Persian Mama

Persian Food, Desserts, Baking and Pastry Recipes with step-by-step instructions and illustrations

  • Home
  • All recipes
  • Index
  • Damkesh/Damkoni Order
  • Helpful Tips
  • ABOUT US
  • Culture

DOLMEH BADEMJAN | STUFFED EGGPLANT

January 6, 2015 By Homa

Dolmeh Bademjan | Stuffed eggplant
The recipe that I want to share with you today is called Dolmeh Bademjan which translates to Stuffed Eggplant. What do you think of when you see the word dolmeh (dolma) on a menu or a cookbook? The word dolmeh means filled or to be filled in Azeri and Turkish.  My ancestors were from Azerbaijan and this is an Azeri recipe (Badimjan Dolmasi) that has been in my family for several generations. Most people are only familiar with the grape leaf dolmeh (Dolmeh Barg) which is the fresh or pickled grape leaves stuffed with savory grains and spices. Besides the grape leaves, dolmeh can be a number of vegetables and some fruits that are stuffed with ingredients such as meat, herbs, legumes and grains. The eggplant of choice for this dish is usually American globe, which is readily available in most supermarkets. When buying this eggplant you need to select small to medium size that is firm and heavy for the size and has dark shiny skin and no blemishes.
ing
Use 4 medium size American globe eggplants
grains and split peas
Pick through rice, bulgur and split peas and rinse them under cold water
cooked
Cook them in water with spices and salt until tender but firm
beef
Saute the cubed beef with diced onions, turmeric powder, and black pepper then simmer in some water until tender.  Reserve 1 cup of the broth for the sauce.
fried onions
Saute fried onions and tomato paste until aromatic
mixed
Add the cooked meat, the remaining broth, rice mixture, and seasoning to the skillet and let it simmer a bit.
tomatoes
Remove the skillet from heat and add diced tomatoes and chopped fresh parsley.  Stir to combine.
globe eggplants
Cut off a slice from the top of the prepared eggplants and set it aside to be used as cap later
hollowed out
Hollow out the eggplants leaving some flesh attached to the skin. Discard the seeds but reserve some of the white flesh.
stuffed
Stuff the eggplants with the meat and rice mixture. Cut the reserved eggplant pieces in half and push two half circles sideways inside the stuffed eggplant as caps.  Use the tip of a sharp knife to make four 1-inch slits around the belly of each eggplant.
in the skillet
Add any extra stuffing and the reserved white flesh to the sauce and lay the eggplants on their sides, cover and simmer.
cooking
Halfway through the cooking turn the eggplants so the top sides are in the sauce.  Cover and continue simmering until the eggplants are completely cooked through and fork tender.
Dolmeh Bademjan | Stuffed eggplants

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
STUFFED EGGPLANT - Dolmeh Bademjan - Badimjan Dolmasi
 
Print
The final cooking time is about 40 minutes.
Author: Homa
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Azeri
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 4 medium firm American Globe eggplants
  • 2 tsp each salt and pepper (divided) for rubbing inside the hollowed out eggplants
  • FOR THE COOKED BEEF:
  • 1 ½ pounds cross rib roast beef or any similar marbled roast beef, cubed into bite size pieces
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 ½ cups cold water
  • FOR THE STUFFING:
  • ⅓ cup uncooked rice, I used aromatic jasmine rice
  • ⅓ cup uncooked bulgur
  • ⅓ cup uncooked split peas
  • 1 tsp Persian Meat spice or curry powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • 2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 TBSP vegetable oil
  • 3 TBSP tomato paste
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 small fresh tomato, diced
  • 3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
  • FOR THE SAUCE
  • 1 cup beef broth, reserved from cooking the meat
  • 2 TBSP tomato paste
  • ⅓ cup fried onions (reserved)
  • ⅛ tsp saffron powder (optional)
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
  1. Pick through the rice, bulgur and split peas carefully for any possible debris. Add them to a fine mesh sieve, rinse under cold water. Add to a small saucepan with ¾ cup cold water, 1 tsp Persian meat spice, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover the saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes, or until all the water is cooked off and the ingredients are tender but firm. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.
  2. Add the cubed meat, butter, diced onion, turmeric powder and ground black pepper to a medium stockpot. Saute over medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the meat is browned and the natural juices start bubbling.
  3. Add 2 ½ cups cold water to the meat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the stockpot and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the broth for the sauce.
  4. Wash and pat dry the eggplants. Remove and discard the stems. Slice a 1-inch ring off the top of each eggplant and cut it into two equal half circles and set aside. You will be using these pieces as caps to cover the top of the eggplants after stuffing them.
  5. Hollow out the eggplants, leaving ⅓ inch of the flesh on the skin. Discard the heavily seeded parts but reserve some of the flesh. Rub ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper inside each eggplant. Set aside.
  6. Peel and thinly slice 2 large onions. In a large skillet fry the onions to golden brown in 4 TBSP vegetable oil. Reserve ⅓ cup of the fried onions for the sauce. Add tomato paste to the rest of the fried onions and saute until aromatic. Add cooked beef, the remaining beef broth (If there is less than ½ cup add enough water to make it ½ cup), ½ tsp kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and the cooked rice mixture. Bring the mixture to a slow boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes.
  7. Remove the skillet from heat and add diced tomato and chopped parsley; stir to combine all the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Use the same skillet for cooking the eggplants.
  8. Stuff the belly of the eggplants with the meat mixture. Do not overstuff or the skin will tear. Cap each eggplant with the reserved pieces. Push them in side ways to block the stuffing from falling out during cooking. Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut four 1-inch slits around the belly of each eggplant.
  9. Make the tomato sauce: Add 2 TBSP tomato paste and ⅓ cup reserved fried onions to the large skillet. Saute for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until aromatic. Add the reserved 1 cup beef broth, saffron powder, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium high.
  10. Reduce the heat to low and add the reserved eggplant flesh and any extra stuffing mix to the tomato sauce. Lay the stuffed eggplants on their sides in the sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Carefully use two spatulas and roll the eggplants so the top side is in the sauce. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Add couple of tablespoons of water if needed.
  11. Serve with flat bread and Salad Shirazi.
Notes
The salt is left out intentionally when the beef is cooked in water with onion, turmeric and black pepper. Adding salt at this initial cooking stage causes the meat to get tough.
3.4.3174

Filed Under: Azeri food, Beef & Lamb, Comfort Food, Dolmeh Bademjan, Main Dishes, Recipe Tagged With: Azeri/Persian recipe, bademjan, dolma, dolmeh, grains, traditional Persian meals

« SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS IN WINE CREAM SAUCE
AASH RESHTEH آش رشته »

Comments

  1. Marilyn pierson says

    March 24, 2018 at 6:53 am

    Is it possible to make a tasty vegetarian dish by altering the recipe or just omitting the meat?

    • Homa says

      March 24, 2018 at 9:55 am

      Yes, absolutely! You won’t really have to alter the recipe that much; maybe increase the grains and legumes a little to give it more substance and use vegetable stock instead of water for the tomato sauce. You could also add some sun dried tomatoes, red peppers, and extra herbs to the stuffing.

  2. Sue Zomber says

    February 26, 2021 at 2:17 am

    I made it and it came out wonderful just like my mom used to make. Now I want to try the grape leafs but I have a hard time keeping the leaf stuffed.

    • Homa says

      February 26, 2021 at 11:15 am

      Hi Sue, this is a classic recipe and I’m thrilled that it reminds you of your mom’s. The grape leaf dolmeh has two methods of rolling. The Tabrizi method which is displayed on my blog post takes a bit more practice 😉
      The alternative method which makes cigar shaped rolls is much easier. Check out this video on my Pinterest account, hope it helps:

      https://www.pinterest.com/pin/309692911882090310/
      Place the stuffed leaves very close to each other to keep them from opening. Please take care and keep in touch

Homa

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Popular Recipes

Fall is the pomegranate season, and I feel it is the perfect time to share my Fesenjan, or Fesenjoon recipe (chicken stew with walnut and pomegranate sauce). Beautiful red ripe pomegranates are available in most supermarkets. This jeweled fruit is the wonder of nature and makes you think about the intricate design that nestles precious gems that…

Read More »

Kabob Koobideh (کباب کوبیده) is made with ground lamb or beef or a combination of the two.  This is one of the most popular kabobs you can find on the streets of Iran. This Kabob is usually grilled over hot coals and is served in fancy restaurants and clubs, as well as in the little shacks…

Read More »

 Barbari, Noon Barbari, or Nan Barbari, is a popular traditional Persian flat bread with a crisp crust and light airy texture. Noon, or nan, means bread in Farsi. This bread is best when eaten hot right out of the oven and it is the most favored bread for breakfast (sobhaneh). Some of the special delicacies enjoyed with…

Read More »

Copyright © 2023