Bademjan - Delicious Persian Stew

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• 1/2 lb lamb
• 100 ml tomato paste
• 1 lemon
• 1 onion
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. 1

   Peel the eggplant and cut it lengthwise in half. (Cut it in half again if you are using a large eggplant.) Lightly salt and leave it to drain in a colander for half an hour. Rinse and pat it dry with paper towel, or leave to dry it overnight. (Eggplant will ‘sweat’ when salted, don’t be scared!).

2. 2

   Fry the eggplant in oil until it is lightly colored. Remove and keep to the side.

3. 3

   Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep pot and fry the onion, adding the meat, pepper turmeric and tomato paste. Sauté until the onion is lightly colored.

4. 4

   Add water and let it simmer until the meat is tender. Add more water if its required (if the dish doesn’t look liquidly then it will need more water).

5. 5

   When the meat is tender, add the eggplant, sugar, lemon, and salt to taste. Let the mixture boil for another few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.