Borani Banjan recipe

Borani Banjan recipe (Afghan eggplant with yogurt sauce)

Borani Banjan or Borani Baingan is an easy Afghan food, and you can also find it in Iran and Pakistan. This amazing food is very popular, and you definitely will enjoy that. I love eggplant, and I believe every food with eggplant will be amazing, like Mirza Ghasemi or Kashke Bademjan.

For making this one-pot vegetarian appetizer, you need eggplant, tomato, onion, garlic, yogurt, green chilies, dried mint, and other general spices like turmeric, pepper, and salt. Let’s dive into cooking this fast and delicious food!

How to choose a good eggplant?

How to choose a good eggplant?

Eggplant is the main ingredient of Borani Banjan, and finding a good eggplant can make our food more delicious. There are some tips for choosing a good eggplant:

  1. A good eggplant has shiny and smooth skin.
  2. Try to choose a slightly firm eggplant, and when you press the eggplant, it should bounce back into its shape.
  3. Its stem should be green.

Borani Banjan recipe

To cook Borani Banjan, peel and chop 750 gr eggplants into thin slices (You can also not peel eggplant if you like). Add salt to them and let them rest for 15 minutes, and after that, wash them. Salting eggplants will make them less bitter. Add oil to a pan and heat it on a medium flame. When the oil is hot enough, add chopped eggplants and fry both sides of them one by one. After frying the eggplant’s slices, put them on a kitchen towel.

Chop 5 cloves of garlic and 1 medium-size onion into small pieces, then sauté them in oil (you can use the remaining oil after frying eggplants) till making them golden brown. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ tablespoon turmeric, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 3 green chilies in the pan and stir. Chop 3 medium-size tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the pan. Cover the pan and let them cook till tomatoes are soft. Place the fried eggplants in the tomato sauce and pour ¼ cup of water. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes with low heat.

tamato sauce for borani banjan
Tomato sauce for borani banjan

Yogurt with garlic sauce

The yogurt with garlic recipe is like what we have in the Ashak recipe, but it is more concentrated. Blend the yogurt in a bowl, then chop 1 clove of garlic completely and add it to the yogurt. Finally, add salt and dried mint to the yogurt and stir it well. Our yogurt and garlic sauce is ready!

yogurt with garlic sauce
Yogurt with garlic sauce

How to serve Borani Banjan?

To serve Banjan Borani:

  1. Bring a plate and put one or two tablespoons of yogurt sauce.
  2. Transfer eggplants to the yogurt sauce and pour the tomato sauce on them.
  3. Pour yogurt sauce on them.

Our delicious Afghan Borani Banjan is ready! 

Serve it with flatbread, pita bread, or naan. You can also serve it with Kabuli pulao and enjoy it!

borani banjan eggplant recipe

Did you make this recipe?

  • please let me know how it was by leaving a comment!
  • You can ask me questions about Borani Banjan in the comments. I will answer your questions as soon as possible.
  • I would love to see your food! Please tag me with @cookingcounty on Facebook or Instagram and make me happy!

Borani Banjan recipe (Afghan eggplant with yogurt sauce)

Recipe by ShayanCourse: AppetizersCuisine: AfghanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

3

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Calories

410

kcal

Borani Banjan is an easy one-pot vegetarian Afghan appetizer made with eggplant, tomato, garlic, yogurt, onion, green chilies, dried mint.

Ingredients

  • Eggplant with tomato sauce
  • 750 gr eggplants

  • 5 cloves of garlic

  • 1 medium-size onion

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ½ tablespoon turmeric

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 3 green chilies

  • 3 medium-size tomatoes

  • Yogurt with garlic sauce
  • 1 cup of yogurt

  • 1 clove garlic

  • Salt to taste

  • Dried mint to sprinkle

Directions

  • Frying eggplant
  • Peel and chop 750 gr eggplants into thin slices (You can also not peel eggplant if you like).
  • Add salt to them and let them rest for 15 minutes, and after that, wash them. Salting eggplants will make them less bitter.
  • Add oil to a pan and heat it on a medium flame. When the oil is hot enough, add chopped eggplants and fry both sides of them one by one.
  • After frying the eggplant’s slices, put them on a kitchen towel.
  • Tomato sauce
  • Chop 5 cloves of garlic and 1 medium-size onion into small pieces, then sauté them in oil (you can use the remaining oil after frying eggplants) till making them golden brown.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ tablespoon turmeric, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 3 green chilies in the pan and stir.
  • Chop tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the pan. Cover the pan and let them cook till tomatoes are soft.
  • Place the fried eggplants in the tomato sauce and pour ¼ cup of water. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes with low heat.
  • Yogurt with garlic sauce
  • Blend the yogurt in a bowl.
  • Chop 2 cloves of garlic completely and add it to the yogurt.
  • Add salt and dried mint to the yogurt and stir it well.
  • To serve
  • Bring a plate and put one or two tablespoons of yogurt sauce.
  • Transfer eggplants to the yogurt sauce and pour the tomato sauce on them.
  • Pour yogurt sauce on them.

Notes

  • Serve Borani Banjan with flatbread, pita bread, or naan. You can also serve it with Kabuli pulao.

2 Comments

  1. Avatar of Cris

    Can this be frozen after preparation, minus yogurt sauce? We love this and it would be great to pull it out of the freezer.

    • Avatar of Sara Shademani
      Sara Shademani

      Hi dear Cris.
      We are so happy that you enjoyed Borani Banjan.
      Yes, you can freeze fried eggplant with tomato sauce and reheat it whenever you desire. Then add yogurt sauce for serving.

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