Mirza Ghassemi (Persian Eggplant Dip)

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

Well, I could go for a dabo girl and a few good umox right about now.

mirza 003.jpg

Made this last night. It was very fine. Thanks, Gaz!

mirza 003.jpg

Made this last night. It was very fine. Thanks, Gaz!

Wow, yours looks better than mine, but I would expect that from you! I love the way the egg swirls through it. (That is egg, isn't it?) Did you use some kind of Middle Eastern flatbread as a scoop?

Wow, yours looks better than mine, but I would expect that from you! I love the way the egg swirls through it. (That is egg, isn't it?) Did you use some kind of Middle Eastern flatbread as a scoop?

Sigh. No. Sliced homemade spelt sourdough - it was all I had in the freezer. Thanks for the kind words, it was a fun dish to make! It's actually quite like the Berber tagine omelette I made recently (pic and discussion in the Food Photos thread), except the Berber version doesn't have eggplant or garlic, and it has coriander and paprika as well as turmeric. If you're interested, there's a clip and recipe here.

Gaz, I'm inclined to think that parcooking the egg isn't really necessary (yes, that's egg in my photo). I think if you swirl the raw eggs in and then cover it and let them cook for a few more minutes, you'll get a lovely soft texture to the egg in the dip, with bits of it cooked, and bits still runny. I might try that next time (and there will be a next time! ).

Pete would like to know if there's another Persian dip we can serve with this, so we could have a couple side by side, with flatbread. He specifically asked if you had a "green" one.

Thanks again, Celia

Celia, I tend to agree with you on the eggs because I’m the type who likes to suck the innards out of raw eggs. Alas, most of my circle of friends and acquaintances do not. And you can chase many traditional Persians out of the room with anything raw or undercooked because that kind of thing isn’t “halal” (permissible) which is sort of like the concept of kosher. When you grow up Muslim … (I still get pangs of conscience when I put sausage on my pizza on Fridays.)

Anyway, something green? Well, two choices spring to mind maast o khiar (yogurt and cucumber dip) and borani esfaanaj (fried spinach in yogurt). Neither sounds too exotic, but they are nice, green, and Persian.

Maast o Khiar (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
16 oz. yogurt
1/2 medium cucumber, grated
1 small onion, grated
2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
Salt
Black pepper

Procedure:
Whisk yogurt until smooth.
Add mint, onion, cucumber, salt and pepper (to taste) to yogurt and mix well.
Let rest in fridge for about 2 hours.
Serve as a dip or a side.

Borani Esfaanaj (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
2-1/2 lbs fresh spinach
8 oz. yogurt
2 onions, sliced thin
4 (or more) cloves of garlic, diced finely
Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Procedure:
Clean spinach and chop into small pieces.
Sauté onions and garlic in oil until light brown.
Lower heat, add spinach and fry together until spinach is wilted.
Set in fridge to cool completely.
Whisk yogurt until smooth.
Stir in well chilled spinach mixture.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Note: Stir or whisk until you have achieved the dip consistency you desire.

Perfect!! Thanks, Gary, both of those look terrific, although I'm really taken with the idea of the spinach and yoghurt one. I'll try that next...

Cheers, Celia

If deliciousness is more important than color, then the creamy white

KASHK-E BADEMJAN

is an exquisite example of Persian food. Bademjan means eggplant, and kashk, what a concept, it is yoghurt intensified.

You put yoghurt in a sieve and let it drip for a day or so, and keep it until the flavors strengthen.

Well, I won't proceed with a recipe but the concept here is something fabulous. In fact the Turkish eggplant dish which remotely resembles this (but without the kashk) is the beautifully named "Imam Biyaldi" -- the Imam swooned (fainted).

Frank

KASHK-E BADEMJAN

Unless they're technically the same beastie, I believe kashk is dried whey, whereas lebni is the yogurt preparation you're talking about.

My friend, Hamed, wanted to test my persianality and offered me some lebni. Of course, I loved it since I am an udderly super dairy fan. He was sorry because I emptied the container.

It's good stuff and would work in this recipe, too.

Hi Gary

I've never seen (nor heard of) the dried version but between you and Wikipedia I see that it exists. It has to be reconstituted before using, and Kashk as used in cooking has "the consistency of sour cream"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashk

Frank

PS I looked up Kashk in "New Food of Life" by Najmieh Batmanglij -- making the real stuff is enormously complicated. After preparing the yoghurt in various ways you have to keep it in an oven at about 145 degrees for 3 or 4 days. BUT there is a delightful short cut which she describes as the "Persian American Method":

In a food processor, combine 2 cups drained yogurt with 1/2 cup grated mature cheddar cheese (which provides the tang associated with kashk). Add 1 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well. Use as needed.