Halim Bademjan (Eggplant Spread Maincourse)
Halim Bademjoon (Eggplant Dip, or rather, Mashed Everything Dip!) is, in many ways, similar to Kashk-e-Badamjun, a recipe I posted a few weeks ago. One of the major differences, though, is that Halim Bademjoon is much much MUCH heavier, thanks to the rice, chickpeas, and lentils. Unlike Kashk-e-Badamjun that is more suited to be an appetizer, this is considered to be more of a main course.
As noted before, it's unfortunately impossible to find kashk, a sour-ish dairy product made from fermented yogurt, in Hong Kong, so we modified the recipe by replacing it with sour cream. Although the sour taste and aroma of kashk was absent, it was still very creamy and delicious. Oh, and did I mention, heavy?
Ingredients (Serves 4)
Ingredient Preparation
Assembly Directions
| Ease of Cooking | Yummy Factor | Apprx. Cost |
|---|---|---|
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HK$100 (US$13) |
- 3 medium eggplants
- 2 medium onions
- 300g beef, cubed
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 can lentils
- 1 cup rice, cooked
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Salt and Pepper
Ingredient Preparation
- Eggplant: Roast eggplants on an open fire until it's blackened and soft. Remove from heat and cool. Peel the blackened skin off the eggplant and set the eggplant meat aside.
- Beef: Boil with half a coarsely chopped onion, pepper, and turmeric in a pot of water until the beef becomes very tender. Drain excess water.
- Onions: Grate remaining onions and fry them in 2 tbsp oil until they become dark brown.
Assembly Directions
- Add rice, chickpeas, lentils, beef, eggplant, and sour cream in a food processor or mixer until they're well blended into an even paste. Season with pepper and salt.
- Before serving, heat over a low flame, turning constantly. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, if needed.
- Serve with warm pita bread!
