One of our favourite recipes to prepare in advance to batch cook and freeze is this Khoresh Gheymeh Bademjan recipe. The eggplant and tomato topping adds a more elegant twist to this traditional recipe.
This version is vegetarian but can just as easily be made with chunks of lamb.
Things to note when making Khoresh Gheymeh Bademjan
Be sure to use enough oil when initially frying the onion and the spices. The turmeric specifically can form a coating on the bottom of the saucepan if you don’t use enough oil.
I pulse my dried lime – limmoo amani – in the food processor to break them up into a course powder. I prefer to do this than use the whole pierced dried lime as is often traditionally used.
When adding the prunes, I prefer to add them at the end. I divide them between the glass casserole dishes and then add the prepared Geymeh over the top. This results in the prunes keeping their shape while taking on the flavor of the khoresh. A burst of flavor when biting into the prune.
Pre-boiling the sliced eggplant was a tip given to me by my sister-in-law when she came over for a visit from Iran. This reduces the amount of oil absorbed by the eggplant when frying, but for this recipe, as the dish is baked in the oven, the eggplant does not need to be fried before layering on the top of the dish with the tomatoes.
Drizzling tamarind or pomegranate syrup over the top, and sprinkling with sesame seeds and crushed pepper just before the final cook in the oven results in a rich glaze giving an element finish to the final dish.
This recipe is great when preparing for large gatherings, but overtime I have found this, along with Gorme Sabzi, to be one of the best batch cook and freeze recipes.
Serve with white Persian rice with crispy potato tahdig and air fryer chips. An amazing, last minute easy Persian meal straight from the freezer.
Khoresh Gheymeh Bademjan – Persian Stew with Split Peas and Eggplant
Ingredients
- 4 med Onions Diced
- 1 kg yellow split peas washed
- 2 tlbs Turmeric
- 2 tlbs Salt
- 2 tlbs dried lime – limoo amani
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 large tin crushed tomatoes 825g
- 3 tlb tomato paste
- 100 gram prepared tamarind
- 4 each eggplant
- 4 each fresh tomatoes
- 500 gram prunes
Instructions
- Gently fry onion, turmeric, salt and cumin until the onion is transparent, adding oil generously as needed.
- Stir through the dried lime and let cook for a further 1 minute or so.
- Add washed yellow split peas, stirring through the mixture.
- Add tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and turmeric, and enough water to cover.
- Bring to boil and leave to gently simmer for about an hour. Regularly stirring, and adding more water as needed.
Prepare Topping
- Thickly slice the eggplant into ½ inch rounds
- Bring large saucepan of salty water to the boil.
- Drop in the eggplant in batches and cook until semi-transparent. Do not over cook.
- Drain on a tea towel or paper towel until dry.
- Thickly slice the tomato into ½ inch rounds
Putting it all together
- Divide the prunes between 4 – 5 glass oven proof serving dishes
- Spoon the Khoresh Gheymeh on top of the prunes
- Layer rows of boiled eggplant and tomato alternately
- Diagonally drizzle tamarind syrup decoratively across the top
- Optionally sprinkle with crushed black pepper, rock salt and sesame seeds
- Cook in a moderate oven (180° C) for around 30 – 45 minutes
