Khoresht Bamieh Bademjan Ba Morgh: Persian Eggplant and Okra Stew with Chicken

Hey don’t be all sour grapes about it! Seriously! Throw those sour grapes in your stew instead! This is my favorite Persian Khoresht: Eggplant and Okra Stew with Chicken. Perhaps a bizarre fav because I simply can’t stand okra (for reasons I’ll explain below) but this dish, I could eat all day, every day. I love the sour overtones from the unripe grapes (think verjus) and the meaty sweetness of the baby aubergine simmered in turmeric tomato broth with tender okra. Add in chicken, beef or lamb and you have a hearty meal that is light but rich tasting.

About okra: it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And after eating it everyday, all day when I worked in Southern India I got to the point where I never wanted to EVER see it again. Sort of in the same way that if I ate a hamburger everyday for a year I wouldn’t be able to stomach it again. Most people dislike okra for it’s texture as it can be a little slimy when cooked. But, seared hard before simmering, there is no slime. Also, I try to buy small and tender okras (is that the plural form of okra? – “okras” – sounds odd, no?!? Should it be okrai?!?).

Any slime (sorry, for lack of a better word – mucus perhaps?) that’s left in the okra makes its way into the tomato turmeric sauce and adds flavor and body. So if it’s a texture thing that scares you and not a flavor issue, fear not, I’ve got you covered. And yes, you can leave it out, but I think it really adds to this dish. Trust me!

All Persian stews have a sour flavor profile which I love. Sometimes the sour profile comes from sun-dried limes (like Ghormeh Sabzi, the famous khoresht made of beef hunks braised with herbs and sundried lime) but in this stew unripe grapes are used. You can buy sour grapes in Middle Eastern stores; you’ll find them packaged in the refrigerator or freezer section. Or you can pick them off your own vines in the Summer and freeze until ready to use! That’s why I grow grapes friends – nobody’s making wine here! Seedless green sweet varieties work best. Yup, Thompson’s for example. I am not a fan of the sour grapes that are brined and jarred but, in a pinch they’re okay, just make sure to rinse them well before using.

Turmeric, the beautiful yellow spice derived from the small orange tuber, is used a lot in Persian cooking. I want to talk a little about turmeric (dried, not fresh) because used incorrectly it can ruin your dish. Used correctly it adds an interesting musty peppery flavor and a bright and beautiful yellow color. It is extremely bitter in large quantities. And it does not taste good burnt (does anything? Okay, maybe toast, or is that a fad finally out of fashion?) so I recommend paying close attention when searing the onions and eggplants with the turmeric so it browns and doesn’t burn and measure the amount added to the sauce – one teaspoon is more than enough for a whole stew. You can always add more – but you can’t take it away! In many Iranian dishes veggies and herbs are lightly fried with turmeric before the wet ingredients are added.

My Mom-In-Law, Shahla, who is the best Persian cook of all time, makes this dish with chicken and I prefer it this way. I have had it with beef and lamb before and it’s good too, but with the summery sidekicks of sour grapes, okra, eggplant and cherry tomatoes, chicken is the better choice. Also, chicken has a shorter cooking time and I think that’s important in this recipe. I don’t like okra stewed for hours nor do I like over cooked eggplant. I know that this take on Koresht bamieh bademjan has my usual Californian perspective. I prefer veggies to retain at least some of their taste, texture and shape.

About the chicken: you could use chicken breasts and that would be fine but chicken thighs are the best option because they have a higher fat content and thus more flavor which is a nice counter balance to the veggies and the acidity of the grapes & tomatoes. In the pictures here I used bone-in, skin-on thighs. The skin-on was an experiment and it worked but required extra effort. It’s hard to keep it crisp when cooking in a juicy steamy stew, so if you don’t mind the hassle of re-crisping the skin then yay! Or if you like rubbery chicken skin then double yay! But the usual choice is bone-in, skinless chicken thighs. And in some ways this is better because you can you let your stew simmer away and get all saucy and delicious without worrying about re-crisping.

I’m going to repeat myself here because you might be wondering how these flavors work together: this is my FAVORITE Persian Koresht of all times. Serve with saffron rice! It’s easy to make and can be expanded for a crowd if need be. In fact, most Persian stews can be easily expanded to feed a crowd – I guess thousands of years of hospitality and generosity have helped to shape every traditional dish that comes from this wonderful country.

Nooshe jân!

Khoresht Bamieh Bademjan Ba Morgh: Persian Eggplant and Okra Stew with Chicken

Ingredients

• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 5 small baby eggplants (globe or Japanese), peeled (I leave a little on for color), cut in half
• 10-12 small okras
• 1/2 basket cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock (and more if needed)
• 1/3 cup sour grapes
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 pinches of Aleppo pepper (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

NOTE: If using skinless chicken thighs, then you will skip the extra step of baking the chicken in the oven and just continue on with the rest of the steps after browning chicken on all sides.

Preheat oven to 450˚F (if using skin-on chicken thighs, otherwise forget this step)

In a large cast iron skillet heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, generously season chicken thighs with salt and place skin side or flesh side down in pan. Allow to brown for a few minutes and then pop the whole pan into the oven and bake for 6 minutes (skip this step if using skinless chicken thighs). Pull pan out of oven WITH POT HOLDERS and place back over medium-heat on the stovetop. Flip thighs skin side up and brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes longer. Remove thighs to a plate and keep warm.

Turn the heat down to medium and add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and the diced onion. Sauté for two minutes and add the garlic (be careful not to burn garlic). Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and mix with the onions. Add tomato paste, cook for 30 seconds more stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stir all ingredients to combine.

Add chicken thighs skin side up or flesh side up back into the tomato turmeric broth and simmer on low. Make sure to add in any jus that has collected while the thighs were resting.

Meanwhile, in a separate non-stick pan or well seasoned cast iron skillet, heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, season okra and eggplant with sea salt and place gently in the pan to avoid oil splatter. Sear eggplant cut side down and allow to brown, about 4 minutes, flip and cook on skin side too, another 3 minutes. Sear whole okra golden brown on all sides. Remove veggies to a plate until ready to add to chicken. Finally, wipe skillet clean, add another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and sear cherry tomatoes to give them a little color. This searing-veggies-step can be done while chicken is cooking in the oven or while chicken is cooking in the tomato turmeric broth.

Once chicken is nicely simmering in turmeric tomato broth add seared okra, eggplant and cherry tomatoes in a single layer (as much as possible) and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the sour grapes and cook the stew until the chicken is fork tender and easily falls off the bone. If necessary add a little more chicken stock. The chicken skin will get a little rubbery in the steamy broth. If desired, decant and recrisp under the broiler. I spoon the sauce over top to glaze it.

Serve with saffron rice of course!