This Persian roasted eggplant dip cooked with eggs is the perfect weekend brunch. Mirza Ghasemi, prepared with plenty of garlic and tomatoes, is packed with flavor. It is filling and is great for a meal or side.
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Prick eggplants with fork and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for about 45 to 60 minutes until the skin turns darker and shrinks. Check notes below for other cooking options.
To check if eggplant is cooked well, press the back of a fork on the eggplant. It should compress easily into the center without resistance.
Transfer the cooked eggplant to a large dish and cover with a lid for about 10 to 15 minutes. Peel the charred skin and chop finely.
Heat oil in a skillet at medium high. Add chopped onion and saute until golden brown. Then add crushed garlic and saute for couple minutes, but do not let it brown.
Add eggplant, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste (if using), lemon juice, turmeric, salt, pepper and stir to combine.
Cover and and cook at medium heat, until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lid and evaporate excess juices, stirring in between.
Crack four eggs into the eggplant-tomato mixture and cook over medium low heat. Using a fork gently swirl the eggs but do not overmix. Allow the streaks of eggs to cook through before stirring into the mixture.
Make two shallow wells in the sauce and crack two eggs into it. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes, until the whites firm up and the yolks are soft cooked.
Top with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh chives and walnuts. Serve it with fresh herbs, feta cheese and flat breads or saffron rice.
Notes
Cooking Eggplants:
Grill: Roast eggplants on charcoal or gas grill for 20 to 30 minutes, turning them slowly in between, until skin turns darker and shrinks.
Broil: Cut eggplants lengthwise into halves and place the cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Place on the second rack and broil until skin turns darker and shrinks, about 20 minutes.
Stovetop: Peel the eggplants completely, only some stripes or leave the skin on if you don’t mind it. Cut the eggplants into small pieces. Steam on high heat until soft or cook in a pan with some water until soft and mushy.
Peeled and deseeded tomatoes: To blanch tomatoes, cut a small cross on the surface and drop them in hot boiling water. After a minute, pick out the tomatoes and peel the skin, cut into halves, remove seeds and chop.
Oil and Butter: Some recipes use butter instead of oil, or a combination of the two.
Fried Eggs: You can also serve this dip topped with extra fried eggs instead of poaching in the sauce.
Meal Prep: Roast the eggplant and chop other vegetables a day earlier. Cook the dip without adding eggs and refrigerate. Warm it up, add eggs and cook just before serving.
Storage: You can refrigerate this for 3 days. Freeze it only partially prepared. Cook it without adding eggs. Thaw, warm it up and cook with eggs.
For other variations, tips and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.