Persian cooking: recipes · Dolmeh & kufteh: stuffed dishes

Dolmeh Bademjan دلمه بادمجان

Hollowed aubergines with a spiced meat and rice filling, cooked in the oven or pot.

⏱ 120 min

Ingredients

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  • 12 aubergines
  • 600 g minced lamb or beef (with some fat)
  • 200 g basmati rice
  • 100 g yellow split peas
  • 2 onions
  • 2 bunch mixed herbs (parsley, coriander, dill, leek)
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 6 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 8 tbsp oil
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)

Method

  1. Filling: half-cook the rice and split peas. Fry the onion, add the mince and turmeric and fry until crumbly; mix with the rice, peas, finely chopped herbs, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
  2. Peel small aubergines, cut off a lid, hollow out, fry all over in oil and stuff. Put the lid back on.
  3. Sauce: stir 300 ml water with 2 tbsp tomato paste, 3 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar and pour over.
  4. Cook covered in the pot or in the oven at 180 °C for 45 minutes.