Borani Banjan along with Bolani are always my favorite dishes to order when we go out for Afghan food. Thin, salted eggplant slices that are fried then simmered in a homemade slightly fiery tomato sauce. But I think my favorite part is the combination of warm eggplant stew with the swoop of creamy cool garlic yogurt paired with warm naan or flatbread. It’s warming, loaded with garlic flavor, and it’s absolutely perfect. I know it sounds like humble ingredients with big promises, but that’s the magic of this recipe. The garnish is simple, just some dried mint sprinkled on top to finish it off. Borani Banjan is quite possibly my favorite way to eat eggplants!
What is Borani Banjan?
Borani Banjan is an eggplant dish where the eggplants are fried and then stewed in a tomato sauce and served with creamy garlic yogurt. It is typically served as an appetizer with naan but you could also serve this as a main meal.
Ingredients for Afghan Eggplant Dish:
Eggplants: You’ll need about 1½ pounds of eggplants for this recipe. I usually look for two smaller sized ones in my middle eastern grocery store so that the slices are naturally smaller. You could also use one giant eggplant, but be sure to cut it into 2-3 inch pieces so that it’s easier to serve. We’ll start by salting the eggplant to draw out most of that moisture before we fry it to golden brown.Seasonings: You’ll need a lot of pantry staples for this recipe like kosher salt, ground turmeric, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. The ingredients might sound overly simple but the end product is so flavorful!Fresh Garlic: We’ll add fresh garlic cloves to this recipe. You’ll add most of it to the stewed tomato mixture. Then, we’ll press the last garlic clove right into the yogurt.Olive Oil: We’ll start by frying the eggplants in oil. You can also use avocado oil or vegetable oil if you’d like. The remaining of the olive oil is the base of the tomato sauce.Tomato Paste: Adds a more flavorful punch of tomato to the sauce.Diced Tomatoes: I use a can of diced tomatoes for this recipe without draining it. Be sure to use a good quality tomato to get the best flavor for this recipe. You could also use fresh tomatoes if they’re in season. I suggest simmering the tomatoes and removing the peel, then making tomato slices and using that to create the sauce.Plain yogurt: Plain yogurt works best for this recipe as it isn’t as thick as Greek yogurt.Dried mint: It’s a garnish that we’ll sprinkle on top right before serving this dip. You could also just add chopped fresh mint leaves if you’d like. Dried mint has a more mellow flavor and it’s easier to have on hand at all times!Fresh bread: Is for serving the dip with. You can serve this as an appetizer with wedges of naan or as a main meal.
How to make Borani Banjan:
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