Mirza-Ghasemi; Caspian style smoky eggplant and tomato Shakshuka

Mirza-Ghasemi is a vegetarian dish from the Caspian region of Northern Iran. The flavorful vegetarian dish, typically served with rice for dinner, is made with char-grilled eggplant which is mixed with tomato, followed by beaten eggs which is scrambled in the sauce. The traditional version of the dish (with eggs fully scrambled) is shown in the first picture below. During my blogging years, I posted modern variations of the dish, two of such also show in the second and third pictures below. Presented here is a Shakshuka style Mirza-Ghasemi, your next beloved brunch item.

The traditional Mirza-Ghasemi (with eggs mixed and scrambled in the sauce).

Mirza-Ghasemi with scrambled eggs on top.

Mirza-Ghasemi with 63 degree egg.

Ingredients:

Tomato sauce (recipe follows)

Eggplant mixture (recipe follows)

6 eggs

Tomato sauce:

2 TBSP vegetable oil

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 TSP turmeric

1/2 TSP paprika* or mild chili powder

1 TBSP tomato paste

1.75 Pounds (~794 gr) tomato puree (or diced)

Eggplant mixture:

2 TBSP roasted garlic**

1.1 Pounds (~500 gr) char-grilled eggplant puree***

1 TBSP mint (or a few thyme sprigs, or scallion green tops), finely chopped

* In case the eggplant puree is not smoky enough (e.g. eggplant is oven roasted), use smoked paprika

** In case the preparation of roasted garlic proves to be difficult, sauté 1 TBSP of grated garlic in 2 TBSP of oil.

*** Use long and thin Chinese eggplant as it cooks much faster and the flesh easily gets infused with the smoke.

Char-grill the eggplants on the stove. The process should take you about five to ten minutes to reach fully cooked eggplant flesh. Remove the skins and set aside. Please note that the eggplants should NOT be rinsed as the smoke flavor will be washed away. You may also pan fry (like here), broil, or roast the eggplants. While both of these methods theoretically work, practical modifications are required as the smokiness of char eggplant is the essence of this dish. As noted in the ingredients section, use smoked paprika to account for the desired smoke flavor.

Make the tomato sauce by sautéing the garlic in the oil until fragrant. Add the turmeric, paprika, and tomato paste and toast in the oil until fragrant. Add the tomato and cook on medium heat until the sauce is thick. Finely chop the eggplant flesh and mix with roasted garlic and mint. In case the preparation of roasted garlic proves to be difficult, sauté 1 TBSP of grated fresh garlic in 2 TBSP of oil and when toasted, add the eggplant and mint. Following the instructions from this Shakshuka recipe, crack the eggs in the tomato mixture and spread the eggplant mixture on top. Decrease the heat to medium. While the eggs are cooking, gently mix their whites with the sauce without disturbing the yolks. Cover the pan for a minute to make sure the whites are fully cooked. Do not overcook the yolks.