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AI-generated photograph: A wide shallow turquoise glazed bowl of pale golden mashed aubergine seen from above, swirled with white kashk, topped with deep brown crisp onions, a ribbon of dark green mint oil, chopped walnuts and a few drops of saffron water

Home · Recipes · Kashk-e bademjan, aubergine with kashk, mint oil and walnuts

Persian · Soups and starters

Kashk-e bademjan, aubergine with kashk, mint oil and walnuts

smoky aubergine · kashk and mint · crisp onions

AI-generated photograph

Kashk-e bademjan is a Persian starter of soft roast aubergine cooked down with garlic and golden onions, then swirled with kashk, a tangy, salty whey made from dried yoghurt. It is finished with crisp onions, mint oil and walnuts, and eaten warm with bread.

Contains: milk and tree nuts, as written. This recipe contains milk, from the kashk (it is made from yoghurt), and tree nuts, from the walnuts. The aubergine, onions, garlic, spices, mint and saffron contain none of the 14 allergens. If you serve it with bread, check the bread's label for gluten, sesame, milk and soya.

Ingredients

  • 3 large aubergines (about 900g)
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Half a teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons dried mint
  • 135g kashk (a thick, tangy whey made from dried yoghurt, sold in jars in Persian and Middle Eastern shops and online)
  • 40g walnut halves, roughly chopped
  • Half a teaspoon fine salt
  • A good pinch of saffron threads (about a quarter teaspoon), soaked in 1 tablespoon hot water

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Let's cook

  1. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan). Cut the aubergines in half from top to bottom, score the cut sides in a criss cross pattern, brush them with 2 tablespoons of the oil and lay them cut side down on a lined baking tray.
  2. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes until the skins have collapsed and the flesh is completely soft when you press it with a spoon. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then scoop the flesh out and chop it roughly. Throw away the skins.
  3. While the aubergines roast, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until they are deep golden brown and crisp at the edges. Lift out about a third of them onto kitchen paper to keep for the top.
  4. Add the garlic and turmeric to the onions left in the pan and stir for 1 minute until the garlic smells sweet. Add the aubergine and mash it into the onions with a fork or potato masher. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until it is thick and jammy.
  5. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 120g of the kashk. Taste before you add the salt: kashk is already salty, so you may need less.
  6. Make the mint oil. Warm the last tablespoon of oil in a small pan on a low heat, take it off the heat and stir in the dried mint. Leave it for 10 seconds only, as dried mint burns very quickly.
  7. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell nutty.
  8. Spread the aubergine on a warm plate or shallow bowl. Swirl the last 15g of kashk over the top, then add the crisp onions, the mint oil, the walnuts and a few drops of the saffron water. Serve warm.

Tips

  • Kashk varies in strength from jar to jar, so add it a spoonful at a time if you are trying a new one.
  • Serve it with warm flatbread to scoop it up. Check the bread's label if you need it free of gluten, sesame or milk.
  • It keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm it gently in a pan until hot, then add the toppings fresh.

Swaps

  • No kashk: beat 150g Greek yoghurt with 40g finely crumbled feta and a squeeze of lemon. It still contains milk.
  • No nuts: leave out the walnuts and scatter over toasted pumpkin seeds instead.

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

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