Khoresh Bademjan is a stew made with pan-fried Japanese eggplant that melts into a tangy tomato and chicken base. The magic lies in the balance: sour grapes infuse the dish with a brightness that cuts through the savory warmth of the stew. Every bite is a harmony of textures and tastes with chicken slow-cooked to perfection and best enjoyed with fluffy basmati rice.
This stew is a piece of my family’s story. I learned how to make it from my mom and grandmother, who both treated cooking as an act of love. Some of my earliest memories are of us sitting together, stemming sour grapes by the gallon-sized freezer bags to freeze them for the year ahead. That way, we could enjoy this stew no matter the season.
To this day, I still carry on those traditions. I prep batches of Japanese eggplant and keep them in the freezer, just like I do with Persian fried onions. It makes it so easy to bring this stew to the table on a busy weeknight.
This recipe is a little taste of home, and I’m so happy to share it with you.
🧾Ingredients in this recipe
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳How to Make This Recipe
Add the canola oil to a large pot or pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the eggplants skin side down, and season with salt. Cook until blistered and very tender, flipping halfway through. Set aside on paper towels or paper bags. Sauté the onion in the canola oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the chicken skin side down and season with the turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cook until brown on all sides. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sour grapes (or dried limes). Add just enough water to ensure the chicken is covered. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for 90 minutes. Before serving, add the eggplants and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered to thicken the base. Then, add the saffron brew, and mix. Serve with basmati rice.
Why brown the chicken?
Browning the chicken before adding the stew liquid seals in the juices in the meat, and helps create the fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
🍚 What to serve with this recipe
Khoresh Bademjan (Persian Eggplant & Chicken Stew)
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
- 5 Japanese eggplants sliced in half lengthwise
- 6 tbsp canola oil
- 4 lbs. chicken if using a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 yellow onion diced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- salt and pepper
- 16 oz. tomato sauce can
- 3 oz. tomato paste
- ½ cup sour grapes*
- water at least 1 cup
- 1 pinch saffron ground and bloomed in 2 tablespoons of hot water or over ice
Instructions
- Add the canola oil to a large pot or pan** and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the eggplants skin side down, and season with salt. Cook until blistered and very tender, flipping halfway through. Set aside on paper towels or paper bags.5 Japanese eggplants, 6 tbsp canola oil
- Sauté the onion in the canola oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the chicken skin side down and season with the turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cook until brown on all sides.4 lbs. chicken, 1 yellow onion, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, salt and pepper
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sour grapes (or dried limes). Add just enough water to ensure the chicken is covered. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for 90 minutes.16 oz. tomato sauce, 3 oz. tomato paste, 1/2 cup sour grapes*
- Before serving, add the eggplants and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered to thicken the base. Then, add the saffron brew, and mix. Serve with basmati rice.1 pinch saffron
Video
Notes
Nutrition
🍲 More Delicious, Warming Stews
If you like this Persian recipe, be sure to check out all my Persian recipes here. And I’m sure you’ll love one of these other dishes, too:
Was wondering if you had any recommendations for making this vegetarian / vegan? One time I tried with mushrooms but the khoresh was too watery. Thank you!
Hi Sadaf, Great question! I’ve been testing some vegetarian options for different stews, and this one has been tough. So far, I’ve been the most successful for bademjan with some seared tofu and adding some vegetable bouillon before the simmer. I then add roasted vegetables like green beans and potatoes after about an hour. I then simmer it with the lid off until enough water has evaporated. It isn’t perfect yet, but I’ll let you know when it’s there. Feel free to give this a try in the meantime.
Mushrooms are a great option for ghormeh sabzi. I’ve been working on that one, too.
I love Persian food and am so excited to find the recipes I loved so much. Do you have a recipe for my favorite – Kask a bademjoon?
Thank you for the recipe request, Laurie! I’m so glad you’re liking my recipes.
I do have a recipe, but it isn’t on the blog yet. I learn the recipes without measurements because that’s how my mom and grandmother cook, and it takes me time to get them to a place that’s blog-worthy. But here is the gist…
Fry 1 sliced onion (the way I do it in the ash reshteh recipe). Sometimes I’ll fry up about a tablespoon of dried mint for this dish, too. Set them aside.
Peel 6 small Chinese eggplants, cut them into 1-cm thick pieces and sear them in oil seasoning with salt, pepper, turmeric (optional). Once they are golden brown (don’t have to be cooked through) let them sit on some paper towels.
Add about a tablespoon of tomato paste and some water. Cook for a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in kashk and top with the onions/mint.
Hope this helps! I’ll try and get a good recipe for this dish up before Spring.
Hi Laurie… the kashke bademjan recipe is offically posted here. Enjoy!