Persian Eggplant Stew – Get the Traditional and Vegan Versions Here!

Persian Eggplant Stew, Khoresh Bademjan, is definitely a family favorite in our home. This meal is slow-cooked allowing the meat to become tender and the eggplant to soften to perfection. This, combined with traditional Iranian spices and a touch of sourness, will make for a well-rounded dish for all to enjoy. Serve with Basmati rice. See the tips and recipe below for a Vegan Eggplant Stew option.

A lot of Persian Recipes do take a few hours to make as they are slow-cooked until tender. But these are some of my family’s most favorite meals and they always look forward to them.

These recipes do take time, but they are not difficult. Some recipes have more steps than others but most of the time they’re spent cooking on low heat. 

This Persian eggplant stew is made using some of our garden harvested eggplants as well as one from the store. This recipe feeds around 9 people or so but you can always cut it down according to your preferences. 

I made and filmed this recipe when we had family over for dinner recently and my daughter made a beautiful cake for dessert. See the pictures below.

My Persian Food History

I have been learning to cook Persian food over the last 20 years or so since I met my husband. His family, mother-in-law, aunt-in-law, and my sister-in-law, among others, have all taught me Persian recipes and techniques over the years.

Some techniques take time, practice, and patience. Such as the technique of making tahdig. Tahdig is a crunchy rice layer that is formed at the bottom of the pot during the cooking process. There are many types of tahdig you can make. I enjoy making the potato tahdig and prepare that most often. It is definitely a work in progress!

Slow-cooked Persian dinners are perfect for young toddlers/children who need soft foods when first eating solids. When my children were toddlers, they loved to eat their Persian meals. I felt like they ate better when they were fed these meals. They were soft, easy to eat, and delicious. It is also a great nutritious homemade meal for all.

Persian Eggplant Stew Tips

1. This stew can be made with a variety of meat types. Most of the time we do use beef but I have also used lamb, buffalo, and venison. We use grass-fed sustainably sourced meat as much as possible.

2. To make the Vegan Persian Eggplant Stew recipe replace the meat with 2 cups of slow cook yellow split peas, lapeh. See the vegan recipe directions in the notes section of the main recipe page.***

3. Many different types of eggplant, bademjan, can be used in this recipe. In the video above, I used 8 of our smaller Japanese style eggplants and one large Italian eggplant. I do love to add extra! You can adjust the recipe to your liking.

4. Sour grapes, ghooreh, can usually be found in middle eastern markets. We are able to find them at a Persian market near our home. You can find them in a jar with brine or in the frozen section. I recommend getting the sour grapes in brine. They keep their shape and stay whole in the stew. The frozen sour grapes tend to dissolve in the stew but still give it that delicious sour taste.

5. Simmer the stew on low unless directed otherwise. Continually check to make sure there is enough liquid at the bottom of the pan. If needed at a little more water as you go.

6. Traditionally when making the stew the eggplant is fried in a pan and oil before adding to the stew. My aunt loves to make healthy food and has taught me different ways of cooking Persian meals. Instead of frying the eggplant and oil I just add it to the stew and allow it to steam and soften in the stew.

7. This stew is best served with basmati rice. There are certain ways of cooking Persian rice with a crunchy tahdig topping. I love making potato tahdig. Recipe coming soon!

Persian Eggplant Stew – Khoresh Bademjan – Traditional and Vegan Recipes

Persian Eggplant Stew is definitely a family favorite in our home. This meal is slow-cooked allowing the meat to become tender and the eggplant to soften to perfection. This, combined with traditional Iranian spices and a touch of sourness, will make for a well-rounded dish for all to enjoy. Serve with Basmati rice. ***Vegan recipe directions are in the notes below.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Servings 8

Equipment

• Large Pot
• Strainer
• Sharp Knife
• Peeler

Ingredients

  

• 1 large onion
• 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
• 3 lbs stew meat
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 8-10 Japanese eggplant (depending on size) or 3-4 Italian eggplant
• 1 cup sour grapes or juice from 1 large lemon
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 2 medium/large tomatoes

Instructions

 

• Saute the onion in 1 tbsp of oil.
• Add 1 tsp turmeric and sautee until onions begin to soften. About 5 minutes.
• Add stew meat and saute until all sides are brown.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add enough water to just cover the meat and simmer for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, add sour grapes, tomato paste, and cinnamon.
• Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Prepare the eggplant. If using Japanese eggplant, keep the skin on and cut a few small slits in the eggplant and sprinkle with salt. If using Italian eggplant, peel the eggplant and cut into wedges. Add salt.
• Keep the salted eggplant in a strainer with a plate underneath and leave to sit out for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, layer the eggplant on top of the stew.
• Turn on medium/high and boil for 5 minutes.
• Add 2 chopped tomatoes. Smaller whole cherry tomatoes may be used as well.
• Keep on medium/high for 5 more minutes to blend flavors together.
• Turn heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until tender and all ingredients are cooked through.
• Serve with basmati rice.
• Enjoy!

Notes

***Vegan Persian Eggplant Stew:

1. Follow the directions above. Add 2 cups of slow cook yellow split peas instead of stew meat in Step 3. 
2. Add the water in step 5, but do not simmer for 1 hour. Proceed to step 6.
3. Continue following the recipe as is.
4. Keep an eye on the liquid level. If needed, add more water. 
5. The end result should be a thick stew consistency.
6. Total cooking time for Vegan Persian Eggplant Stew is 2 hours.
7. Serve with basmati rice.
8. Enjoy!

Keyword eggplant, garden recipe, healthy, khoresh, khoresh bademjan, persian eggplant stew, persian food, persian recipes, slow cooked, stew, vegan eggplant stew

As I mentioned before, I filmed the video of this recipe while preparing for my family to come over for dinner. Both my mother and my sister absolutely love eggplant stew. I believe it’s their favorite Persian dish I make.

My daughter, AKA Little Eco Mama, baked a beautiful and delicious strawberry cake for our dessert. See the photos below. 

A perfect ending to our special night with family.

Visit our blog recipes tab for more healthy recipes, Persian recipes, and garden recipes.