Mirza Ghasemi: Persian Smoked Eggplant and Eggs Dip

Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love. 

This recipe for Mirza Ghasemi came from my podcast guest, Haniyeh Nikoo. Make sure you listen to her episode What is Home while you make her Mirza Ghasemi (Persian Smoked Eggplant and Eggs Dip)!   

This Mirza Ghasemi recipe is a traditional and flavorful dish from Persian cuisine, made with simple ingredients that can be found anywhere. It is a warm, smoky dip that comes from both the roasted eggplants and the addition of a lot of garlic. The acidity from the juicy tomatoes brightens up the dish while the eggs make it heartier and more filling. Best of all, it is an easy dish to prepare--you only have to follow a few simple steps to achieve a standout appetizer or a light main dish that will impress anyone.

P.S. Here are a few other Persian recipes that you should try! Khhoresh Fesenjān (Persian Walnut Pomegranate Chicken Stew) from my podcast guests, Swarnika & Saeid, or this recipe for Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani (Lamb Biryani) from my podcast guest, Sri.

Haniyeh's Memories of Making Mirza Ghasemi

I have vivid memories of my grandmother and mother cooking this dish. At the time we were living in a small apartment in Iran’s capital Tehran; not having an open space for a fire to BBQ, my mom would put the eggplants on our gas stove. I remember standing there and looking at the peels brightening up with the flames and turning red and then grey and the smell was just amazing to me.

-Haniyeh Nikoo

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Eggplants -preferably the long and sweet kind (Graffiti Eggplants), but if you can't find them you can use the typical Globe eggplants 
• Tomatoes - fresh tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes or you can substitute the tomatoes for one can of tomato puree
• Garlic - you can reduce it from one head to 5-6 cloves to your taste but not less
• Tomato Paste
• Eggs
• Salt and Black Pepper

Instructions

• Grill the eggplants until soft and peeling. Clean off the burned peel and chop into small pieces.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Chop and add in the garlic. Once cooked, mix in the eggplants and tomatoes. Then add the tomato paste, salt, and pepper, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the water gets reduced; make a well in the center and add the eggs.
• Once the eggs are firm, mix well with the rest of the ingredients. 
• Serve with flatbread, or serve over Persian rice or Basmati rice! 

A Delicious Dish From Northern Iran

[It is] a vegetarian dish from the north of Iran where my mother comes from. This humble and yet flavourful dish is one of my favorites. It can be a side dish or served with bread as a light meal. Iran is a collection of different cultures each with its own unique traditions. People from the north of Iran particularly stand out to me for their lifestyle, habitat, traditions, and of course food. The northern region of Iran is situated between the Caspian Sea on the one side and the Alborz mountains on the other. Being geographically contained between these two has made the area particularly green with lush forests and a very fertile ground. Most of the rice and tea produced in Iran is coming from this region as do the fish, caviar, and citruses products. People’s diet is full of vegetables and vegetarian dishes are common. The dishes of this region are flavourful because of the use of garlic and many wild fresh herbs.

-Haniyeh Nikoo

Equipment

Skillet OR Cast Iron Skillet

Storage

• Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days
• If you want to freeze it, store for up to 3 months.

More Persian Recipes

More Appitizer Recipes

Listen to Haniyeh's Episode Now

Episode 041: "What is Home?" with Haniyeh Nikoo

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