Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)

To kickstart the celebration of Nowrooz AKA Persian New Year AKA Spring Equinox, I decided to share one of my favorite recipes Kashe Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip). This delicious appetizer is easy, vegetarian & full of amazing flavors!

Eggplant is a commonly used ingredient in Persian cuisine, it's also very popular in Greek, Italian & Mediterranean foods as well. 

What does Kashke Bademjan even mean?! Kashk means yogurt whey, made by draining yogurt and leaving a salty flavor & bademjan means eggplant. 

Servings: Four

Ingredients

3 Medium Eggplants (~3 pounds)

1 ½ tbsp salt

½ cup + 1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped Yellow Onion 

2 tbsp Garlic

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 cups Kashk (found at Middle Eastern markets) or plain whole-milk yogurt

½ tsp ground saffron (for garnish)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried mint

Toasted pita, lavash or barbari bread, for serving 

Instructions

  1. Wash, peel, remove stems & cut eggplant into ¾ inch quarters 

  2. Season eggplant quarters w/ 1 tbsp salt, let sit out 30 min-1 hr to allow excess water to drain AKA “let them sweat” as my Persian mom likes to say

  3. Dry slices w/ paper towel

  4. Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat

  5. Add slices to skillet, cook until golden brown (~10 minutes per side)

  6. Remove slices from skillet, transfer to plate lined w/paper towels to absorb excess oil

  7. Transfer cooked eggplant to bowl, mush w/fork until smooth

  8. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium, add onion & cook, stir occasionally until browned (~8-10 minutes), add garlic & stir (~ 2 minutes), add turmeric & reduce temp to low

  9. Add eggplant to onion mixture, stir to mix

  10. Add 2 cups kashk (or yogurt) to mixture, stir until well combined, add ½ tsp salt

  11. Cook mixture on low, stirring until begins to simmer (~ 5 minutes)

  12. Remove from heat & add mixture to serving platter 

  13. Combine 1 tsp hot water & remaining 2 tbsp kashk (or yogurt) in small bowl, stir well, set aside

  14. Stir saffron & remaining 1 tsp hot water in separate bowl until well combined, set aside

  15. Heat olive oil in small skillet over high, add dried mint to hot oil & cool, stir (~45 seconds)

  16. Pour hot mint mixture over prepared kashke bademjan, add diluted kashk & drizzle saffron drops over diluted kashk

  17. Serve with toasted pita, lavash or barbari bread and enjoy :)

If you try out this recipe and share a picture on Instagram make sure to tag us @your_life_nutrition!

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