Bademjan - Delicious Persian Stew

Persian Cook's Note:

Bademjan means “eggplant” in Farsi (otherwise known as Persian, the language spoken Iran). This stew works fantastically with Persian rice (Polo) and is a dish which can be modified for vegetarians very easily. Such comfort food–everyone will enjoy this dish.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1 eggplant
• 1/2 lb lamb
• 100 ml tomato paste
• 1 lemon
• 1 onion
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Peel the eggplant and cut it lengthwise in half. (Cut it in half again if you are using a large eggplant.) Lightly salt and leave it to drain in a colander for half an hour. Rinse and pat it dry with paper towel, or leave to dry it overnight. (Eggplant will ‘sweat’ when salted, don’t be scared!).
2. Fry the eggplant in oil until it is lightly colored. Remove and keep to the side.
3. Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep pot and fry the onion, adding the meat, pepper turmeric and tomato paste. Sauté until the onion is lightly colored.
4. Add water and let it simmer until the meat is tender. Add more water if its required (if the dish doesn’t look liquidly then it will need more water).
5. When the meat is tender, add the eggplant, sugar, lemon, and salt to taste. Let the mixture boil for another few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.