Mirza Ghasemi

A dish from Iran's northern Gilan province: smoky aubergine cooked down with garlic and tomato, then finished with softly set eggs.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Vegetarian
✅
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 4 medium aubergines (about 900g)
  • 4 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 4 ripe tomatoes (400g), peeled and chopped
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • Flatbread or rice, to serve

Method

  1. Char the aubergines whole over a gas flame or barbecue for 15 minutes, turning until blackened, or roast at 220°C (200°C fan) for 40 minutes.

  2. Cool, peel off the skin, drain in a sieve for 10 minutes and mash to a coarse purée.

  3. Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the garlic for 1 minute until golden. Stir in the turmeric, then the tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes until thick.

  4. Add the aubergine, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the oil separates and the mixture is thick.

  5. Make wells and pour in the beaten eggs. Stir gently for 3-4 minutes until just set. Serve warm with bread or rice.