A couple years ago, the kids and I experimented with growing some veggies. In our little backyard patch, we grew okra, tomatoes, peppers, chillies, squash and eggplant. The vegetables grew beautifully, but the eggplants grew so fast, that I had to keep coming up with new recipe ideas.
Once, I was visiting a friend’s home, where I ate a delightful Afghan dish called Borani Bonjan. I love anything with eggplants, and this dish was exceptionally good. It’s made with fried eggplant that’s cooked in a tomato sauce, and served with a tangy yogurt topping. Since then, I’ve recreated a version of that recipe. Is mine authentic? No. Is it delicious? You betcha.
There are a number of dishes I like to make with eggplant, but this one the has the best reviews from my guests. One friend even called it heavenly. Although that might be stretching it a bit, I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. Go ahead, give it a try and let me know how you like it.
This is how I made it :
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Peel and chop a large eggplant. Place on an oiled baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes. Alternatively, you could deep fry these as well.
- Place a skillet on the stove on medium heat. Heat ¼ cup of oil. Add 1tsp cumin seeds, 2 slit green chillies(optional), and 3 cloves of grated garlic. Stir for a minute.
- Add in one cup of chopped onions. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, till its golden brown.
- Add one large chopped tomatoes. Cook till softened – about 5 minutes.
- Stir in 2 tbsp of tomato paste into the onion-tomato mix. Add ½ tsp of salt and 1tbsp of lemon juice. Mix well.
- Transfer in the baked eggplant. Add ½ cup of water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Open lid and add 3 tbsp chopped cilantro. Taste and add more salt , if needed. Stir. Turn off flame.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk ½ cup yogurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp water,¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
To serve, arrange the eggplant in a shallow dish and spoon the yogurt on top. Garnish with cilantro. Eat with biryani or pulao.
