Description
Khoresh Bademjan is a traditional Persian eggplant stew featuring tender lamb slow-cooked with aromatic spices, sautéed onions, and roasted eggplants. This rich and flavorful dish combines the tanginess of dried limes and tomatoes with saffron and turmeric, creating a comforting and hearty stew perfect for serving with Persian saffron rice.
Ingredients
Stew Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil (more as needed, divided)
- 2 large onions (peeled, quartered and sliced thinly)
- 8 cherry tomatoes (rinsed, pat dry, or grape tomatoes)
- 4 cloves garlic (grated)
- 2 pounds lamb stew meat (leg or shoulder with some bone, or 1½ lbs boneless)
- 1 teaspoon advieh
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water (more as needed)
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce (or 2½ cups chopped tomatoes)
- 3 dried limes (rinsed and pierced, or 2 tablespoons lime juice)
- ½ teaspoon saffron (ground and dissolved in 3 tablespoons hot water, optional)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (more as per taste)
Eggplant Preparation
- 2 large globe eggplants (peeled and sliced; if American variety, cut into halves and then ½ inch thick slices)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (for brushing eggplants)
Instructions
- Fry Onions: In a wide dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add one-third of the sliced onions and sauté until light golden brown and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt when onions are half cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Sear Cherry Tomatoes: In the same dutch oven, add the cherry tomatoes and sear on all sides until edges darken and blister. Remove and set aside with fried onions.
- Sauté Remaining Onions and Garlic: Add the remaining sliced onions to the dutch oven and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add grated garlic and stir until aromatic, around 1 minute.
- Sear Lamb Meat: Push sautéed onions to the edge or remove from the pot. Add extra olive oil if needed. Arrange lamb meat in a single layer and raise heat to high. Quickly sear meat for about 3 minutes per side until golden brown, without cooking through.
- Add Spices and Liquids: Sprinkle advieh, turmeric, black pepper, and salt over the meat and onions. Stir to coat evenly. Add water, tomato sauce, dried limes, and saffron water (if using). Stir well to combine.
- Simmer Stew: Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is about 80% cooked, approximately 1¼ to 1½ hours.
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Eggplants: While stew simmers, preheat oven to 425 ºF. If using American globe eggplants, cut into halves and ½ inch slices. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Bake Eggplants: Place slices on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until eggplants are fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Alternatively, eggplants can be skillet-fried according to preference.
- Add Roasted Eggplants: Cut large roasted eggplant slices if necessary and add them to the dutch oven with 2 tablespoons lime juice. Continue simmering until eggplants are soft and tender, approximately 30 minutes.
- Final Touches and Serve: The sauce will thicken, and some oil may rise to the surface. Meat should easily fall off the bone. Adjust seasoning as needed. Return fried onions and seared cherry tomatoes to the pot, cook for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with Persian saffron rice and tahdig.
Notes
- A pinch of salt added while frying onions enhances their flavor and helps with caramelization.
- Dried limes impart authentic tanginess; if unavailable, substitute with lime juice but note flavor differences.
- Saffron is optional but adds depth and authentic aroma; prepare by dissolving in hot water before adding.
- Baking eggplants is the recommended method for less oil absorption, but skillet frying is an acceptable alternative.
- Adjust lime juice to taste for desired acidity.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking and Stovetop
- Cuisine: Persian
