dami goje bademjoon

humble yet finger-licking vegan dish prepared the Persian way

Cooking Persian is not always about having meat on the counter. To celebrate the season of fresh vegetables, I always make this dish to impress my guests. It is super easy and requires minimal ingredients that are easy to come by. By wrapping a thick kitchen towel around the pan lid, you create a steam bath that cooks the vegetables through and through not letting any flavour escape the pan.

The circled eggplants give this dish a soft texture that is just perfect when paired with a subtle garlic flavour and juicy tomatoes. This humble Persian dish is guaranteed to become your favourite even if you are a meat lover because eggplant has a surprisingly meaty texture. It is simple and requires vegetables you can easily get at a market. It comes together in half an hour and can be served as a light lunch or side or a proper main paired with pasta, rice or crusty bread to mop up all the juice.

ingredients

• 1 aubergine, peel on, cut in circles
• 1 zucchini, peel on, cut in circles
• 3 tomatoes, peel on, cut in circles
• 1 green paprika, cut in circles
• 1 red paprika, cut in circles
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• olive oil to fry
• salt and pepper

preparation

• heat a generous amount of olive oil into a nonsticking pan
• lay the zucchini and fry them on both sides
• take them out and set them aside once ready
• do the same with aubergine, paprikas and lastly tomatoes
• it is important to put the lid on while frying aubergine - this reduces the oil consumption considerably and softens the aubergine while frying
• leave the tomatoes for last as they release lots of juice
• set them all aside
• clean the pan and add some fresh oil
• stir-fry the onion until softened and a bit colured
• add the garlic
• add turmeric
• add tomato paste
• stir-fry for 1 minute
• place all the fried veggies you set aside earlier
• gently mix them without tearing them
• add half a cup of water and add salt and pepper

To create a steam bath to cook the vegetables through and through, the best and most Persian way is to wrap the lid of the pan in a thick kitchen cloth and put the lid on. This prevents any vapour to escape the pan and all the flavour stays in. After 5 minutes, turn on the heat and serve the veggies on a platter. This dish is best served with bread or on top of plain rice.

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