Bonjon Keema
As promised, this is recipe part II, from the menu at the Nairobi Reunion dinner...
- Prep time
- --
- Cook time
- Not listed
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- olive or sunflower oil for frying
- 1 lb aubergine, (preferably small Italian variety, sliced 1 cm thick)
- 1/2 lb mince meat ((lamb or beef) You can use 1 lb of mince if you prefer a meatier dish)
- 1 + 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 + 1/2 tsp garlic clove (minced)
- 1/2 a small onion (finely chopped)
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce/stewed chopped tomatoes/passata ((divided into 8 and 7 oz))
- pinch chili pepper
- pinch turmeric
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 tub yogurt ((not of the thick Greek genre))
- hot paprika for garnish
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the savoury mince
- 2
In a heavy-bottomed pan add meat, salt, 1 minced garlic clove, minced onion, tomato paste, 7 oz tomato sauce, a pinch of chili pepper and turmeric, 1 cup water. Stir, cover and leave to cook on a low-medium flame for one hour. *Stir/check every 20 minutes to make sure the liquid is evaporating and the meat is not sticking to the bottom of the pot;
- 3
When the water has evaporated and the mince looks 'saucy', add the mint, stir and turn the heat off.
- 4
Prepare the aubergine for baking
- 5
Place a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat and pour in the olive or sunflower oil to a depth of about 1cm. As soon as the oil is hot, slip in the aubergine discs and fry on both sides until they are a nutty golden colour. As aubergine absorbs oil like a sponge, you will have to keep adding more oil to the pan. The aubergine will be baked in the oven later, so they need not be cooked all the way through.
- 6
Transfer the aubergine to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
- 7
Prepare the tomato base
- 8
In a saucepan, fry on a medium flame, ½ clove of garlic till golden and fragrant, add 8oz canned tomato sauce and ¼ tsp salt. Stir for 5 minutes. Leave to rest.
- 9
Preheat your oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4
- 10
Assemble the dish for baking
- 11
Pour the tomato base into an an oven-proof dish (I used a 27 cm quiche dish) create a layer of aubergines in the quiche dish, and spread the savoury mince on top. If you've used ½ lb of mince, it will be more of a 'scattering' of mince (my preference).
- 12
Bake covered for 25 minutes, uncovered for 20 minutes.
- 13
Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature before the next step (the yoghurt will curdle if poured over when the dish is too hot).
- 14
Final touches before serving
- 15
Whip yogurt with a few tablespoons of water, season with salt and pour over the layers of aubergine and savoury mince. Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with a trail of olive oil.
- 16
Serve with naan or chelo shibit, fresh dill-spiced rice.