Persian Dolmeh Bademjan (Recipe, Ingredients, Tips)

Dolmeh BademjanDolmeh, or stuffed vegetables, is one of the traditional and old Iranian dishes originally belonging to the Azerbaijan provinces of Iran. Persian Dolmeh Bademjan is a dish made of stuffed eggplants containing rice, legumes, herbs, meat, and other ingredients. Interestingly, Dolmeh can also be a vegetarian dish prepared with other vegetables or proteins to replace ground meat.

Persian Dolmeh is a popular Iranian dish with a sweet and sour taste of pomegranate paste, along with aromatic herbs. As a nutritious meal, it can also make a memorable moment for you to taste the stunning Persian cuisine. Here, we have provided you with a complete guide to cooking this fantastic dish.

Persian Dolmeh Bademjan Ingredients

Main ingredients include: Eggplants, rice, split peas, herbs, meat, onion

8 large Eggplants

1 cup of Rice

½ cup of Split peas

500 grams of Dolmeh Herbs (leek, parsley, basil, dill, savory, mint, tarragon, coriander, spring onion)

300 grams of Ground meat

2 medium Onions

Dolmeh Sauce Ingredients

3 tablespoons of Pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons of Tomato paste

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon of Saffron

2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons of Oil

Seasonings – salt, black pepper, turmeric, and cinnamon powder – 1 teaspoon of each

Persian Dolmeh Bademjan Recipe

Persian Dolmeh Bademjan recipe is considered easy because its preparation involves straightforward and simple steps. Yet, this dish is perfect for a tasty family meal and for serving to your precious guests.

Step 1

The first and foremost step in preparing Persian Dolmeh Bademjan is soaking the split peas in a bowl of water for at least 4 hours to avoid a bloated digestive system as well as softening the peas. You can also soak them one day before cooking your Dolmeh dish. Half-boil the split peas, which are already soaked in water, with some water for at least 30 minutes, and then drain.

Step 2

In the next step, soak the rice in a bowl containing water and cook for several minutes. Fill up a pot halfway with water. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Next, put the pot on high heat until the water starts boiling.

When the water starts to boil, add the soaked rice to the pot and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Once the rice grains get softer, drain and rinse the rice with cold water using a large sieve. Set the half-boiled rice aside to cool down a bit.

Step 3

Meanwhile, wash the eggplants well and cut the tops with a knife. Keep the heads for later use. Then, use a spoon to empty the inside of the eggplant without damaging the surface and scoop out the contents from the inside. Set the eggplants aside to fill them later on.

Step 4

Dice 2 onions into small pieces and fry them with oil in a pan until the onions become soft and light in color. Mince 2 garlic cloves, add them to the onions and stir-fry them for several minutes.

Step 5

Next, mix the ground meat along with the seasoning ingredients, which are salt, black pepper, turmeric, and cinnamon powder, and make sure the meat is seasoned thoroughly. Add the meat to the pan with the fried garlic and onion mixture and fry well until the color of the ground meat changes to brown. Now add the tomato paste and the pomegranate molasses and fry until the raw taste of tomato paste is removed. Add 1 cup of boiling water to the mixture.

Step 6

Take the soft and mushy split peas and add them to the pan containing the ground meat and stir.

Step 7

Next, chop the Dolmeh herbs and add them to your pot. Increase the heat a bit and stir the ingredients continuously to prevent the herbs from softening too much.

Step 8

When the Dolmeh herbs are slightly fried and start changing in color, put the lid of the pan to steam the ingredients for at least 5 minutes. Later, remove the lid, add the rice that was drained earlier, and mix it with the other ingredients.

Step 9

After mixing the rice with the other ingredients, let the water inside the pan evaporate completely. Ground the saffron, dissolve it in hot water, and add the saffron water to your mixture. Remove the pan from the heat, add lemon juice to the ingredients, and set it aside.

Step 10

Fry the eggplants in a small amount of oil so that they are slightly fried in a way that they still can preserve their appearance during the Dolmeh cooking process. Do not let the eggplants get crushed. Remove the excess oil from the eggplants with a towel.

Step 11

Fill the eggplants with the cooked ingredients. Leave the upper part of the eggplant (the heads) that you cut earlier and place them on the top of the filled eggplants as its lid.

Step 12

In a separate pot, stir-fry diced onions with tomato paste and pomegranate molasses and season them. Add 2 to 3 cups of water to make the final sauce for cooking the Dolmeh Bademjan. Add lemon juice to the water. Carefully place and arrange the eggplants in a pot for cooking the Persian Dolmeh Bademjan.

Tips to Prevent the Bitterness of Eggplant

One of the main concerns when preparing Persian Dolmeh Bademjan is the inherent bitterness of some eggplants. But don’t worry! You can easily get rid of the bitterness with a few easy methods.

Use salt: One of the old and effective methods to prevent the bitterness of eggplants is to salt it. After scooping out the insides of the eggplants, lay them in saline water for half an hour. Salt removes the bitterness of the eggplant.

Vinegar, a quick and easy fix: If you’re in a rush, you can soak eggplants in a mixture of lukewarm water and vinegar for 15 minutes. Vinegar takes the bitterness of eggplant faster than salt.

Persian Dolmeh Bademjan Ingredients Vegetarian

If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute ground meat with vegetables, legumes, or textured soy protein.

As an example, you can use fried mushrooms instead of meat. Soy meat (soya chunks) has a similar shape and color to ground meat. It also adds a savory taste to the vegetarian Dolmeh Bademjan dish, which makes it a good option to replace meat. If you do not wish to use meat, you can use more split peas and rice.

Final Word

What is more pleasant than the delightful aroma of stuffed eggplant with pomegranate and tomato paste on a cold winter day?

This traditional and famous Iranian food is a culinary pleasure. This dish, with rich and aromatic fillings made of rice, ground meat, onions, herbs like parsley and mint, and a mix of spices such as cinnamon and turmeric, is a finger-licking meal for everyone.

While providing a perfect balance of textures between the soft eggplants and the slightly chewy filling, the eggplants absorb the savory tomato-based broth, making them tender and juicy when served. The generous use of fresh herbs and spices, combined with the love and passion put into preparing the dish, results in a flavorful and traditional Persian Dolmeh Bademjan meal from Iran that is both enjoyable and delicious.

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