by popular demand: khoresh bademjan (persian eggplant stew)
khoresh bademjan(joon) with chicken aka mossama bademjan(joon)
{this one requires quite a bit of time and attention, but it's well worth it}! i'm sitting here with a big splint on my right forefinger, looking awfully funny while typing away at my laptop- thinking of how quickly you can hurt yourself if you're not careful: very! i cut my finger badly yesterday with my beloved japanese knife while washing it-but no hard feelings, i still love and appreciate it so much. having said that, be careful with those sharp knives! good news is i had already prepared this post pre cut-finger-which -can't-cook (we'll be having take out tonight). let me start by saying that khoresh bademjan (or bademjoon) is an all time favorite of mine-it's one of those familiar (but oh so good) dishes that are served in iran at big family lunches on an almost weekly basis in many households. it's the ultimate-as in super satisfying, beyond delicious, and filling....each and every time. i couldn't eat eggplants when i was a kid-they made my mouth feel funny, so i had avoided one of my favorite dishes until the age of about twelve, when I thankfully discovered it in the late afternoon of a ladies luncheon at our house. my sister and i got home form school tired and famished and found the remains of the feast waiting for us at room temperature-that's when kb(khoresh bademjan) and i bonded for life. you can make this dish with braised veal (or lamb) shanks, with good (grass fed) stew beef, with chicken, or without meat for a great vegetarian meal-it's your choice. the meat is cooked separately before it's combined with the the rest of the components, so just leave it out for a vegetarian version. when i make this dish, i make extra portions-the leftovers might just be better tasting than the original.
gheimeh bademjan(joon) the perfect marriage between khoresh gheimeh (recipe here) and khoresh bademjan.
1.5 to 2 pounds grass fed organic beef (or veal) for stewing, cubed (you can also use the same amount of skinless organic chicken pieces)
2 onions (1 for cooking meat, 1 for the fried onion (piaz dagh)
10-12 eggplants-Italian of Japanese (these need less cooking so add them later or they will not hold up)
2-3 tsp turmeric (for beef, and for fried onions)
sea salt & pepper (to taste)
3 ripe roma (or other) tomatoes
3tbs passata (tomato sauce), or fresh tomato puree (fresh tomato processed in food processor)
1-2 tsps ground saffron (or a few strands seeped in hot water)
1/4 cup sour grapes (frozen at middle eastern stores) and/or juice of 2 limes
about 5-7 tbsp vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
fried onions, or "piaz dagh" (necessary component of most Persian stews)-see method below
For the braised meat:
basmati rice with tadig(crispy rice-aka favorite part)
if you are adding beef, lamb, or chicken, start braising it first because you'll need a good 1.5 hours to cook it properly. look at my braised chicken recipe here and use the same method for braising: fry the thinly sliced onions (with 1 tbsp oil) until slightly golden and softened, add meat, turmeric, salt and pepper, then sear (or brown on all sides) for about 5-8 minutes on high, reduce heat, add very little (1/4 cup) water, and braise (lid on) on med/low for one and a half hours at least. the meat will need to have a good amount of good thickened juices left after it has cooked for use in the stew, so add water little by little if you have to-if you keep the temperature steady and the lid on it should be fine.
2. we often make the fried onions ahead of time in bulk and freeze for use any time we need it. you make "piaz dagh" which translates to hot onion (you can find it in the frozen section of the middle eastern stores in california if you don't want your whole house to smell like onions!) by frying the thinly sliced onions (often with a touch of turmeric) in several tbsp of hot vegetable oil until golden brown and translucent. remove from oil with a slotted spoon, let the extra oil drain, and set aside on paper towel.
3. you will need to fry the eggplants (i buy eggplants that are on the smaller side, fry them whole and peeled with their end caps left on). peel the eggplants, salt them, and let them sweat (and drain) for 1/2 to 1 hour. slowly (on medium heat ) fry them on all sides-i will leave the amount of oil up to you, but typically you need a good amount-lately I've been slicing the eggplants in half so that one side is flat. ideally, your eggplants should look like the fried ones pictured.
4. once you have all your components ready you can start putting the stew together. in a deep baking dish (or dutch oven, which is even better), start with a portion of the tomato sauce at the bottom, then add your cooked meat (with all the good juices), some fried onions or piaz dagh (scattered evenly), a squeeze of lime juice(or scattering of sour lemons), a touch of your saffron (diluted in a tsp or two of hot water), a touch of salt, then surround the beef with the fried eggplants. add more of the tomato sauce/puree, fried onions, saffron, and another squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 lime total if you have sour grapes-otherwise 2). slice your tomatoes in halves or quarters and add them to the top (skin on top) along with a scattering of sour grapes.5. I cook instinctively, so trying my best to share my process with you. you are now ready to bake the stew (you can also do this stove top in the dutch oven)-or keep it (refrigerated) for baking later (up to 1 or 2 days later). cover with foil (or lid) and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or so- serve with white steamed basmati rice. see my recipe for persian steamed rice-follow the recipe, leaving out all the spices except the saffron. enjoy. we did!!
(first published in 2012)