Khoresht Bademjan – Lamb Stew with Eggplant
A delicious tomato based lamb stew with eggplant. Great served with either rice or bread. This was one of the first Persian dishes I learnt to cook and would have to be the most popular Iranian dish in our household.
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook time:1 hour
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, diced
- 1 kg diced lamb
- 1 tlbs salt
- 2 tlbs oil
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 crushed dried lime
- 2 x 400g tins crushed tomatoes
- 2 tlbs tomato paste
- 2 large eggplant
Methods/steps
- In a heavy based frying pan, fry the onion, salt and pepper, turmeric and dried lime until the onion is transparent.
- Add the lamb and fry until the surface of the lamb is sealed.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a slow simmer until the lamb is tender, about an hour.
- Peel and slice the eggplant lengthwise.
- Rub the surface of the eggplant with olive oil.
- Cook on a hot grill, BBQ or heavy based frying pan till soft.
- Layer the cooked eggplant on the bottom of a serving dish, and spoon the stew on the top, gently mix to bring the eggplant visible.
Additional Tips
This is one of the first recipes I learnt how to cook, and has become a family favourite. I am often told, when asked how I make it, that you don’t put limoo amani in Khoresht Bademjan but I think it adds an interesting flavour and is always the first dish to be finished.
