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
Top Tip
You'll want to actually grill the eggplant over an open flame to char the outside of the eggplant so it gets that nice smoky flavor from the fire. I used my outdoor grill to achieve this but Haniyeh prefers to use the burner on her gas stove; either option works!
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
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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Recipe
Mirza Ghasemi: Persian Smoked Eggplant and Eggs Dip
Ingredients
- 5 medium Eggplants long and thin eggplants *See Note 1
- 3 large Tomatoes *See Note 2
- 1 full head of Garlic *See Note 3
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 3 Eggs
- Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure you listen to Haniyeh's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, What is Home, while you make her amazing Mirza Ghasemi.
Make The Recipe
- Grill the eggplants to the point their flesh gets soft and their peel burns. It gives them a beautiful smoky taste.
- Clean the burned peels off and chop the flesh to small pieces.
- If using fresh tomatoes, put them in the hot water for two minutes then take the skin off, chop them and put aside.
- Heat a large skillet or cast iron skillet on the stove and add two tablespoon olive oil. Chop the garlic and add them to the oil. Stir so they don’t burn. Once they start to get yellowish add the eggplants and tomatoes and mix well. Then add the tomato paste and mix well. Finally, add the salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, and let them cook together for 10-15 minutes till the water gets reduced.
- Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Once they start to firm up, mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Serve with flatbread or rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Note 1: Preferably the long and sweet kind (Graffiti Eggplants), but if you can't find them you can use the typical Globe eggplants
- Note 2: Can use fresh or canned tomatoes or substitute for one can of tomato puree.
- Note 3: If you don't want to use a full head of garlic, you can reduce it to 5-6 cloves to your taste but not less.
- Make sure you listen to Haniyeh's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, What is Home, while you make her amazing Mirza Ghasemi.
Would love to hear from you!