Khoresh Bademjan (Khoresht e Bademjoon) is a delicious Persian eggplant stew. The eggplants are cooked to butter-soft tenderness in a tangy tomato sauce that’s delicately spiced with saffron and allspice. Chickpeas stand in for meat while adding healthy protein and deliciousness to this vegan recipe.
One of my favorite summer vegetables, eggplants, play a starring role in this delicious Persian eggplant stew, Khoresh Bademjan.
This is an amazing dish for an eggplant/brinjal/aubergine lover to try, but it also has the mojo to convert those who are either on the fence about this delicious veggies, or downright hate it.
Eggplants pair deliciously with tomatoes in Indian recipes like Baingan Bharta and Baingan Masala and in this African Peanut Stew. The combination is just as alluring, but differently so, in this Persian recipe. The eggplants are pan-fried before they are simmered in the stew and double-cooking them this way makes them meltingly soft and voluptuous and absolutely irresistible.
Typically meats such as lamb, chicken or beef are added to this eggplant stew, but for this vegan recipe we will use chickpeas to add protein, texture and tons of deliciousness. Use a mushroom stock if possible to add amazing umami, or make an instant stock with mushrooms (instructions in the notes section of the recipe card below).
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Why you will love this recipe
- Utterly flavorful. There are just three spices in this recipe, cumin, allspice and saffron, but they don’t make the stew spicy. Instead, they flavor it delicately, adding oomph without screaming out their presence. The tangy tomatoes, nutty chickpeas and creamy eggplants make the dish even more irresistible.
- Simple and easy recipe. This is a one-pot recipe and it doesn’t require any blending. I used canned chickpeas (homecooked chickpeas would be great too), making this Persian khoresh bademjan recipe even easier to put together.
- Healthy recipe. Everything in this dish is great for your health, from the eggplants to the tomatoes and the chickpeas.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil. This is the best oil for this recipe. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, use any neutral vegetable oil.
- Eggplants. I used black-beauty eggplants, which are an Italian variety, that were about five inches long. You can also use Japanese eggplants for this recipe.
- Tomatoes
- Onions. Red or yellow onions will work here.
- Garlic
- Spices: ground allspice, ground cumin, turmeric and saffron threads
- Tomato paste
- Canned or cooked chickpeas
- 3 cups water or vegetable stock or mushroom stock.
- Lemon or lime. Authentic recipes use Persian dried limes and ghooreh (pickled sour grapes) in this stew, but those are not easily sourced and fresh lime juice or fresh lemon juice does the job of adding a nice tang to the recipe.
- Basil or parsley for garnish.
Optional ingredient
- Dried mushrooms, for an instant stock. The mushrooms add amazing umami and texture, but you can leave them out. You can also use vegetable stock or water instead. See notes in recipe card for how to make the stock.
How to cook khoresh bademjan
Soak saffron strands in ¼ cup warm water. Set aside.
Soak eggplant slices in a large bowl filled with salted water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then pat each slice dry with paper towels.
Coat the bottom of a non-stick saute pan or saucepan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Fry the eggplant slices over medium-high heat until the underside is golden-brown.
Flip the eggplant slices and continue cooking them until golden-brown on both sides. The eggplant should be very tender and a fork pierced through the center should go cleanly through.
In the same pan, place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer.
Roast a minute on each side. Set aside.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add onions with a generous pinch of salt and saute over medium heat until the onions begin to brown.
Add the ground allspice, ground cumin, turmeric and garlic. Add ground black pepper to taste. Stir and saute for a minute.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and mix it in.
Stir in the chickpeas.
Add 3 cups water or vegetable stock/mushroom stock (see notes in recipe card for how to make a mushroom stock with dried mushrooms). Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Place the cooked, sliced eggplants and tomatoes in the pan and press them in a bit. Pour the soaked saffron with the soaking water and lemon juice over the eggplants. Check salt. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Garnish, if desired, with torn basil leaves. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Recipes for khoresh bademjan often ask you to peel the eggplant, but you don’t need to peel it for this recipe, unless the eggplant is really large and the skin is very tough. The deep purple skin of eggplant has valuable anthocyanins, and when you peel it, you pretty much throw a large portion of the eggplant’s nutritive value into the trash.
White beans would be great here. Some Persian recipes also use yellow split peas.
You certainly can. I used just one 14 oz can of chickpeas because I wanted to keep the focus on the eggplants, but you can definitely add more chickpeas or white beans to bump up the protein and fiber.
Serving suggestions
- Khoresh bademjan is typically served with Persian rice cooked until it has developed a lovely crust (tahdig) at the bottom. Try this Persian rice with Saffron with the khoresh bademjan for a delicious food experience.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store the khoresh bademjan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Like most stews, this one tastes even better the day after it is cooked.
- Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in a saucepan, microwave or oven before serving.
More yummy eggplant recipes
Khoresh Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Stew) Recipe
Equipment
-
Large nonstick saute pan or saucepan
Ingredients
- A generous pinch saffron
- 2 medium eggplants (use Italian eggplants or Japanese eggplants. Slice ⅓rd inch thick)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 medium tomatoes (sliced ⅓rd inch thick)
- 1 medium onion (red or yellow, finely chopped)
- 5 cloves garlic (crushed and minced)
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 oz chickpeas (canned or cooked. Drain out all liquid before using.)
- 3 cups water (or vegetable stock or mushroom stock. See notes.)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (
- Handful of basil leaves or parsley (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
-
Soak saffron strands in ¼ cup warm water. Set aside.
-
Soak eggplant slices in a large bowl filled with salted water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
-
Coat the bottom of a non-stick saute pan or saucepan with olive oil. Fry the eggplant slices over medium-high heat until the underside is golden-brown. Flip the eggplant slices and continue cooking them until golden-brown on both sides. The eggplant should be very tender and a fork pierced through the center should go cleanly through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
-
In the same pan, place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer. Roast a minute on each side. Set aside.
-
Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add onions with a generous pinch of salt and saute over medium heat until the onions begin to brown.
-
Add the ground allspice, ground cumin, turmeric and garlic. Add ground black pepper to taste. Stir and saute for a minute.
-
Add the tomato paste to the pan and mix it in. Add the chickpeas and mix.
-
Add 3 cups water or vegetable stock/mushroom stock. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
-
Place the cooked, sliced eggplants and tomatoes in the pan and press them in a bit. Pour the saffron with the water it was soaked in and the lemon juice over the eggplant and tomatoes. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Garnish, if desired, with torn basil leaves. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
- To make an instant mushroom stock, soak 10 dried shiitake mushrooms in 3 cups of hot water for 30 minutes. Strain out the mushrooms before adding the stock to the pot. You can also slice the soaked mushrooms and add them to the dish for additional texture and umami.
Serving suggestions
- Khoresh bademjan is typically served with Persian rice cooked until it has developed a lovely crust (tahdig) at the bottom. Try this Persian rice with Saffron with the khoresh bademjan for a delicious food experience.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store the khoresh bademjan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Like most stews, this one tastes even better the day after it is cooked.
- Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave before serving.
Nutrition
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