khashk-bademjan11-medium

Last week Joan left a comment asking me about a warm borani made with eggplant. Well ladies and gentleman I present to you Kashkeh Bademjan, also known as eggplant dip or if you want to get really fancy you can call it Dip de Aubergine, oh la la!!!!

Kashkeh Bademjan is by far one of my favorite appetizers. It is a delicious blend of eggplants, garlic, and Kashk which is whey.  I love eating this appetizer with lavash bread.  This was my first time making it and it was actually pretty easy.

Let’s get started!

Ingredients

3 eggplants, skin removed and diced

1 onion, chopped

6 nice size garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 pinch of saffron

1/2 cup of Khask

5 tbsp of olive oil

Salt & pepper

Must have Garnish

1 red onion, finly sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp of dried mint

khashk-bademjan1-medium

Peal eggplants,  dice, and place in a bowl

khashk-bademjan2-small

Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, add water to cover the eggplants, and give it a mix with your hand so that the salt is diluted.  Make sure that you do this step because what you are doing right now is removing the eggplant’s bitterness.

khashk-bademjan3-small

Since eggplant is buoyant, place a dish on top of it and put something heavy to hold it down.  I put a glass on mine and it worked out great.

khashk-bademjan4-small

In the mean time sauté the  onion and garlic for the dish with 2 tbsp of oil on medium and the one for the garnish in 1 tbsp of oil. For both of these it is best to use non-stick pans.  For the garnish just let the onion sauté on the low.  What you want is for the onion to get a bit crispy towards the end. This is going to take a while so be patient and make sure you give it a stir every so often.

khashk-bademjan5-small

Once the eggplant is ready, rinse it and place in a colander to drain water

khashk-bademjan6-small

Once the onion has turned into a golden color add 2 tbsp of oil and the eggplants to it

khashk-bademjan7-small

Fry the eggplant until it turns brownish. This should take about 20-30 minutes.  Then add 1 cup of water, tomato paste, cover, and let cook for about 30 minutes. At this point season with salt and pepper.  Once the liquid starts boiling, take a couple of tablespoons out and place it in a small bowl and add the saffron to it.  The liquid will turn into a bright orange color.  Add it back to the eggplant and let it cook.  The warm water will release the saffron’s flavor.

khashk-bademjan9-small

Use a hand blender to mash the eggplants

khashk-bademjan10-small

Taste to adjust seasoning and then add Kashk and mix until well incorporated

khashk-bademjan8-small

Place in a serving dish and garnish with the onion and mint.  Serve warm with bread.

If you don’t have access to a Persian store where they sell kashk, you can substitute with sour cream, but this will change the taste.  This post has enspired me to actually try and make homemade kashk.  So check back again for my next experiment!!!