Kashk-o-Bādemjān (Persian Braised Eggplant With Kashk)

Kashk-o-bādemjān (Persian kashk and eggplant) is arguably the most popular warm appetizer in the Persian culinary landscape. This is an unfussy, easy to make, and rich dish. You will find it in the starter section on the menu of practically all Persian restaurants. 

Kashk-o-bādemjān has a silky texture resulting from the eggplants having been cooked twice—initially pan-fried and then braised in a small amount of water. Pan-frying the eggplants to a deep brownish color also provides a subtle caramelized flavor to the dish. A creamy and thick form of kashk—an important fermented dairy ingredient in Persian cookery—gives this dish its unique tangy-umami flavor.

The kashk’s tangy flavor blends into the body of the dish when it is added to the eggplant while braising. After the eggplant is braised until velvety, it is transferred to a serving platter, where more kashk is drizzled on top, guaranteeing that its bright umami flavor will be present in every bite. In addition to streams of creamy kashk, the dish is topped with fried onions, garlic, and crushed dried mint leaves.

In sit-down Persian restaurants in the Iranian diaspora, where dishes are served in courses, kashk-o-bādemjān is typically served as an appetizer. In Persian home settings, where all the dishes for a meal are brought to the table at the same time, it typically acts as a side dish. In all cases, it is commonly accompanied by some sort of Persian flatbread (e.g., lavāsh, sangak, tāftoon, babari) or another type of flatbread such as pita. It can, however, function as a main dish when a large portion is served along with a hefty amount of flatbread and accompanied maybe by a bowl of yogurt and sabzi khordan, the traditional Persian plate of fresh herbs and feta cheese.

Kashk: A Closer Look

As described above, kashk is a key ingredient in this recipe. It is a fermented dairy product and is a common pantry item in Persian cookery. Traditional Persian kashk is a product of the yogurt-making process. Churning high-fat yogurt creates two by-products: butter and a leftover liquid known as doogh (the process is somewhat similar to churning cultured cream to produce butter and buttermilk). The doogh is boiled down into a thick, creamy paste that is strained and dried in the sun: this is kashk. It is tangy, a bit salty, and sourish, with umami characteristics not unlike what one finds in a very mature Parmesan cheese. It imparts a unique and popular flavor to a wide range of Persian dishes including thick soups like āsh-e-reshteh (a vegetable noodle soup), porridge-like dishes including halim (made from wheat and meat), and starter dishes such as this kashk-o-bādemjān.

Kashk is an ancient foodstuff. It has been an essential element in the diet of not only the Iranian people, but also other cultures living in Central and Western Asia, for thousands of years. There are references to it as an important food item in one of the oldest surviving texts in Middle Persian language from the Parthian Empire era of circa 200 BCE to 200 CE.

Kashk began as one of the earliest dairy preservation methods utilized heavily by nomadic people. It was lightweight, which made it quite portable, and it was long lasting as its absence of fat meant it would not go rancid. It was also packed with protein and calcium, and deeply flavorful. 

These days, you can purchase kashk in three different forms: dried powder, dried chunks in the shape of balls or sticks, and jars of concentrated liquid kashk. Regardless of which of the three forms you purchase, for cooking purposes, they are all typically transformed into a thick creamy liquid with the consistency of crêpe batter, so that it can be drizzled.

The dry powder form needs to be rehydrated with water. The dried chunks, which are rather hard, must be soaked in water for about six hours before they become malleable enough to work with. Both dry forms, after being rehydrated, need a bit of heavy-handed stirring (ideally with the help of a food processor, blender, or immersion blender); otherwise, they may have a slightly gritty texture. The easiest form to use for cooking, in a typical modern Western home kitchen, is the paste-like concentrated liquid kashk that comes in glass jars. It has the consistency of thick mayonnaise and is easily diluted for drizzling purposes. (One can also make kashk from scratch at home but that would be a whole different article.)

Jars of concentrated liquid kashk, which is my recommended form, are readily available from Persian and Middle Eastern markets, as well as in international food aisles of well-stocked grocery stores. In fact, partially due to an increasing interest shown to kashk by such famous chefs and food writers as Yotam Ottolenghi, you may find multiple brands of jars of liquid kashk on the shelves of your favorite specialty grocery store. 

In preparation for this article, I purchased four different brands of kashk from the same Middle Eastern market. They all came in 16-ounce (454g) glass jars and were comparably priced. I tested them for flavor and texture, and I’m glad to say that all four were equally good, which is consistent with my ongoing experience purchasing different brands over the years.

The Eggplant

Eggplant is one of the most popular vegetables (yes, botanically it's a fruit) in Persian cooking. You will find eggplants in a wide range of Persian dishes, ranging from starters to sides, soups, porridges, egg-centered dishes, rice dishes, braises, stuffed vegetables, pickles, and even jams. 

Although there are many different types of eggplants in different shapes, sizes, and colors, Persian home cooks classify them simply in two groups: skinny purple ones and fat purple ones. The skinny ones, which typically don’t have as many seeds, are meant to be cut up lengthwise and are the preferred type for braising, pan frying, and mashing, while the fat ones are preferred for stuffed eggplant dishes.

The key advantages of skinny eggplants for Persian cookery are that they are easier to pan-fry since they only have to be cut once crosswise to sear, and they hold their shape well during braising.

Practically speaking, any kind of eggplant will do for kashk-o-bādemjān since they will partially be smashed after they're cooked. However, skinny ones are still preferred since they have no noticeable seeds.

The History of This Dish

Though kashk has been around the Persian cookery landscape for centuries, this dish is a bit younger. You see, eggplant did not find its way into the Iranian plateau until around 8th century CE, likely arriving from India. One of the earliest known references to eggplant being grown in Iran is in an ancient comprehensive book on medicine by the famous Iranian physician, philosopher, and alchemist Abu Bakr al-Rāzi, who lived in c. 9-10th century CE. He uses the color of eggplant grown in Iran as the definition of purpleness. 

One of the earliest known references to kashk-o-bādemjān is in the work of the 14th century satirical Persian poet Boshaq At’Ameh, who used Persian culinary terminology in his poetry. The first full-fledged recipe for a dish that very much resembles contemporary Persian kashk-o-bādemjān is in a 16th century Persian language cookbook.

Equipment Needed

Kashk-o-bādemjān preparation asks for the peeled eggplants to be pan-fried before being braised. My go-to vessel for pan-frying has been my well-seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet. It works especially well for pan frying not-too-thick slices—no thicker than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters)—of eggplant. When it comes to kashk-o-bādemjān, I typically have more eggplants to pan-fry than comfortably fit in my largest cast-iron skillet. This is when I now pull out my not-used-very-often electric pancake griddle. With it, I get three times as much frying surface, and over the years, I have noticed that I use less oil and get as good results as when I use my beloved cast-iron skillet. So if you have an electric griddle, consider turning it into a multitasker if it is not already.

The Cooking Method

Practically all historical cookbooks, and many contemporary ones, including Persian language ones, mention a bitterness in eggplant and often recommend salting and draining before cooking. First of all, modern food science tells us that the molecules in eggplant that might be a source of bitterness are way too big for salt molecules to pull out—salting simply masks our perception of any bitterness. Moreover, such bitterness that may have been present in older, larger, eggplant varieties grown in dry environments is no longer an issue these days. The eggplants you find in your favorite grocery stores are bred not to be bitter. 

The spongy internal structure of eggplants, particularly the fatter ones, soak up oil when being pan-fried, which makes the resulting dish very rich. Over the years, cooks have come up with all kinds of tricks to minimize the oil-soaking-ness of eggplants: immersing the eggplants in salty water for an extended period of time, pre-cooking them in a microwave, brushing them with egg whites, etc. Here, there's no need to worry about any such pre-processing of eggplants. The extra richness achieved by eggplants soaking up oil during pan frying is a key characteristic of this dish. Moreover, as detailed in the recipe below, any truly extra oil will drip away naturally if the pan-fried eggplants are left to rest on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet for a few minutes.

The final stage of this dish’s preparation, which takes place right before it is taken to the table, involves topping it with several ingredients (golden fried onions, drizzles of kashk, olive oil or butter infused with crushed garlic and crushed dried mint leaves). This is just a reminder for you to stage all the toppings to ensure the completed dish arrives at the table still hot.