Khoresh Bademjan Recipe; Persian Eggplant Stew

Khoresh Bademjan is a traditional Persian stew usually served with either rice or bread. It can be made with different meats, such as lamb and beef, but lamb is the most common meat. The dish has many variations, but the most common recipe includes onions, tomatoes, and green peppers. The dish’s name comes from the words Khoresh, meaning “stew,” and Bademjan, which means eggplant.

Do not miss other delicious Persian stews like Ghormeh Sabzi stew, Khoresht Fesenjan, Khoresh Karafs, and Gheymeh!

How to Make Khoresh Bademjan?

Ingredients

• 6 eggplants
• 400 grams lamb cut into chunks
• 2 medium tomatoes 
• 2 medium onions 
• 1 tablespoon brewed saffron
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• Salt and black pepper as needed
• Oil and turmeric as needed
• Alternatively, dried Persian lime can be used

Directions

Step One

To prepare a delicious Khoresh Bademjan, peel the onions and chop them, add some oil to the pot you prepared for cooking the stew, and saute it well until it becomes translucent.

Step Two

Add some turmeric spice and fry the onion for a few more minutes until it is smooth with the turmeric. After washing the lamb, cut it up into bite-sized pieces and add it to the stew pot.

Step Three

You only need to cook the meat a little to change its color because cooking too much will make it firm. After the meat changes its color, season it with tomato paste to get the raw taste of the ingredients.

Step Four

Note that roasting tomatoes will make you have a more colorful stew at the end. Then add 3 full glasses of water to the pot and increase the heat to bring the water to the boiling point faster.

Step Five 

After the water boils, reduce the heat to cook the meat over medium heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes or 2 hours. While cooking the meat, you can prepare the eggplants. Peel the eggplants and cut them in halves lengthwise.

Step Six 

Put the eggplants in a tray; in addition to capturing the bitterness of the eggplants, sprinkle some salt on them. Sprinkling salt on the eggplants also absorbs less oil when frying. Rinse the eggplants after 30 minutes.

Step Seven

After drying the eggplants:

1. Fry them in oil.
2. Place the fried eggplants on a napkin to remove excess oil.
3. At the same time, cut the tomatoes in half and fry them a little until they are fried.

Step Eight 

After the meat is completely cooked and soft, add some salt, black pepper, and saffron to the stew and mix it a little so that the stew will be well-seasoned.

Step Nine

Add the eggplant and the fried tomatoes to the pot. Be careful not to stir the stew too much. If you want, you can add some dried lime to the stew.

Step Ten 

Khoresh Bademjan is one of the stews that should be served with a bit of water because it does not have much glaze. After adding the eggplants, let the stew stay on the heat for another 30 minutes to add oil.

Step Eleven 

If you want to make a delicious Khoresh Bademjan, you have to be patient and let the stew settle slowly on medium heat. 

How to Serve Khoresht e Bademjan?

Finally, when your stew is ready, pour it into a bowl and serve your delicious stew with rice and yogurt or vegetables

Tips on how to prepare a Delicious Khoresh Bademjan 

How to Prepare Khoresh Bademjan with Split Peas 

The main Iranian Khoresh Bademjan does not contain split peas, but if you want a more colorful and glazed stew, you can also use split peas. For the above amount of ingredients, you can add between 150 grams. Soak the split peas for at least 2 hours and change the water several times to decrease the bloating. The important thing about cooking peas is to be sure to cook them separately with an onion, discard the excess water, and add them to the stew when they are cooked. If you cook the split peas with the meat, your stew will lose its original taste.

How to prepare Khoresht e Bademjan without Meat 

If you want to prepare Khoresh Bademjan in an entirely vegetarian way, remove the lamb or chicken from the list of necessary ingredients. The method of cooking stew without meat is not much different, only the steps of cooking the meat are eliminated, and the stew is prepared very quickly.

Do not forget to make this recipe and share it with us. If you also have any related questions about the Khoresh Bademjan recipe, please do not hesitate to ask.