetable recipes to make it a little sour. You can use rice or bulgur in the stuffing. Rice stuffing must be cooked well, not left al dente. While preparing this recipe, I cooked zucchinis and green peppers together. Of course, you can make this recipe using only zucchinis.
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Ingredients:
The ingredients needed to make vegan stuffed zucchini are generally:
- Small sized zucchinis
- White rice, onion, garlic, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses for the filling. (I recommend using baldo rice, which absorbs a lot of water)
- Olive oil (prefer high quality)
- Lemon juice or lemon salt
- Salt, black pepper, chili pepper flakes
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Zucchini?
1.Step:Choose small zucchinis and wash them well. Cut off the stem parts of small zucchinis. Then cut a slice to use as a lid later, set aside. And hollow out the inside of the zucchinis. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to the zucchinis you carved.
***Note:Carve zucchinis thin. If you carve the zucchini thickly, it will be difficult to cook. You can also use tomato slices instead of zucchini slices as a lid, it’s up to your preference.
2.Step: For the stuffing, wash the rice thoroughly. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, tomato paste, spices, pomegranate molasses and olive oil to a mixing bowl. Add rice and mix. You don’t need to cook the stuffing before filling it.
3.Step: Fill the mixture you prepared into the zucchinis you carved. Since the rice will cook and swell, you only need to fill it halfway. If you fill too much, the rice will swell and come out of the zucchini while cooking. Arrange the stuffed zucchinis in the pot upright.
4.Step: Cover the stuffed vegetables with a stuffed (dolma) press stone or a porcelain plate like me. Put salt and lemon salt on the back of the plate and pour boiling water over it. This way they are distributed evenly throughout the pot. The boiling water should cover the zucchinis.
5.Step: Cover the pot, bring it to a boil and reduce the heat. Check the doneness after 1 hour. The stuffed vegetables in the picture were cooked in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6.Step: You can eat vegan stuffed zucchini hot or cold. Ideally, I recommend you to try this dish with garlic yogurt after it has cooled down.
Vegan stuffed zucchini has its eye-catching presentation and taste. You can also try the Antep style vegan stuffed zucchini with this recipe. Bon appetit in advance!
Vegan Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
- 21 small sized zucchinis (I used 13 small zucchinis and 8 small peppers)
For Stuffing:
- 1 big onion (finely chopped)
- 12-13 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp pepper paste (heaping spoon)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (heaping spoon)
- 2 tbsp chili pepper flakes (I used Aleppo chili flakes)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 3 cups white rice
While Cooking:
- 1 tsp lemon salt (or juice of 1 lemon)
- 2 tsp salt
- boiling water (as much as it takes)
Instructions
- Wash zucchinis well. Cut off the stem parts of zucchinis. Then cut a slice to use as a lid later, set aside.
- Hollow out the inside of the zucchinis. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to the zucchinis you carved.
- For the stuffing, wash the rice thoroughly. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, tomato paste, spices, pomegranate molasses and olive oil to a mixing bowl. Add rice and mix. You don’t need to cook the stuffing before filling it.
- Fill the mixture you prepared into the zucchinis you carved. Since the rice will cook and swell, you only need to fill it halfway.
- Arrange the stuffed zucchinis in the pot upright.
- Cover the stuffed vegetables with a stuffed (dolma) press stone or a porcelain plate like me. Put salt and lemon salt on the back of the plate and pour boiling water over it. This way they are distributed evenly throughout the pot. The boiling water should cover the zucchinis.
- Put the lid on, bring it to a boil and reduce the heat. Check the doneness after 1 hour. The stuffed vegetables in the picture were cooked in 1 hour and 15 minutes.