Kookoo Bademjan - Eggplant/Aubergine Omelette
Kookooye Bademjan is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed on its own or as a side dish. One of my favourite nostalgic, vegetarian dishes that Maman used to make when I was a child.
Kookoo refers to dishes made of a mixture of ingredients that are then pan-fried, like a frittata. They have eggs as a base ingredient and they can be served warm or at room temperature.
Here is a short video of the cooking process on my Instagram.
You can download this recipe as a printable PDF for a small fee here.
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 15 min Grill the eggplants: 40 min (You can do this in advance. It’s explained below.) Cook: 40 min Total: 55 min
Ingredients for 4 portions
4 medium size eggplants/aubergines, smoked and mashed
5 free-range eggs (break the eggs into a bowl and beat them using a whisk or a fork.)
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
Salt to taste
For the sandwich:
Bread of choice to serve (e.g. baguette, flatbread, gluten-free, wholegrain, …)
Salad leaves of choice
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Khiar shoor or gherkins or jalapenos
A mix of mayonnaise, ketchup, and hot sauce
Grill the aubergines
You can save lots of time by preparing the aubergines in advance. You can do this up to 3 months in advance if you choose to freeze the grilled aubergines.
You can also do it one or two days ahead and store them in the fridge until you want to prepare Kookoo. This saves you around 40 minutes of cooking and prep time on the day. This applies to other dishes like Mirza Ghasemi, Kashke Bademjan, etc.
Just make sure to allow at least 2 hours for the frozen aubergines to defrost before you start cooking.
Pierce the aubergines on several spots, using a small knife. This will allow much of the moisture in them to escape. Then you can use any of the following methods for grilling the eggplants.
BBQ Method
Put the aubergines directly on the charcoal or the grid very close to it (at this point it shouldn’t be too hot anymore). Depending on the temperature of the charcoal, you need to turn them sooner or later. The goal is to burn the skin so that the eggplants get a smokey flavour. The skin will darken and they become soft on the inside.
Gas Hob Method
Alternatively, you could grill the aubergines over the gas hob. Place an oven grid on the hob, so that you can put the eggplants directly over the flames. Then grill them from all sides until the skin is burnt and they are soft on the inside.
Oven Method
If you don’t have a gas hob you could grill the aubergines in the oven, using the grill setting or preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius/400 degrees Fahrenheit fan.
I recommend putting the aubergines on the oven grid and placing an oven tray beneath them, that catches the water that will drop out of them. Check on them after about 10 minutes and when they are half soft, turn them to ensure they cook through evenly.
All Methods
Once all the skin is burnt and they are soft all around, put them on a plate and let them cool down. When they’re cold, peel off the skin. It should come off easily. Mash the smoked, skinned-off eggplants in a large bowl. Set it aside.
Cooking the Kuku Bademjan
Place a frying pan over medium heat, add butter, and gently caramelise the sliced onion for about 10 minutes until they are golden. Add the chopped garlic and continue to gently fry for 2 more minutes.
Set them aside to cool down.
Add the cooled-down, caramelised onion, and garlic to the mashed aubergines in a bowl.
Add the whisked eggs to the bowl.
Add the plain flour, black pepper, and salt to the bowl.
Combine all the ingredients.
Heat 4 tbsp veg oil in a non-stick frying pan. Once it’s hot enough, whisk the ingredients in the bowl once again and transfer them to the pan.
Spread out the mixture all over the pan. Turn the heat on low, put on the lid, and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Open the lid and let it cook for 10 more minutes. Gently tap on the mixture to see if it's firm and if so, carefully lift it to see if the bottom is golden.
Quarter the Kookoo using a spatula and turn each piece using 2 turner spatula.
Let the other side turn golden for about 10 minutes with the lid open.
Serve the Kookooye Bademjan
Serve the Kookoo Bademjoon with bread or fill sandwich baguettes with it. Add some cherry tomatoes, mayonnaise, finely chopped parsley, lettuce, herbs and khiaar shoor (salty pickled cucumbers) if you like. Enjoy!
I’d love to see your Kookoo Bademjan! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Instagram so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
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