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Kashke Bademjan – Persian Eggplant Dip with Whey

Ingredients:

Eggplants
3
large (about 1 kg)
Onions
2
thinly sliced
Vegetable oil
6 Tablespoons
Garlic cloves
5
sliced
Ground turmeric
0.5 Teaspoons
Dried mint
2 Teaspoons
Kashk (liquid whey)
120 Milliliters
plus extra for topping; or thick Greek yogurt
Hot water
120 Milliliters
Walnuts
40 Grams
chopped
Salt
1 Teaspoons
Black pepper
0.5 Teaspoons
Saffron
1 pinch
bloomed in 1 tbsp hot water (optional)
Flatbread (lavash or barbari)
for serving

Preparation mode:

👉 Kashke bademjan is one of the most loved Persian starters: soft, smoky fried eggplant mashed with golden onions and garlic, finished with tangy kashk (whey), mint oil and walnuts. Scoop it up with warm flatbread.

It’s vegetarian, full of flavour and surprisingly easy to make at home.

How to Make Kashke Bademjan

  1. Cook the eggplants. Peel the eggplants and cut them into thick slices. Salt lightly and leave for 15 minutes, then pat dry. Fry in 3 tbsp oil until golden on both sides (or brush with oil and roast at 200°C / 400°F for 25–30 minutes).
  2. Fry the onions. In another pan, fry the onions in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat for 15 minutes until deep golden. Set aside a handful for the topping.
  3. Make the mint oil. Gently fry the garlic in the remaining oil until just golden, take out half for the topping, then stir the dried mint into the hot oil for 10 seconds. Pour into a small bowl.
  4. Mash. Add the eggplants, turmeric and hot water to the onion pan and mash everything with a fork. Simmer for 10 minutes until thick.
  5. Add the kashk. Stir in the kashk and walnuts, season with salt and pepper and cook 2–3 minutes more.
  6. Serve. Spread on a plate. Drizzle with more kashk, the mint oil and saffron water, and top with the reserved onions, garlic and walnuts. Serve warm with flatbread.

🛒 Kitchen Tools for This Recipe

👉 More comfort food from around the world: 25 Cozy Comfort Food Recipes

Footnotes:

What is kashk? A tangy fermented whey sold in Persian and Middle Eastern shops. Thick Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt is the closest substitute.

Kashke bademjan is a starter at Persian parties – double the recipe for a crowd.

Photo: Sina Salimi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and color-adjusted).

Source: https://cuisinesguide.com/recipes/kashke-bademjan-persian-eggplant-dip-with-whey/