Khoresh Bademjun va Kadoo (Persian Eggplant & Zucchini Stew)

I had a medium-sized eggplant from a local farmer and a tiny one from my garden, but not enough for Khoresh Bademjun. What to do? I really wanted Persian food. Of course, I also had plenty of zucchini from my garden. Why not try a Khoresh (stew) sing both vegetables?

Since our vegetarian daughter was home, no meat would go in this dish. So I needed to to make sure there would be enough flavor and texture to the dish. Layering was my approach. First the fried onions and turmeric, topping that with the sliced tomatoes, then fried zucchini.

Finally, it all got sealed in by the fried eggplant.

And cooked until the flavors all blended together. We dove in so fast that I did not get any pictures of the final plates before they were eaten. Since they really looked a lot like my other Khoresh Bademjuns, here is one of those to give you the idea….

This was an experiment that went very well. I will be making this and trying more variations on it in the future. This is Happy Food.

Khoresh Bademjun va Kadoo (Persian Eggplant & Zucchini Stew)

Canola oil

1 medium eggplant (plus one tiny one from the garden), peeled and sliced about 1/4″ thick

1 large or 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 ” chunks (from the garden)

1 large onion, sliced

1/2 tsp turmeric

3 tomatoes, sliced (from the garden)

1/2 cup water

Kosher salt

Directions

Place the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with a good amount of salt. Let sit for 20 – 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt and dry the slices.

In the meantime, place about 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet (I like to use cast iron, but any non-stick will do). Heat over medium-high heat. Cook the zucchini in batches until lightly browned and cooked through, flipping once through cooking. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Place the onion in the skillet, sprinkle with the turmeric and salt and cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Now, Fry the eggplant, in batches, until golden browned on each side, about 3 – 4 minutes per side. Note: it is preferable to overcook the eggplant rather than undercook it. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt.