Dollop
Borani banjan (Afghan eggplant with garlic yogurt)
Golden roasted eggplant simmered in a turmeric tomato sauce and spooned over cool garlic yogurt, with rice to catch every bit.
- 70 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.83 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 eggplant, large
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
From your pantry
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided
- 2¼ cups water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water
Each serving has about 530 calories, 18 g protein, 81 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $2.83 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the eggplants into ½-inch rounds, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and let them sit on paper towels for 15 minutes.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 15 min
.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Brush the slices on both sides with 3 tablespoons oil and on two baking sheets until and soft, about 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 20 min
Meanwhile, the rice and bring it with 2¼ cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn to low and cook 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a large over medium heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Cook the onion until , 6 to 7 minutes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Stir in two-thirds of the garlic, the turmeric, coriander and pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
Medium heat
Add the tomatoes, ¼ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt and 5 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Lay the eggplant slices into the sauce, spooning some over the top. Cover and over low heat for 10 minutes so the eggplant soaks up the sauce.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 10 min
Stir the yogurt with the rest of the garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Spread garlic yogurt on each plate, spoon the eggplant and sauce over it and sprinkle with mint. Serve with the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Turkish stuffed zucchini with rice (kabak dolması)
80 min
Baingan bharta (smoky mashed eggplant curry)
70 min
Instant Pot lentils and brown rice
60 min
Mushroom matar masala (mushroom and pea curry)
45 min
Vegetarian dinners ›Make-ahead and freezer-friendly ›What to make with canned tomatoes and rice ›