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Iranian Eggplant and Walnut Dip (Kashke Bedemjan)

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Persian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 3 medium Chinese or Italian eggplants peeled
  • 4 TBSP vegetable oil
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • ½ cup water
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • tsp freshly cracked pepper
  • 1/16 tsp cayenne pepper powder
  • cup walnuts
  • 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced medium
  • 3 TBSP vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp crushed dried mint leaves
  • ¾ cup Kashk or Greek yogurt
  • Mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • Cut the peeled eggplants in half or quarters lengthwise.
  • Heat 4 TBSP vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium high. Arrange the eggplants in a single layer in the skillet.
  • Cover the skillet and fry the eggplants until golden brown on one side.
  • Flip over the eggplants, cover again and fry the other side for another 5-7 minutes, or until the eggplants can easily be poked with a fork.
  • Don’t leave the eggplants unattended.
  • The high heat will burn them very quickly.
  • Meanwhile in another skillet heat 3 TBSP oil over medium heat and fry the diced onion until golden brown.
  • Add the minced garlic, water, kosher salt, cayenne pepper powder, and freshly cracked black pepper to the skillet with the fried eggplants.
  • Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the eggplants are very tender and all the water is cooked off.
  • Turn the heat off and mash the eggplants with a fork or a potato masher to small pieces.
  • In a food processor add ⅓ cup walnuts and process until very fine, about 1 minute. Do not over process, walnuts are soft and tend to turn to a paste very quickly.
  • Once the fried onions are golden brown remove the skillet from the heat and add 2 tsp crushed dried mint leaves. Stir to combine and set aside.
  • Reserve 3 TBSP fried onion and mint mixture for garnish.
  • Add the rest of the onion mixture along with the processed walnuts to the mashed eggplants. Give it a good stir to blend well.
  • Stir in ¾ cup Kashk or Greek yogurt to the eggplant mixture until uniformly blended.
  • Transfer the eggplant mixture to the serving bowl.
  • Sprinkle the top with the reserved fried onion and mint mixture.
  • Add fresh mint leaves for garnish
  • Serve warm or at room temperature with toasted flat bread like naan.