Name: Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 4 eggplants (1.5 kgs); 1 large onion diced; 6 garlic cloves diced; 3-4 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp tumeric powder; 2 tbsp dried mint leaves; 1 cup vegetable stock (or water); 50 g chopped walnuts; 3 tbsp kashk mixture or (sour cream or greek yogurt)** See notes; Extra kashk or (sour cream or greek yogurt); Caramelized onions; Bloomed Saffron; Chopped walnuts

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Kashke Bademjan is a popular Persian Eggplant Dip that is easy to make. It's a perfect warm appetizer, served with Persian or Pita bread.

Kashke Bademjan is a Persian Eggplant Dip you need to try!

It’s a personal favourite and a very popular Persian appetizer which is always a crowd pleaser. It’s quite similar to Baba Ghanoush or Mutabal as the base also consists of mashed cooked eggplants.

We however also add caramelized onions and a whole lot of goodies including kashk. This gives its unique tangy taste making it an absolute flavour bomb!

Kashke Bademjan is actually also very easy to make. It’s great to serve as an appetizer with warm Barbari Bread everyone will love!

It can also easily be made vegan also, just leave the kashk out at the end.

My mama has passed down her recipe for this dish which I’ve used as the base for this recipe. I’ve also added some of my personal tips on how I like to make it 🙂

If you want to try more Persian food, here are some dishes you’ll love and need to try Makaroni (Persian Spaghetti), Shirazi Salad and Persian Rice with Tahdig.

Table of Contents

What is Kashke Bademjan?
What is Kashk?
Ingredients to make Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)
Garnish Options
Cooking the Eggplants
How to make Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)
Tips for Persian Eggplant Dip
More Easy Dips
More Persian Recipes
Recipe
Comments

What is Kashke Bademjan?

Kashke (or Kashk) is liquid whey and Bademjan translates to Eggplant in Persian (Farsi).

It’s a very popular Persian eggplant dip that consists of cooked and mashed eggplants, onions, garlic, dried mind and kashk. It has a similar texture to baba ganoush and is a dip you’ll almost always find served as an appetizer at a Persian dinner party or restaurant.

It’s usually served warm with a side of fresh Persian flat bread or pita bread... YUM

What is Kashk?

In simple terms, Kashk is liquid whey. It's made by fermenting yogurt that can be found dried or in liquid form. Boiling water is then added to dilute it and once whisked together, it will create a thick sauce like consistency.

Kashk is popular in several Persian dishes and used in many middle eastern cuisines that adds a unique salty, tangy and creamy flavor.

You can find it in Persian supermarkets and possibly middle eastern markets. Kashk substitutions are also popular due to its particular taste. You can use yogurt or sour cream as an alternative that will still turn out great.

Ingredients to make Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)

Eggplants are of course the star of the dish! Try and use large darker eggplants as they’re more meaty and ripe with more flavor. Traditionally they are fried for this dish, however I like to roast mine in the oven instead for a lighter and healthier option
Kashk is a Persian fermented yogurt/curd which is salty and gives the dish it’s unique tangy creamy flavor. It’s found in Persian supermarkets and possibly middle eastern markets. If it’s hard to find, you can substitute with sour cream or Greek yoghurt which also work great
Onion is sautéed with garlic for the base of the dish, and is also commonly added as garnish on top
Olive oil is used throughout the recipe as my preferred oil
Tumeric powder gives a lovely colour and flavour to the dish. You won’t need much as a little goes a long way
Dried mint leaves give a beautiful aroma and colour to the dish. They are a staple in many Persian recipes and are found in Persian, middle eastern and Indian supermarkets
Vegetable stock is added to give the dish extra flavour while it’s being cooked. You can also add water instead
Walnuts are added for a little crunch along with the garnish on top. I like to toast mine on the stove or oven for a few minutes to bring out the nuttiness even more

Garnish Options

Persians love to garnish Kashke Bademjan. You can get as fancy or as simple as you like.

Here are some common garnish ingredients we love to add:

Extra kashk or (sour cream or greek yogurt)
Caramelized onions
Fried dried mint
Bloomed saffron
Chopped walnuts

Cooking the Eggplants

Eggplants are one of those vegetables that don’t get enough love! I personally love them 🙂

Traditionally, the eggplants are fried to make kashke bademjan. However, eggplants do soak up quite a lot of oil in the cooking process which means you’ll need a generous amount of oil.

I prefer to roast the eggplants in the oven which is healthier and lighter as you don’t need much oil for this. You’ll end up with beautifully caramelized eggplants that taste amazing in this dip! My mama was a little skeptical at first but she was totally surprised with how good they still tasted!

You can however still fry them if you prefer, that’s totally ok too!

How to make Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)

Time needed: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Preheat oven
Set to 180°C/350°F
Prepare eggplants
Slice eggplants in half lengthways and cut diagonal slits into the flesh, making sure not to cut all the way through.

Optional, salt the insides of the eggplant and let them stand for 15-20 minutes to allow them to sweat. Then dry them well with a paper towel
Cook eggplants
Drizzle with olive oil and face downwards on a baking tray with a baking sheet. This way there is no need for peeling the eggplants

Cook for 45 minutes or until they have fully cooked and look golden brown. Remove from oven and scoop out all of the flesh with a spoon and set aside
Time to fry
In a pan, sauté the onion in olive oil and once translucent add diced cloves of garlic. Add turmeric, dried mint with a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes
Add ingredients and simmer
Add the eggplant flesh, vegetable stock and chopped walnuts and mix through together. Simmer on low heat with the lid on for 15 minutes
Add kashk
Once most of the liquid has been absorbed, the eggplant will resemble a mash. Now add the kashk (or sour cream or Greek yoghurt). Stir through, it should be nice and creamy
Serve it up
Allow to slightly cool and serve in a bowl. Garnish with some extra kashk and additional garnish (optional). Serve with fresh Persian flatbread and enjoy!

Tips for Persian Eggplant Dip

Salting the eggplants are optional, but I feel this is a crucial step. Eggplants can be a little bitter so salting them for 15-20 minutes draws out that bitterness
Pick larger eggplants which have a darker skin as they are more meaty
Roast the eggplants face down on the baking tray. This will ensure they don’t dry out and will be nicely cooked
Sauté dried mint and turmeric for a few minutes to bring out all the flavour. They can burn very quickly so ensure to add a tablespoon of olive oil at this point
Slowly add boiling water if using kashk, to dilute it and whisk together to create a thick sauce consistency
Use sour cream or thick Greek yogurt if you can’t find kashk, not to worry

More Easy Dips

More Persian Recipes

I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to rate the recipe, comment and share your Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip) photo on Instagram so I can share the love!

Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)