Khoresht Bademjan – Eggplant Beef Stew
I’ve touched on Khoresh or Khoreshts in the past, today I’m writing about one of my favorite Persian Stews.
This week for lunch, I’ve made something that is delicious and pretty nutritious. Iranian Khoreshts are very high in protein and fairly lean. The only thing that makes them slightly unhealthy is eating it with a lot of rice so you just have to watch your portion control.
Khoresht Bademjan is an eggplant stew that is delicious and unique. I’ve written about eggplants in the past before, but I doubt that many of you have tried it in a stew. It cooks beautifully in a stew, soaking up all the tasty flavors that the stew is cooked in.
My mom would make this khoresht a lot, it’s not that labor intensive. Some other khoreshts require a lot of prep work, but this just requires a good bit of time. You could even do most of this in a slow cooker if you wanted.
If you are taking this for lunch and eating it with rice, I suggest you keep them separate so your rice does not get soggy.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs. Chuck Roast – Cut into cubes
1 Cup of Chicken or Beef Broth
3 Tbsp. Butter
1 Diced Onion
2 Tbsp. Crushed Garlic
1 Can of Crushed Peeled Tomatoes (28 oz)
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
5 Korean Eggplants or regular eggplants (peeled & sliced length wise)
2 Tsp. Salt
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Turmeric
2 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
3 Dried Persian Limes
Method
First heat 1 tbsp. of the butter and brown your meat on all sides, then set aside. In the same pot, now add your remaining butter and then saute the onions and garlic with the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon,and salt. Once they’ve browned, add back your beef, then add your tomato paste and crushed peeled tomatoes. Stir for a few minutes then add your chicken broth. Cook for about thirty minutes, then add your dried limes to the stew. Put the lid on your pot and continue to cook for 1 to 2 hours.
With the eggplants, you have two options. You can either fry them individually or you can bake them. I choose to bake them to make the dish less oily.Cut them longitudinally and Place the eggplants onto a baking sheet and spread the oil onto the eggplant. Then bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes and then once they are soft transfer them to your stew pot.
Cook together for another 45 minutes. Only stop cooking the khoresht until the beef is very delicate and can be broken apart by pressing down with a fork.
Serve with some fresh rice and enjoy!
- 2 lbs. Chuck Roast – Cut into cubes
- 1 Cup of Chicken or Beef Broth
- 3 Tbsp. Butter
- 1 Diced Onion
- 2 Tbsp. Crushed Garlic
- 1 Can of Crushed Peeled Tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 5 Korean Eggplants or regular eggplants (peeled & sliced length wise)
- 2 Tsp. Salt
- 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp. Turmeric
- 2 Tsp. Cumin
- 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 3 Dried Persian Limes
- First heat 1 tbsp. of the butter and brown your meat on all sides, then set aside. In the same pot, now add your remaining butter and then saute the onions and garlic with the cumin, turmeric, and salt. Once they’ve browned, add back your beef, then add your tomato paste and crushed peeled tomatoes. Stir for a few minutes then add your chicken broth. Cook for about thirty minutes, then add your dried limes to the stew. Put the lid on your pot and continue to cook for 1 to 2 hours.
- With the eggplants, you have two options. You can either fry them individually or you can bake them. I choose to bake them to make the dish less oily. Place the eggplants onto a baking sheet and spread the oil onto the eggplant. Then bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes and then once they are soft transfer them to your stew pot.
- Cook together for another 45 minutes. Only stop cooking the khoresht until the beef is very delicate and can be broken apart by pressing down with a fork.
- Serve with some fresh rice and enjoy!
