Recipes
Persian Eggplant and Tomato Stew (Khoresh Bademjan)
Serves 6
| Prep Time: 15 minutes
| Cook Time: 1 hour
| Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
You may need: Persian Delight
Discover The Recipe
Khoresh Bademjan is a wonderfully flavorful Persian Eggplant and Tomato Stew. This dish typically showcases some sour notes that pair well with this savory dish. Khoresh Bademjan is also traditionally made with lamb or beef, but this dish is equally delicious and filling. The split peas have a surprising meatiness to them.
We suggest using pomegranate molasses, very traditional Middle Eastern ingredient, to develop the sour notes. Made of boiled pomegranates, it has a sharp sour flavor with some balance from sweet notes. You can easily buy this online or make a decent substitute from 3 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part honey.
We spice this dish with our proprietary Persian Delight blend, developed to infuse traditional Persian flavors in any dish. The dried spices are spiked with dried herbs dill and mint, used extensively in Persian cuisine. Turmeric not only provides a lovely earthy taste and orange hue, but is also thought to be an anti-inflammatory remedy. Cinnamon and cardamom provide warm, exotic notes to balance the nutty cumin. Finally, our blend contains sumac, which lends its wonderful lemony-tart flavor to any dish. Serve this dish with rice on the side for a traditional plating.
Ingredients
Baked Eggplant
8 baby eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Persian Eggplant & Tomato Stew (Khoresh Bademjan)
1 cup yellow split pea
6 cups water
2 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Persian Delight
1 pinch cayenne (optional)
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup vegetable stock
Garnish: vegan yogurt, fresh mint, roasted potato slices
Notes
This is a very unique tasting stew, with a natural citrusy sweet flavor from the oranges and sourness from the pomegranate molasses. I recommend adjusting the flavor to taste with sea salt to balance the sweet and sour flavors.
Because yellow split peas thicken quickly, this stew will get thick very quickly! Please feel free to add more liquid (either veg stock or water) to make it exactly how you like it!
This stew gets even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to marinate together.
Try another traditional Persian topping: sliced roasted or fried potatoes.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Peel the baby eggplants and remove the stems. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Toss in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down on a parchment lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
While the eggplant is cooking, place the split peas, water and 1/2 teaspoon of the sea salt in a pot and cook the split peas for 30 minutes until they are tender and cooked all the way through. Drain any leftover water from the split peas after they are done cooking.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the diced onion. Cook the onion for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is browned. Add the tomato paste, Piquant Post Persian Delight, cayenne, pomegranate molasses and cooked split peas. Stir well and cook over Low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, vegetable stock and cooked eggplant. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary or if you like a thinner consistency.
To serve, transfer the stew to a serving dish and garnish with fresh cut mint and a drizzle of coconut yogurt. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and warm bread.
Alternatives & Substitutions
Pomegranate molasses is a traditional Middle Eastern ingredient that has a fruity sour flavor. It may be a little hard to find in some supermarkets but you can easily order it online.
Or you can make a mixture of 3 parts balsamic to 1 part honey to sub in for Pomegranate molasses.
We recommend using smaller eggplants, like Chinese eggplant or baby Indian eggplants because they are much more tender and easier to eat. If you can’t find them, simply peel and cut larger globe eggplants into 1” cubes.
Lentils can be substituted for the yellow split peas if you have them already.
Try using our Persian Delight in this Spinach Dip with Walnuts or our recipe for Roasted beet and Yogurt Salad.
For a hearty accompaniment, try these Persian Lamb Shanks.
If you love eggplant, try this Persian Eggplant Dip! Another tasty vegetarian dish is our Persian Zucchini Frittata. You will love it!
For our meat eaters, try using Persian Delight blend to make these traditional dishes: Ghormeh Sabzi (Kidney Bean & Beef Stew) or Persian Meatballs (Koofteh Tabrizi).
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!
Persian Eggplant and Tomato Stew (Khoresh Bademjan)
Serves
6
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Piquant Post spice you'll need: Persian Delight
Ingredients
Baked Eggplant
8 baby eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Persian Eggplant & Tomato Stew (Khoresh Bademjan)
1 cup yellow split pea
6 cups water
2 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Piquant Post Persian Delight
1 pinch cayenne (optional)
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup vegetable stock
Garnish: vegan yogurt, fresh mint, roasted potato slices
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Peel the baby eggplants and remove the stems. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Toss in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down on a parchment lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
While the eggplant is cooking, place the split peas, water and 1/2 teaspoon of the sea salt in a pot and cook the split peas for 30 minutes until they are tender and cooked all the way through. Drain any leftover water from the split peas after they are done cooking.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the diced onion. Cook the onion for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is browned. Add the tomato paste, Piquant Post Persian Delight, cayenne, pomegranate molasses and cooked split peas. Stir well and cook over Low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, vegetable stock and cooked eggplant. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary or if you like a thinner consistency.
To serve, transfer the stew to a serving dish and garnish with fresh cut mint and a drizzle of coconut yogurt. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and warm bread.
Notes
This is a very unique tasting stew, with a natural citrusy sweet flavor from the oranges and sourness from the pomegranate molasses. I recommend adjusting the flavor to taste with sea salt to balance the sweet and sour flavors.
Because yellow split peas thicken quickly, this stew will get thick very quickly! Please feel free to add more liquid (either veg stock or water) to make it exactly how you like it!
This stew gets even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to marinate together.
Try another traditional Persian topping: sliced roasted or fried potatoes.
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