Ingredients
|
6 Japanese or Chinese or 2 Italian eggplants
Hawaiian or kosher salt and black pepper, to taste Olive oil ½ pound of ground beef OR 1 package (1 pound) ground turkey if you must 2-3 cloves of garlic 1 medium onion, chopped |
1 T dry mint
About 2t of turmeric, enough so that it turns the color of curry About ½ cup of water 1-2 T kashk* (see Notes) OR 1 small carton of plain Greek yogurt |
What To Do
Set out a plate lined with paper towels to hold the cooked eggplant.
Peel, slice and salt eggplants to get them to weep a bit, about 15 minutes. Precision cutting is not necessary in slicing the eggplants as long as they are all about the same size. However, they will cook faster if then are thinner. Rinse, dry, and cook in oil until golden brown. Set aside on the plate with paper towels to drain.
Wipe out the hot pan of most of the oil, and cook onion, garlic and ground meat. Cook until the juices are completely gone and turn off heat.
In a wok or Dutch oven, heat a bit of olive oil and add dry mint and turmeric. Turn off the heat after 30 seconds. Smash the fried eggplants, ground meat and onions into the mint/tumeric pot. Add water, stir, and let cook on low for 15-20 minutes for all the flavors to meld together
Turn off heat and add Kashk or yogurt at the end. Stir to combine and serve.
Peel, slice and salt eggplants to get them to weep a bit, about 15 minutes. Precision cutting is not necessary in slicing the eggplants as long as they are all about the same size. However, they will cook faster if then are thinner. Rinse, dry, and cook in oil until golden brown. Set aside on the plate with paper towels to drain.
Wipe out the hot pan of most of the oil, and cook onion, garlic and ground meat. Cook until the juices are completely gone and turn off heat.
In a wok or Dutch oven, heat a bit of olive oil and add dry mint and turmeric. Turn off the heat after 30 seconds. Smash the fried eggplants, ground meat and onions into the mint/tumeric pot. Add water, stir, and let cook on low for 15-20 minutes for all the flavors to meld together
Turn off heat and add Kashk or yogurt at the end. Stir to combine and serve.
Notes
- Kashk is a Persian dairy product that tastes like a cross between yogurt, butter and sour cream. It’s sold in a big jar in the refrigerated section of Persian markets, and you can freeze them in small portions for later use. However, it can be hard to find.
- Kashk does not fit into the category of broadly available spice, but fear not, you can also use plain yogurt.
- Eggplant absorbs a lot of oil in the cooking process. As much as you can, try to blot out excess oil once you set the cooked eggplant on the plate with paper towels. There will still be plenty to make the dish creamy once it is mashed and added to the meat, onions, and spices.