Khoresh Bademjan, eggplant stew with chicken is a well-known, popular, and respected dish that is frequently and proudly served on Persian tables. Eggplant, often referred to as the “potato of Iran,” is used in a variety of stews, kuku (egg-based dishes), and layered rice dishes.
The unique and special ingredient in this eggplant stew is ghooreh, which highlights Iranians’ love for all things sour. Ghooreh is the Persian word for unripe sour grapes. Once harvested, they can be juiced, frozen, or dried into a powder, and are used wherever a touch of acidity is desired.
Khoresh Bademjan can be made with chicken, or if you like, with beef or lamb. You can also skip the meat entirely and add more tomatoes to create Khoresh Gojeh Bademjan, a variation I share in my book Bitter & Sweet.
Pride!
Khoresht-e Bademjan ba Morgh
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken pieces, with bones and skin on
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups water, adjust as needed
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided, adjust as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground
- 6 tablespoons verjuice (unripe sour grape juice), or fresh lemon juice, adjust to your taste
- 4 tablespoons unripe sour grapes (Ghooreh), Fresh or frozen
Eggplants
- 3 Asian eggplants or 2 medium Italian, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, saute the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of oil for 5 minutes on high heat, turning the chicken once. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the onions to the Dutch oven and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Add garlic and turmeric and saute for 2 additional minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and continue to saute for 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken, add tomatoes and water, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, cover, and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, toss the peeled and quartered eggplants with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.
- In a large frying pan, saute the eggplants over medium-low heat with oil to lightly brown the eggplants on all sides. About 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- After the chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes, add verjuice, and Ghooreh. Stir and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
- Arrange the partially cooked eggplants on top of the stew and gently press them down to submerge them into the stew.
- Cover and cook over low heat for another 30 minutes. Chicken should be tender at this stage.
- Remove from heat, adjust for seasoning and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Gently transfer the stew into a serving dish without disturbing the eggplants too much, so that they maintain their integrity.
- Serve the stew with Persian saffron basmati rice.
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