Mirza Ghasemi, Persian Smoky Eggplant
Mirza ghasemi comes from Gilan, the humid green province along Iran's Caspian coast, where the cooking is garlicky, sour, and unlike the rest of the country. It is built on eggplant charred until it is more smoke than vegetable, then cooked down with a startling amount of garlic, tomato, and turmeric into a soft, savory spread. The dish is usually enriched with beaten eggs folded through at the end, but it stands perfectly well without them, staying a clean melt of smoke and tomato. The only step that cannot be shortcut is the charring: an eggplant merely roasted soft gives you a decent dip, while one taken all the way to blistered and collapsing gives you mirza ghasemi. Everything after that is just patience at the stove.
Ingredients
- 2 lb Eggplant, whole, about 2 large
- 8 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 wholes Fresh tomatoes, ripe, grated or finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
Method
- Char the whole eggplants until the skins blacken and blister and the flesh goes completely soft, turning them as they go. Set them right on a gas flame, under a hot broiler, or on a grill, about 15 minutes. This smoke is the soul of the dish, the reason it tastes of a Gilani kitchen and not just of stewed eggplant, so do not rush to a tender-but-pale stage.
- Put the charred eggplants in a bowl, cover, and let them steam for 10 minutes, which loosens the skins. Peel off and discard every scrap of blackened skin, then chop the smoky flesh roughly on a board, or tear it with two forks.
- In a wide nonstick pan, cook the sliced garlic in 3 tablespoons water over medium heat until soft and just turning golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric and the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, until the paste darkens and the raw edge of the turmeric cooks off.
- Add the grated tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the liquid boils away and the mixture turns thick and jammy, about 8 minutes. Driving off the water first is what keeps the finished dish from being watery, since the eggplant will loosen it again.
- Fold in the chopped eggplant and cook 8 to 10 minutes more, mashing and stirring, until it all melts together into a soft, glossy spread. Season with black pepper and the lemon juice. Mirza ghasemi traditionally has beaten eggs stirred in at this point; left out, it stays a pure, smoky tomato-and-eggplant melt that needs nothing else.
- Serve it warm, scooped up with whole grain flatbread, spooned over brown rice, or set out as one dish among several. It keeps and reheats well, and the flavor deepens overnight.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 120 calories, 4 g protein, 7 g fiber, 40 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
