Mirza Ghassemi (Persian Eggplant Dip)

Stuart suggested I post this recipe during a lazy cup of Joe in front of Peet's Coffee & Tea in downtown Pleasant Hill, CA.

2 Medium eggplants
2 Medium onions, finely chopped
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tsp turmeric
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp chile flake
1 Tsp black pepper
4 Tomatoes, peeled and finely diced (8 if you want to go with my girlfriend's opinion.)
4 Eggs, lightly beaten
Olive oil

Roast the eggplants on a grill or under the broiler until their outside is charred and the inside is soft. Let cool and peel. Mash the pulp. (For the finicky amongst you, you can pass this through a food mill to remove the seeds, but ... )

Sweat the onions and garlic in some olive oil until glassy. (Don’t let the garlic burn.) Stir in the turmeric. Add the eggplant pulp and sauté briefly, stirring well. Add the salt, pepper, and chile flake. Stir the diced tomato into the eggplant. Cook over a low heat until the excess moisture disappears.

Pour the beaten eggs into a separate pan and fry eggs halfway. Fold this into the eggplant and cook until eggs are done. You want to see little bits of eggs in the dish, i.e. it shouldn't disappear into the eggplant.

We served this with wedges of pita bread which had been coated in olive oil and grilled on the Weber.

This recipe is a work in process. I can see adding dry mustard powder or coriander, but no recipe I have seen for this calls for saffron.

[Robin Garr]

Stuart suggested I post this recipe during a lazy cup of Joe in front of Peet's Coffee & Tea in downtown Pleasant Hill, CA.

Oh! I must have this! It's a beloved standard at just about all the Persian/Iranian restaurants in Louisville, which has more than its per capita share.

I'd never had it before and I don't know if it's "authentic" (apparently, it's one of those dishes that EVERYONE has their own recipe for), but for me, it was beautifully subtle. I took the first bite and though, "Hmmm, not bad." Second bite, "Hmmm, pretty good." Third bite, "This is REALLY good." Fourth bite, "This is outstanding!"

That sort of thing is what differentiates subtle and elegant from bland. This is a great dish.

[Robin Garr]

I'd never had it before and I don't know if it's "authentic" (apparently, it's one of those dishes that EVERYONE has their own recipe for), but for me, it was beautifully subtle. I took the first bite and though, "Hmmm, not bad." Second bite, "Hmmm, pretty good." Third bite, "This is REALLY good." Fourth bite, "This is outstanding!"

That sort of thing is what differentiates subtle and elegant from bland. This is a great dish.

I agree on all counts. It's probably a lot like Pad Thai (for instance) or Ragu Bolognese that every household has its own variation. But Gary's recipe reads a lot like the local standard, and as I said, although it's nowhere close to LA in this regard, Louisville has a surprisingly large Iranian community with restaurants as a happy side benefit. Without having been to Iran, it strikes me that the food is authentic because it's first-generation stuff.

First, thank you for all the kind words, Stuart. I am humbled.

Second, authentic? Beats me. I surveyed maybe 10 different recipes on Iranian websites and tweaked them so they would match my skill level and available ingredients. What did you say, Stuart? You had some odd looking eggplants with which I could do something as long as I brought the other ingredients. That was a couple of hours before the gathering and I had never made this stuff before. It just sounded good ... and easy.

Third, I gave some to my authentically Iranian girlfriend, Zari. She said, "Oh, how cute, you made mirza ghassemi!" Instant recognition! Good sign! QED. "But there's not enough tomatoes!" Oh, well ... She promised to hook me up with someone "from the north" because that's where the dish originated. I'm guessing she didn't mean Butte, Montana. She also said that a lot of Persians don't eat it because it has so much garlic in it.

I posted the recipe in the Iranian Food thread of a Persian social networking website in which I participate. I want to see how much critique this gringo will harvest.

For the most part it's hard to go wrong with eggplant, garlic, onions, and tomatoes, but the eggs are what really caught my attention because I would have never thought of that.

Will have to try it.

I posted the recipe in the Iranian Food thread of a Persian social networking website in which I participate. I want to see how much critique this gringo will harvest.

I love Persian food and I think the dish sounds wonderful. And I think it's cool that you're posting on a Persian website.

But I sure hope you have a different avatar there? I suppose I would also expect that you are more of a "farangi" than a gringo...

Frank

I posted the recipe in the Iranian Food thread of a Persian social networking website in which I participate. I want to see how much critique this gringo will harvest.

I love Persian food and I think the dish sounds wonderful. And I think it's cool that you're posting on a Persian website.

But I sure hope you have a different avatar there? I suppose I would also expect that you are more of a "farangi" than a gringo...

Frank

Gee Frank, that word sends a shiver through me. So many times in Tehran I was referred to as a "farangi," and it wasn't always as a compliment.

This recipe sounds great, Gary. I will give it a try this weekend. Incidentally, I think there's no saffron because, historically, the Persians used turmeric in place of saffron, for reasons of cost, I believe.

I once had an Armenian dish in Tehran called eggplant caviar. It was eggplant and tomato (with spices) textured like caviar, and I don't know how it was done. Tried to make up a recipe once, but all I got was tomato/eggplant/cumin/turmeric/garlic mush.

I think saffron would have been wrong in this; the beauty is the balance and subtlety. The turmeric does give it a lovely color, though...

I think saffron would have been wrong in this; the beauty is the balance and subtlety. The turmeric does give it a lovely color, though...

You are correct. When I asked Zari about the dish, she simply said that this one doesn't get it. The answer was pretty categorical, too! And, as I have come to discover over the last three years of "research," there are Persian dishes which get saffron and those which do not. Most of my Persian lady friends are clear on where the saffron goes. There is very little debate. Sometimes, however, turmeric will be used in rice instead of saffron for, as you suggest, the color.

I once had an Armenian dish in Tehran called eggplant caviar. It was eggplant and tomato (with spices) textured like caviar, and I don't know how it was done. Tried to make up a recipe once, but all I got was tomato/eggplant/cumin/turmeric/garlic mush.

The dishes are indeed similar, i.e. same process, different ingredients. I was afraid of turning this into mush, too. Try it again, but cook it less and use bigger chunks of stuff.

Gary, I assume the dip is to be served warm? Sounds like a good dip to try at our next holiday family gathering.

Gary, I assume the dip is to be served warm? Sounds like a good dip to try at our next holiday family gathering.

It can be served warm, but I prefer this kind of thing at room temp. Letting it set around awhile and chaw the fat gives the flavors a chance to meld.

Gary, I have almost no experience with Iranian dishes, but this sounded so good to me on first reading that I copied and saved your version to file. I will make this some time very soon. Might even go to a Middle east store to get my flat bread in order to have the authentic stuff. Thanks for it!

Gary, I have almost no experience with Iranian dishes, but this sounded so good to me on first reading that I copied and saved your version to file. I will make this some time very soon. Might even go to a Middle east store to get my flat bread in order to have the authentic stuff. Thanks for it!

Bob,

Iranian flat bread isn't the same as Middle Eastern flat bread, but the latter will do.

Bob, Iranian flat bread isn't the same as Middle Eastern flat bread, but the latter will do.

Thanks Thomas. I have a store here that specializes in middle east foods, some are raw and dried, some are tinned, and some are in the fridge. The Iranian that runs it is well versed and easy to deal with. I will try him.

Bob, Iranian flat bread isn't the same as Middle Eastern flat bread, but the latter will do.

Thanks Thomas. I have a store here that specializes in middle east foods, some are raw and dried, some are tinned, and some are in the fridge. The Iranian that runs it is well versed and easy to deal with. I will try him.

You should see if he has "nan-e barbari" (Barbari bread). That tossed on a grilled with a few char marks would be the ticket.

For what it's worth, here is the recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij's "New Food of Life," which is a truly excellent Persian cookbook.

Mirza qasemi, Eggplant omelet

4 medium eggplants
1/2 cup olive oil or butter
20 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (!!)
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F
Prick eggplants with a fork and bake 60 minutes
Remove eggplants from oven, peel and chop
Heat oil in skillet. Sauté garlic, and add eggplant, tomatoes, lime juice and turmeric. Cover and cook 10 min. remove cover and reduce.
Add eggs to mixture in skillet and cook over low heat until eggs are firm, stirring constantly with wooden spoon.
Transfer to serving platter and serve with bread, fresh herbs, and yogurt.

Alternatively eggplant can be grilled on top of the stove or in a broiler.

"Nushe Jan!"

One of the nice things about Nan-e Barbari is those little black sesame seeds, they give it a special flavor.

Frank

20 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (!!)

As I note above, my girlfriend says many Persians will not eat this because of the garlic. I guess this underscores her point. Thanks, Frank

For what it's worth, here is the recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij's "New Food of Life," which is a truly excellent Persian cookbook.

Mirza qasemi, Eggplant omelet

4 medium eggplants
1/2 cup olive oil or butter
20 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (!!)
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F
Prick eggplants with a fork and bake 60 minutes
Remove eggplants from oven, peel and chop
Heat oil in skillet. Sauté garlic, and add eggplant, tomatoes, lime juice and turmeric. Cover and cook 10 min. remove cover and reduce.
Add eggs to mixture in skillet and cook over low heat until eggs are firm, stirring constantly with wooden spoon.
Transfer to serving platter and serve with bread, fresh herbs, and yogurt.

Alternatively eggplant can be grilled on top of the stove or in a broiler.

"Nushe Jan!"

One of the nice things about Nan-e Barbari is those little black sesame seeds, they give it a special flavor.

Frank

Looks like a weekend of eggplant dining for me.

I've got three or so from my plants that seem to have matured this year; the rest, yuck! But with these two recipes, I'll do the three or four in by Sunday.

Gary, I've been thinking hard and can't remember what the garlic status in Iran was. I don't remember any aversion to it, but I also don't remember any dishes with 20 cloves in them, at least that I could detect that much garlic in the food!

Gary, I've been thinking hard and can't remember what the garlic status in Iran was. I don't remember any aversion to it, but I also don't remember any dishes with 20 cloves in them, at least that I could detect that much garlic in the food!

It has less to do with an aversion to the taste and more to do with traditional courtesy. Garlic breath is offensive to many so what's a true Persian practicing ta'arof will avoid it so as not to cause his/her guests any discomfort.

You should see if he has "nan-e barbari" (Barbari bread). That tossed on a grilled with a few char marks would be the ticket.

Thanks Gary, will check that out.

Gary, I've been thinking hard and can't remember what the garlic status in Iran was. I don't remember any aversion to it, but I also don't remember any dishes with 20 cloves in them, at least that I could detect that much garlic in the food!

It has less to do with an aversion to the taste and more to do with traditional courtesy. Garlic breath is offensive to many so what's a true Persian practicing ta'arof will avoid it so as not to cause his/her guests any discomfort.

I see, but in one's home with family, a different story

I posted the recipe in the Iranian Food thread of a Persian social networking website in which I participate. I want to see how much critique this gringo will harvest.

I love Persian food and I think the dish sounds wonderful. And I think it's cool that you're posting on a Persian website.

But I sure hope you have a different avatar there? I suppose I would also expect that you are more of a "farangi" than a gringo...

Frank

In Gary's case, the word you're after is "Ferengi".