Borani Banjan is a traditional Afghan recipe that has eggplants layered in a tomato sauce and topped with a garlic yoghurt sauce and dried mint. It is so simple to make but the flavours are complex and blend so wonderfully together to make what has become one of my top favorite ways to make eggplant. It is SO good, if you love eggplant as much as I do, you have to make it.
I have shared this dish before here, but felt that it. deserves its own post. Share the goodness right?
I like the recipe from Mazar Cuisine and it is always the one I use when making this dish, though I sometimes roast the eggplant in the oven instead of frying.
Our ingredients are:-
4 purple eggplants, thickly sliced and soaked in salty water to remove bitterness.
4 sliced tomatoes.
1 heaped teaspoon of tomato paste.
Spices: 1 teaspoon each of paprika, ground coriander, ground turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of ground red chilli.
Salt and pepper to taste.
4 minced garlic cloves. (I used local garlic that has stronger flavour than imported one).
1 level tbsp of dried mint.
I cup natural yoghurt.
Cooking oil.
After soaking the eggplant in salted water, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss with olive oil and roast in a 180°C oven for 20 – 25 minutes. As the eggplant roasts you can get started on the tomato sauce.In a heated saucepan, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, and add half the minced garlic.Once it releases its aroma, add the ground spices, the turmeric, paprika, chilli and coriander and mix well. Let the spices cook a while before adding the tomato paste and mix well. ( I added a green pepper I had on hand though its not included in the original recipe).Add your sliced tomatoes and some salt, lower heat and cover. Let it cook till the tomatoes break down completely.Meanwhile, add the yoghurt to a bowl, the rest of the minced garlic, the dried mint and some salt and pepper.Mix well and set aside (I put mine in the fridge as it was a hot day, but if its cool you can leave it out on the counter till ready to use).The tomatoes will have broken down completely into a lovely red rich and thick sauce.Add the roasted eggplant to the tomato sauce and mix gently. If too dry you can add a splash of water. Cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes for the eggplant to absorb the flavour and the sauce. Remember to check your seasoning too. The eggplant really holds its shape well and is full of flavour with a bit of heat but not too much.To serve, plate the eggplant then add the garlic yoghurt on top. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a bit of dried mint. This might just become my favorite eggplant recipe!I had mine with a simple flatbread made with self raising flour, yoghurt and some herbs.
The best way to have this is with a decent flatbread that is great for scooping up the sauce and balances out the flavours too.
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