Borani Banjan (Afghan-style Eggplant in Yogurt)
Updated Sept. 17, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- 1cup full-fat Greek or Indian yogurt
- 1garlic clove, grated
- Salt
- ½ to 1cup vegetable oil
- 4Japanese or Indian eggplants (see Tips), or 1 globe eggplant, cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
- 3plum tomatoes, chopped
- ½teaspoon Kashmiri or other red chile powder (optional)
- 2tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 4 to 6small mint leaves
Preparation
- Step 1
In a bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons water. Place in the fridge to chill and develop garlicky flavor.
- Step 2
Line a tray or large plate with paper towels. In a large frying pan, heat ⅓ cup oil on high. (The eggplant slices should be submerged about halfway in the oil while frying.) When the oil is heated, about 1 minute, add the eggplant slices in a single layer, and fry 1 to 2 minutes on each side, working in batches to avoid overcrowding and adding oil between batches as necessary. When the eggplant starts to caramelize and turn brown, transfer to the prepared tray or plate. Pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to remove any excess oil and to preserve the eggplant’s crisp texture. Season with salt as desired.
- Step 3
To the same pan, add tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons water and chile powder, if using. Cook on high until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
To serve, spread the yogurt in a single layer in a large shallow dish. Add the eggplant in a single layer on top, and then scatter the tomato over the eggplant (see Tips). Finish with pomegranate seeds and mint.
- Indian eggplants tend to have thinner skin, are round in shape and are about 2 inches in diameter. These eggplants have a milder flavor and creamier texture than globe eggplants when cooked.
- If multiple layers are preferred (the traditional way), use half of the yogurt, eggplant and tomato for the first layer, and create a second layer with the second half of the elements.
Private Notes
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Comments
I roasted the eggplant rather than fry it. It may have been a little less rich than frying but it was delicious. Great range of flavors and textures.
My favorite kind of food. I make a very similar dish and find that roasting 1 inch pieces of eggplant at 450 degrees ( 20 minutes one side, flip and continue for 10 more minutes) yields delicious results and much simpler. Also, I drizzle with a little pomegranate molasses, a pantry staple.
Re the peppers, the spice is not an important part of the dish typically. Mint, Yogurt, and tomato do the work. The most apt spice to substitute would be a mix of paprika and cayenne. Other common spices like jalepeno, chipotle, or chili flakes would taste off. Hope this helps.
I went off-script, took a risk on it and it totally panned out. With baking I'm rarely so lucky. I salted my eggplant first in a colander, rinsed it, patted it dry. Then tossed with oil and used an air fryer. Two batches at 390 for 18 minutes flipping part way. Just perfect. During the second batch I tossed the tomatoes in the bottom of the air frier and let them break down with more oil. Also perfect! I subbed in hot honey in place of the chili flakes + pomegranate seeds.
I roasted the eggplant at 400 for 20 min on one side and 10 on the other. I threw in the diced plum tomatoes in the last 10 min when the eggplant was also roasting. Roasting the eggplant and tomatoes was a lot easier (albeit less rich) than frying! I served this over the Adas Polo ba Khorma recipe also on NYT Cooking with the yogurt sauce from the other recipe on the side. These two recipes together were perfect for a quick vegetarian dinner for friends.
Absolutely delicious! I gave some chickpeas a quick fry in the oil before adding the tomatoes, and added some oven roasted potatoes to make this a complete meal. Possibly my new favorite meal.