A rich, tangy stew of fried eggplant slices in a tomato-based sauce with tender lamb, sour grapes, and a touch of saffron, served over fluffy white rice.
Ingredients
4 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise
400g lamb shoulder, cubed
1 large onion, diced
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup sour grape juice (ab-ghooreh) or lemon juice
1/4 tsp saffron, bloomed
1 tsp turmeric
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Instructions
1Salt eggplant slices, let rest 30 min, pat dry. Fry until golden on both sides. Set aside.
2Brown lamb with onion and turmeric. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook 10 min.
3Add water to cover, simmer 1 hour until lamb is tender.
4Add fried eggplant to the stew. Pour sour grape juice and saffron over top.
5Simmer 20 min more. Season to taste. Serve over steamed basmati rice.
Did You Know?
The debate between using sour grapes (ab-ghooreh) versus lemon juice in khoresh bademjan divides Iranian families as fiercely as any political issue.