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Dolmeh bademjan is one of the traditional and old Iranian dishes whose origin belongs to the provinces of Azerbaijan.
Stay with the Cookery Magazine website to see the step-by-step cooking tutorial and how to prepare Dolmeh bademjan.
Ingredients for making Dolmeh bademjan
| Globe/American Eggplant | 8 pcs |
| Tomatoes | 3 pcs |
| Half cooked rice | ½ a cup |
| Split peas | ½ a cup |
| Onions | 3 pcs |
| Garlic | 4 pcs |
| Sour lemon | lemon juice | 1 piece | 2-3 tablespoons |
| Pomegranate paste | 3 tablespoons |
| barberry | 3 tablespoons |
| ⭐️ Dolmeh vegetables | 200 grams |
| Minced meat | 100 grams |
| Tomato paste | 2 tablespoons |
| Brewed saffron | As much as needed |
| Salt and black pepper | As much as needed |
| Turmeric and oil (butter) | As much as needed |
⭐️ Dolmeh vegetables: The most important vegetables used in the Dolme preparation give the food a wonderful flavor. There are vegetables such as leek, parsley, dill, savory, mint, and tarragon.
These vegetables are best washed and chopped. You can store this vegetable in the freezer for up to 3 months.
| Parsley | 300 grms |
| Chive | 200 grms |
| Spring Onion | 100 grms |
| Tarragon | 100 grms |
| Summer savory | 100 grms |
| Mint | 100 grms |
Recipe for making Persian stuffed eggplant
The first step
To prepare Persian stuffed eggplant, we must first soak the split peas in a bowl of water for at least 4 hours to remove their flatulence.
After soaking the split peas, we rinse them and pour them into a suitable pot along with two glasses of water, then put the pot on medium heat to cook the cob for one hour.
The second step
In the next step, we soak the rice in a container containing water and salt, fill a suitable pot halfway with water, and add one tablespoon of oil and one teaspoon of salt to the pot. Next, we put the pot on high heat until the water boils.
The third step
After the water boils, add the soaked rice to the pot and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
Once the rice grains were soft and their kernels were hard, we rinse them with cold water and set them aside.
The fourth step
Dice two onions into small pieces and fry them with some oil in a suitable pan until they become soft and light; then, chop two garlic, add them to the onions, and fry them a little.
The fifth stage
Next, we add the minced meat along with some turmeric, salt, and black pepper to the garlic and onion mixture and fry well until the color of the meat changes.
Add tomato paste along with pomegranate paste and fry until the raw taste of tomato paste is taken.
(If desired, we can also add the inner part of the eggplants that we extracted and crushed to the meat mixture.)
The sixth step
At this stage, if our split peas are soft and mushy, we rinse them and add them to the pan containing the minced meat.
Next, we chop the dolme vegetable and add it to the pan, increase the heat a little, and stir the ingredients continuously so the vegetable does not leak water.
The seventh step
After the vegetables of dolmeh bademjan are slightly fried and changed color, we set the lid of the pan to steam for 5 minutes, then we remove the lid of the pan and add the rice that we drained earlier and mix it with other ingredients.
The eighth step
After mixing the rice with other ingredients, let the water in the pan evaporate completely, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Next, carefully remove the caps of the eggplants (the calyx), then empty the inside of the eggplants.
The ninth step
When emptying the eggplants, be careful not to damage the eggplant’s body; then fry the eggplants well with some oil so that they are slightly fried and the scallops retain their appearance during cooking and do not get crushed; then we remove the excess oil from the eggplants with a towel.
The tenth step
Chop the remaining garlic and onion into small pieces and fry them in a large pot until they become light.
Then, we cut the tomatoes into small pieces (dicing), add them to the pot, and continue roasting until they are slightly fried.
The eleventh step
Now we add two glasses of boiling water, salt, and black pepper and let the dolma (dolmeh) sauce thicken with high heat.
While the sauce is being prepared, we pour the meat mixture, rice, and split peas into the eggplants and put the eggplants in the sauce.
Add barberry and 30 grams of butter at the end and adjust the salt according to your taste. At this stage, test the overall taste of the prepared sauce to see if it is tasty, and if there is not enough pomegranate paste or salt, add a little.
The twelfth step
In the end, you can use lemon juice for seasoning, and then reduce the heat under the pot and put the lid on the pot so that the Dolmeh bademjan can cook for 45 minutes to an hour on a gentle heat.
At the end, we arrange the Dolmeh bademjan in the desired dish and pour tomato sauce on the slices.
Dolmeh bademjan without meat
If you do not want to use meat to prepare Dolmeh bademjan for any reason, you can substitute vegetables and legumes for meat.
For example, you can use fried mushrooms instead of meat. Another point is that you can use more split peas and rice if you don’t use meat.
Dolmeh bademjan with Chinese eggplant or Japanese eggplant (thin model of eggplant)
Suppose you don’t have Globe/American Eggplant, and you want to use Chinese eggplant or Japanese eggplant (the thin one) to cook this delicious Dolmeh bademjan.
In that case, you should cut the eggplants lengthwise in the middle so that the eggplants are only cut from one side and the other side is connected.
Next, we empty the inside of the eggplant with a knife or spoon, then pour the ingredients of the dolma into the eggplant and place the eggplant in the pot.
Eggplants should be placed in the pot so the cut side is on top and the ingredients do not spill.
Golden tips for having the best Dolmeh bademjan
- To make dolmeh bademjan, use small eggplants in the exact sizes.
- If you store food in the freezer, record the date of preparation on it.
- If there are too many dolmeh ingredients, you can freeze it and use it at another time.
- It would be best if you were careful not to overcook the dolma so it doesn’t get crushed and lose its beautiful shape.
- If you serve dolmeh bademjan as a main dish, two dolmehs will be enough for each person, and one will be enough for the appetizer.
- You can use dried vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, but fresh vegetables give more flavor and aroma to our dolmeh dish.
Having a journey in the history of Dolmeh bademjan
Dolmeh bademjan or Eggplant dolma is one of the types of dolmeh, but the unique taste of eggplant has made stuffed eggplant dolmeh to be known as the most popular dolmeh; it is suitable for serving at parties.
Dolmeh Bademjan is usually prepared with Aubergine eggplants (Globe/American Eggplants).
In the preparation of stuffed eggplant, you can remove the meat from the ingredients and replace it with other ingredients such as soybeans, mushrooms, or vegetables.
Dolmeh Bademjan without meat is suitable for people who cannot eat meat for any reason or are vegetarians.
Frequently Asked Questions about
1. What is proper eggplant for dolmeh?
Aubergine eggplant.
Dolmeh bademjan recipe | Persian stuffed eggplant in 10 steps
Course: Main Course, AppetizersCuisine: Persian foodDifficulty: DifficultServings
4
servingsPrep time
1
hourCooking time
1
hourCalories
163
kcalDolmeh bademjan is one of the authentic dishes of Iranian cuisine.
Ingredients
Globe/American Eggplant, 8 pcs
Tomatoes, 3 pcs
Half-cooked rice, ½ a cup
Split peas, ½ a cup
Onions, 3 pcs
Garlic, 4 pcs
Sour lemon | lemon juice, 1 piece | 2-3 tablespoons
Pomegranate paste, 3 tablespoons
barberry, 3 tablespoons
⭐️ Dolmeh vegetables, 200 grams
Minced meat, 100 grams
Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons
Brewed saffron, As much as needed
Salt and black pepper, As much as needed
Turmeric and oil (butter), As much as needed
- ⭐️ Dolmeh vegetables :
The most important vegetables used in the Dolme preparation give the food a wonderful flavor. There are vegetables such as leek, parsley, dill, savory, mint, and tarragon.
These vegetables are best washed and chopped. You can store this vegetable in the freezer for up to 3 months. Parsley, 300 grms
Chive, 200 grms
Spring Onion, 100 grms
Tarragon, 100 grms
Summer savory, 100 grms
Mint, 100 grms
Directions
- The first step
To prepare Persian stuffed eggplant, we must first soak the split peas in a bowl of water for at least 4 hours to remove their flatulence.
After soaking the split peas, we rinse them and pour them into a suitable pot along with two glasses of water, then put the pot on medium heat to cook the cob for one hour. - The second step
In the next step, we soak the rice in a container containing water and salt, fill a suitable pot halfway with water, and add one tablespoon of oil and one teaspoon of salt to the pot. Next, we put the pot on high heat until the water boils. - The third step
After the water boils, add the soaked rice to the pot and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
Once the rice grains were soft and their kernels were hard, we rinse them with cold water and set them aside. - The fourth step
Dice two onions into small pieces and fry them with some oil in a suitable pan until they become soft and light; then, chop two garlic, add them to the onions, and fry them a little. - The fifth step
Next, we add the minced meat along with some turmeric, salt, and black pepper to the garlic and onion mixture and fry well until the color of the meat changes.
Add tomato paste along with pomegranate paste and fry until the raw taste of tomato paste is taken.
(If desired, we can also add the inner part of the eggplants that we extracted and crushed to the meat mixture.) - The sixth step
At this stage, if our split peas are soft and mushy, we rinse them and add them to the pan containing the minced meat.
Next, we chop the dolme vegetable and add it to the pan, increase the heat a little, and stir the ingredients continuously so the vegetable does not leak water. - The seventh step
After the vegetables of dolmeh bademjan are slightly fried and changed color, we set the lid of the pan to steam for 5 minutes, then we remove the lid of the pan and add the rice that we drained earlier and mix it with other ingredients. - The eighth step
After mixing the rice with other ingredients, let the water in the pan evaporate completely, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
Next, carefully remove the caps of the eggplants (the calyx), then empty the inside of the eggplants. - The ninth step
When emptying the eggplants, be careful not to damage the eggplant’s body; then fry the eggplants well with some oil so that they are slightly fried and the scallops retain their appearance during cooking and do not get crushed; then we remove the excess oil from the eggplants with a towel. - The tenth step
Chop the remaining garlic and onion into small pieces and fry them in a large pot until they become light.
Then, we cut the tomatoes into small pieces (dicing), add them to the pot, and continue roasting until they are slightly fried. - The eleventh step
Now we add two glasses of boiling water, salt, and black pepper and let the dolma (dolmeh) sauce thicken with high heat.
While the sauce is being prepared, we pour the meat mixture, rice, and split peas into the eggplants and put the eggplants in the sauce. - The twelfth step
In the end, you can use lemon juice for seasoning, and then reduce the heat under the pot and put the lid on the pot so that the Dolmeh bademjan can cook for 45 minutes to an hour on a gentle heat.
At the end, we arrange the Dolmeh bademjan in the desired dish and pour tomato sauce on the slices.
Notes
- To make dolmeh bademjan, use small eggplants in the exact sizes.
- If you store food in the freezer, record the date of preparation on it.
- If there are too many dolmeh ingredients, you can freeze it and use it at another time.
- To make dolmeh bademjan, use small eggplants in the exact sizes.
- If you serve dolmeh bademjan as a main dish, two dolmehs will be enough for each person, and one will be enough for the appetizer.
- You can use dried vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, but fresh vegetables give more flavor and aroma to our dolmeh dish.
Conclusion
Thank you for being with us with this delicious and popular Iranian dish.
If you have any questions, it’s my honor to answer. Enjoy your exploration of Persian cuisine!
Also, you can use our other delicious Iranian dolmeh recipes.
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