Guest Post: Iranian Eggplant and Tomato

It is with great pleasure to introduce the very talented Azita to you from Turmeric and Saffron I came across her on twitter went to her blog and fell in love with the cooking, she kindly agreed to share a dish from her homeland of Iran. When we were in Dubai a few years back we ate in an Iranian restaurant and loved it, so with her blog we can all learn about the wonderful dishes from this region.

I was born and raised in Iran. I left home many years ago to pursue a higher education here in the states.
I've been living in NY ever since. I'm a counselor, a Persian teacher on weekends, a mother of two and an enthusiastic food blogger.



Simmered Fried Eggplants & Tomatoes

This is a light and simple dish that my sister used to make when we both lived at home.
It's one thing to enjoy the home-cooked meals prepared by your mom but to experience the meals that your caring sister makes is truly something else!
She would move around the kitchen like a feather in the sky and in 20 minutes your dinner would be ready.Voila!
So, this is her recipe and I'm sure she wouldn't mind my sharing it with you all.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants
• 4 small tomatoes, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel and slice eggplants in 1/2 inch circles. Place them in a deep bowl, add a tablespoon of salt and fill the container with water.
2. Place a heavy object on top to keep the eggplants down for about 15 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels.
3. Fry eggplants in hot oil 5 minutes per side, until light brown.
4. In a skillet pour a cup of water, bring to a gentle boil, add turmeric and garlic. Lower heat to medium-low and place the eggplant rounds in the skillet and cover with tomato slices.
5. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover the skillet and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve warm with yogurt, fresh herbs and warm bread.

Enjoy!

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me drinking tea in The Iranian Restaurant of course as a Brit I loved this!