Borani Bademjan is a vegetarian dish that I make by stewing baked eggplants (bademjan) in a tomato garlic sauce. This is a vegetarian dish that can be served as an appetizer or a main dish. The eggplants may be fried for this dish, but as you probably know they tend to soak up a lot of oil and the baked method is much healthier. The borani dishes in Persian cuisine are typically served with yogurt but this dish tastes great without it, to suit a vegan diet. As far as eggplants go I think there are two groups of people, those who love to make delicious and creative dishes with eggplant and those who have their reasons to stay away from it.
There are many varieties of eggplants in the market, I like to use the Italian eggplants (top photo) for this recipe because they are very tender and not too many seeds. Some eggplant recipes call for a series of steps in order to make the eggplants edible because there is a belief that they are bitter. I never salt the eggplants or soak them in salt water to get rid of the bitterness because I don’t believe that eggplants are bitter! From my experience unless the eggplant has been sitting in the produce section or in the refrigerator longer than it should have, it tastes wonderful and it is one of the most tender vegetables out there. Fresh eggplant should be firm to touch with a smooth shiny skin. There should not be any soft indentations or blemishes on the skin.
For this recipe bake the eggplants according to the instructions on my How-To page. Let them cool on the aluminum foil for at least 20 minutes, then use a spatula to remove them. Set them aside.
Meanwhile saute the fried onions with tomato paste and when fragrant add the garlic
To make the sauce, add water to the onion and tomato mixture. Bring it to a boil then add the baked eggplants, cover and cook. Then halfway through cooking smash the eggplants with the bottom of a spoon and cook some more.
Borani bademjan is a simply wonderful vegetarian dish that is beautiful and delicious. Top it with toasted walnuts and add some shredded fresh mint leaves for color and a refreshing flavor. Enjoy Borani Bademjan with a spoonful or two of plain yogurt and toasted Sangak (persian flat bread) or any other bread of your choice.
- 7 Italian eggplants, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, plus 1 TBSP to coat the aluminum foil
- 1 large onion sliced thin and fried to golden brown (about 4 ounces fried onions)
- 3 TBSP vegetable oil
- 1 TBSP chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 ¾ cups water
- GARNISH:
- ¾ cup plain low-fat yogurt or nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1-2 TBSP water as needed
- 1 small red onion diced small
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- ⅓ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh mint leaves, optional
- To bake the eggplants in the oven please refer to the How-To page of my blog. Or if you prefer, fry the peeled eggplants in the skillet until golden brown on both sides.
- Meanwhile in a medium skillet fry the sliced onions in 3 TBSP vegetable oil over medium heat until golden brown.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the tomato paste. Stir and saute for 4 minutes until fragrant. Add chopped garlic, stir and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Add 1 ¾ cup water, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper to the onion mixture and bring it to a boil over medium heat to make a sauce.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, add the eggplants, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Use the back of a spoon to mash the eggplants into small pieces. Cover and simmer for an additional 25 minutes. Most of the liquid should be cooked off and the sauce will be thickened.
- Meanwhile in a small skillet fry the diced red onion in 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Reduce the heat to low, add turmeric powder and chopped walnuts. Saute for about 5 minutes until fragrant and nutty.
- In a small bowl whisk the yogurt until smooth. Add 1-2 TBSP water as needed for a smoother consistency.
- Transfer the eggplant dip to a serving platter. Top with the yogurt. Sprinkle the roasted walnut mixture over the yogurt. Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint leaves, if desired. Serve with toasted flat bread.
Hi Homa jan ?, I just made your Kashke badmjan and I loved it. I made it for my mother’s B-day. I’m sure she will like it too. Thank you. God bless you. ?
Hello Seda jan, thank you for your comment! I’m so happy you like it and hope your mom will too. Happy Birthday to your lovely mom and good bless you too my dear 🙂
Hello Homa Jan,
MY grandfather was from Ardebil and my Grandmother from Mashad. My father was born in Teheran and my mother is Irish German born in Maryland. I love to eat Persian food! I especially love any dish with Bademjan. Thank you for sharing your recipes! GOD BLESS YOU!
How lovely to learn about your rich family heritage Farzaneh jan! It is a pleasure to share my recipes with all the Persian food lovers, because there is nothing more disappointing than to crave a favorite dish from home and not have the right recipe 😉 I hope you will find many of your favorite dishes here and please keep in touch!
Thank you so much for this recipe! My family loves Borani Bademjan. I’ve tried several recipes from various Persian cookbooks, but none were really that great. This recipe; however, is the best! It is most like my mother-in-law’s.
It’s my pleasure dear Mari! I’m very happy to hear that my recipe has been approved by a family of borani bademjan fans! We love eggplants around here, and some type of eggplant dish is on our weekly menu; it’s nice to have so many different recipes to choose from. Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me and please keep in touch 🙂
Hi Homa,
My husband grew three (so far) Italian eggplants in the backyard, so I had to find something special for them. I made a half – recipe of this dip. I loved it, the baby wasn’t sure, and the toddler called it “ketchup” and dug right in. My husband ate some too, which is amazing because he doesn’t like eggplant much. So I have to work on the half of the family that isn’t sold on eggplant.
Whole Foods carries lavash bread! I didn’t know that before. So much better than regular pitas. Our dinner looked just like your picture.
Hi Allison; that is the way to do it; one meal at a time! Haha, Ketchup; that’s hilarious 🙂 I’m glad you’ve found lavash; we love it, luckily our Persian store carries it too.
This was delicious! I might double the recipe next time I make it.
Hi Ellen; glad you liked this. Yes, you could definitely double the recipe. Enjoy! Thanks for your comment and please keep in touch!
Can saffron be added to this dish or would it mess up the taste?
Hi David, yes by all means go ahead and add some!! Most Persian dishes only get better with saffron 😉 Enjoy it and keep in touch