Mirza ghasemi

Name: Mirza ghasemi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 3 large Eggplant, whole; 8 clove Garlic, finely chopped; 4 medium Tomato, ripe, grated or finely chopped; 3 piece Egg; 1 tsp Turmeric; 5 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 tbsp Tomato purée; 1 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 300 g Bread, flatbread, to serve

میرزا قاسمی

Smoky aubergine mashed with garlic, tomato and egg from the Caspian coast. Eaten with bread or rice.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: میرزا قاسمی.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 50 min
Rest: None
Total: 1 hr 5 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Mirza ghasemi is a northern Iranian dish of aubergines charred until the skin blackens and the inside collapses, then mashed and cooked down with a lot of garlic, turmeric and tomatoes until thick. Eggs are stirred in at the end, either scrambled through or cracked on top and barely set. The smoke is the whole personality of the dish, so char the aubergines over a gas flame or under a fierce grill until they slump. The result is somewhere between a dip and a stew. Eat it warm with flatbread or over rice, with fresh herbs and pickles.

What you'll need

10 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 10 ready

4 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Eggplant, whole3 large
Garlic, finely chopped8 clove
Tomato, ripe, grated or finely chopped4 medium
Egg3
Turmeric4.9 ml
Neutral oil74 ml
Tomato purée (optional)15 ml
Salt4.9 ml
Black pepper2½ ml
Bread, flatbread, to serve300 g

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Prick the aubergines and char them whole over a gas flame, turning with tongs, until the skin is black all over and the flesh is collapsing, 12 to 15 minutes. Or grill them 25 minutes under the hottest oven grill, turning.
15 min
Tip: They are done when a knife meets no resistance anywhere.
Step 2
Let them cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin, drain off bitter juice, and chop the flesh roughly. Mashed with a fork is fine; a blender is too smooth.
8 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium. Fry the garlic until just golden, 2 minutes. Add turmeric, then the tomatoes and tomato purée. Cook 10 minutes until the tomato has lost its raw smell and thickened.
12 min
Watch: Golden garlic, not brown. Burnt garlic ruins the dish.
Step 4
Add the aubergine, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and mashing, 12 to 15 minutes until the mixture is thick, dark and the oil shows at the edges.
15 min
Step 5
Push the mixture aside, crack the eggs into the gap, let them set 30 seconds, then stir them through so there are visible streaks of white and yolk. Cook 2 minutes more. Serve warm with flatbread.
3 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 482 kcal
Protein: 15.6 g
Carbs: 58.6 g
Fat: 22.3 g
Saturated fat: 3.3 g
Fibre: 10.5 g
Sugar: 15.2 g
Sodium: 940 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Eggs
Wheat

Vegetarian
Dairy-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Fresh tomatoes → A 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
Fine out of season. Cook it down a little longer.

Tips

Use more garlic than feels sensible. It mellows in the cooking, and Gilanis would use double.
Good served cold the next day as a dip.

History & culture

This is Gilan food from the humid Caspian coast, where garlic is used by the handful and aubergines grow all summer. It is eaten as a main at lunch with bread, or as one dish among several at a family table. Restaurants in Rasht serve it with a generous raw garlic hit.

The dish is named after Mohammad Qasem Khan, a Qajar-era governor of Gilan in the 19th century, who is said to have had it made for him. Tomatoes reached the Caspian region in the same century, which puts a date on the recipe as it is now known.

Traditional — Charring over a gas burner or charcoal gives the proper smoke. An oven grill works but is milder.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.