This delicious Persian aubergine stew is a meatless version of the iconic Khoresh bademjan, with slow-cooked smoky aubergines in a tomato and black lime sauce. Serve the eggplant stew hot or at room temperature with plenty of toasted pitas or fluffy flatbread to scoop up the saucy aubergine flesh.
Braiser / Buffet casserole – I use a 5-quart (3.5-litre) enamel-coated cast iron braiser. But a deep frying pan or sauté pan is also perfectly fine.
Ingredients
2poundsaubergines (eggplant),peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into large wedges (about 4 medium-sized aubergines)
3cupsboiling water,or light vegetable stock
3black limes,or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
6tablespoonsolive oil
2medium onions,very thinly sliced
4clovesgarlic,minced
1tablespoonground cumin
1heaped teaspoonground turmeric
1teaspooncinnamon
4tablespoonstomato paste
4ripe Roma tomatoes,diced
⅓cupuncooked brown or green lentils
sea salt
black pepper
To Serve (optional):
cooked rice / barley / flatbread
yoghurt
flaked almonds,toasted
coriander leaves
pomegranate seeds
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 480 °F.
Soak the black limes
Add 3 cups of boiling water (or warm vegetable stock) to a heatproof bowl. Add the black limes to soften and soak while you start with the aubergines and sauce.
Roast the aubergine wedges
In a large bowl, mix the aubergine wedges with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Arrange the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, allowing space between the wedges. Use two trays if necessary. Roast for 25 minutes or until the wedges are golden brown and completely soft. Flip the wedges once or twice throughout the cooking process.
Soften the thinly sliced onions
While the aubergines roast, place a large high-sided sauté pan or braiser on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the onions and gently cook for 15 minutes until they are soft and golden (not dark brown), stirring every few minutes. Turn down the heat if the onions start to brown.
Cook the dried lentils
Place the lentils in a small pot with 1 litre of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat with the lid on. Once boiling, remove the lid and maintain a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes until the lentils are cooked but still retain a nice bite.
Build the tomato and black lime sauce
Once your onions are soft and caramelised, add the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant (about 3 minutes) – stir frequently.
Add the spices and stir continuously for 30 seconds.
Next, add the tomato paste and stir to coat the onions.
And finally, add the chopped Roma tomatoes and cook until they start to fall apart and form a thick sauce. It should take about 5 minutes.
Remove the softened black limes from the soaking liquid and pierce them a few times with a sharp pairing knife. Add the pierced black limes and the soaking liquid to the tomato sauce. The limes should be mostly covered, depending on the size of your pan. (If you substitute lime juice for the black limes, only add it at the end of cooking.)
Bring the sauce to a simmer. Gently push down on the dried limes from time to time. If you have the time, allow the sauce to simmer gently for 20 minutes before adding the roasted aubergines, but you can skip this simmer if you don't. Stir in a teaspoon of sea salt.
Add the aubergine and lentils to the sauce
Nestle the cooked eggplant wedges in the sauce and season lightly with ground sea salt. Simmer without a lid – gently stirring now and then – until the sauce is thick and the stew creamy in texture, about 40 to 50 minutes. Add a splash of water if the stew looks dry.
Gently stir in the cooked lentils and heat through. If you did not add black limes, add your fresh lime juice now. Add plenty of pepper. And season with more salt according to taste.
Serve and enjoy
Serve the stew on rice or barley and top with dollops of yoghurt, toasted almond slices and pomegranate rubies. Or grab some fluffy flatbreads or toasted pita triangles to scoop up the creamy aubergine stew.
Notes
Can't find dried limes? No problem! You can absolutely make your own at home. Or substitute with fresh lime juice at the end of cooking.
If your flaked almonds are raw, flip the parchment paper after roasting the aubergines and reuse it to quickly toast your almonds while the oven is still hot, reducing the oven temperature to 340 °F (170 °C). It should take about 10 minutes. Put it aside until needed.
The three main components of the stew (roast aubergine, cooked lentils, and tomato-black-lime sauce) can be made ahead and stored in the fridge in separate containers. Continue the recipe where you add the aubergines to the sauce. Alternatively, cook the stew and refrigerate it for up to three days in an airtight container.
See how to cook barley for Instant Pot and stovetop instructions if you want to serve the stew with pearl barley.