Mimsy Were the Borogoves

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Persian eggplant stew

Jerry Stratton, August 5, 2007

This recipe convinced me not to skin eggplants. I almost never take the skin off of eggplants now; it adds a tangy flavor to the eggplant that it otherwise loses.

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Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 tblsp olive oil
  • 2 eggplants, cubed (1/2-inch to 1-inch)
  • 2 tblsp olive oil
  • 1 lb chicken, cubed (1-inch)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 lbs tomatoes, puréed
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 large tomato, chopped

Steps

  1. Fry the eggplant cubes in the 6 tablespoons of olive oil for fifteen to twenty minutes, covered, over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
  2. Sauté the chicken, onion, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil for two to three minutes.
  3. Combine the eggplant and tomato purée with the chicken mixture. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, covered.
  4. Add the lemon juice and chopped tomato and simmer over low heat for another 15 minutes.

This is great on its own as a stew, or poured over or mixed with rice, or as a sauce with naan.

After you add the lemon juice and chopped tomato, you can simmer covered or uncovered, depending on whether you want more or less liquid in the stew. If you’re going to add rice to it later, for example, you may want to simmer covered. If you’re going to use it as a sauce, simmer uncovered.

This stew is based on the khoreshe bademjan from In a Persian Kitchen (which I can’t recommend highly enough).

  1. <- Quick chili
  2. Eggplant salsa ->