Kashk-e Bademjan

Ingredients

• 2¼ lbeggplantpeeled, cut into slices or cubes; about 2 large or 6 small
• 1onionsliced or diced, fried until golden
• 4 clovesgarlicminced or grated
• 2 tbspMintpartly briefly fried in oil as a topping
• 1 ozwalnutsground or chopped, stirred in or for garnish
• ½ cupkashkfermented whey; some reserved for garnish
• ½ cupwaterfor simmering or thinning
• 5 tbspoilneutral or olive oil, for frying
• 1 tspturmericground
• ½ tspblack pepperground
• saltto taste
• 2 tsptomato pastemixed into the mashed eggplant (optional)

Method

1. Peel the eggplants and cut them into halves, slices or cubes. Sprinkle with salt and leave them until they release their juices, then rinse and pat thoroughly dry.
2. Heat some of the oil in a large pan and fry the eggplant in batches until golden brown on both sides. Lift out and set aside.
3. In the remaining oil, fry the onion until golden. Set some of the fried onion aside for the garnish.
4. Add the garlic, turmeric and black pepper to the onion and fry briefly, just until fragrant, without letting the garlic take on colour.
5. Return the eggplant to the pan with the water, cover and braise over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until the eggplant is completely soft.
6. Mash the eggplant roughly with a potato masher or fork, leaving it with some texture. If you like, stir in the tomato paste at this point.
7. Stir in the kashk, keeping some back for the garnish. Let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes and season with salt. If you wish, stir in part of the walnuts now as well.
8. For the mint oil, warm a little oil in a small pan and toast the dried mint for 1 to 2 minutes. It should smell fragrant but not darken, or it will turn bitter.
9. Spoon the eggplant into a shallow dish and finish with the remaining kashk, the walnuts, the mint oil and the fried onions.

Tips and variations

For a quicker version, fry the eggplant in oil until soft, mash it with the onions without braising, and stir the kashk in cold. Tomato paste and chilli flakes give the dish more colour and heat, and the garlic can be left out altogether. Instead of toasting the mint separately, you can fry it with the onions and scatter fresh mint over the top to serve. Walnuts can also be stirred into the mash, where they thicken it. Add the garnishes just before serving so the onions stay crisp and the mint oil keeps its sheen.