Recipe
Banjaan Borani (Afghan aubergine with yoghurt)
Delightful aubergine dish with the subtle flavours of Afghan cuisine.
Yield: servings
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Ingredients
- 600 g aubergine (eggplant), eggplants (2–3 medium or 5–6 small)
- 300–400 ml sunflower oil, or other oil suitable for frying (1¼–1⅔ cups)
Tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp oil, from frying the aubergines
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 25 g tomato paste, tomato purée (about 2 Tbsp)
- 150 ml water, ⅔ cup
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper), or other chilli flakes to taste
- 400 g tomato, chopped 14 oz (I use fresh)
- salt
Yoghurt sauce
- 200 g Greek yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
To serve
- 3–4 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley)
- ½–1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper), or other chilli flakes, to taste
How I make it
- Peel the aubergines (eggplants). Cut them into sticks about 1–2 cm (½–¾ inch) thick and 5–6 cm (2–2½ inch) long.
- Pour the oil into a wide saucepan. Heat until a piece of bread sizzles when added (around 170 °C). Fry the aubergine sticks in batches, taking care not to overfill the pan, until golden and completely soft, 4–6 minutes. Turn a couple of times during frying. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl to drain excess oil. Reserve the cooking oil.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Fry the garlic and tomato paste in 2 Tbsp of the reserved oil until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the water and mix well. Add the turmeric, ground coriander, pul biber (Aleppo pepper), chopped tomatoes and salt. Stir well to combine.
- Place the fried aubergines over the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with more salt. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Mix gently and adjust seasoning with more salt if necessary.
- Meanwhile, combine the yoghurt, crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt. If your yoghurt is very thick, you can thin it with a little water to achieve a sauce-like consistency.
- Serve the aubergines warm or at room temperature, topped with the yoghurt sauce, chopped parsley and a sprinkle of pul biber (Aleppo pepper).