Kashke Bademjan

Preheat the oven to 200˚C (400˚F/ Fan 180˚C) and line a baking sheet with foil.Pierce each eggplant twice with a small knife to allow steam to escape. Place them on the foil covered baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, until they are very soft.

Make the liquid saffron. Put the kettle on with just a little water. Grind the saffron with a pestle and mortar, then pour 2 Tbsp of the hot water and leave to soak until needed.You can add just a pinch of salt to the saffron to help grind it better.

Onion & Garlic. Halve the onion, then thinly slice it. Finely chop the garlic.

Prepare the kashk by lightening it with some water.If you have dry kashk, use 2 Tbsp and mix it with 125ml/half a cup of warm water, until you have a smooth mix. You may have to soak it a while or run it through a food chopper/blender. See how I do it in this homemade kashk recipe article.If you have liquid kashk from a jar, you may have to lighten it slightly with 1 or 2 Tbsp water to a pourable consistency. It all depends on the brand you get.

Crush the walnuts with a pestle and mortar or in a chopper. Or place them in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or smooth glass, by rolling over the nuts.

Heat ½ Tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan on low heat and fry 1 Tbsp of the dried mint for 20 seconds. Don't let it burn. Tip out this mint mixture onto a saucer so it doesn't burn.

When the 45 minutes are up, get the eggplants out of the oven. Slice them in half lengthwise, being careful not to burn your hands.Using a spoon, scrape out the soft flesh from both eggplants and place on a chopping board.

Chop up roughly with a knife, or use a potato masher to mash up roughly. Set aside until needed.

Heat 2 Tbsp of EV olive oil in a large, deep frying pan (skillet) on medium heat and fry the onions for 1 minute. Then reduce the heat down to low and fry for 15 minutes to caramelise the onions. Stir them regularly, about every 2-3 minutes to stop them from catching and burning.Halfway through, add a splash of water (about 60ml/quarter cup), stir and continue cooking.When the onions are done caramelising, take about 2 Tbsp of them out and set aside for garnishing.1. You can start caramelising the onions with about 10 minutes to go of roasting the eggplants, so at the 35 minute mark. Or wait, if you don't fancy multitasking.2. Caramelised onions to garnish our eggplant dip is optional. You could skip this step and just fry the onions for 2 minutes on medium heat before continuing to step 2 below, where we add the garlic.

Add the garlic, fry for 30 seconds, then add the liquid saffron, turmeric, 1 Tbsp dried mint (unfried) and about 3 turns of some freshly ground black pepper. Stir to mix.

Tip in the eggplants, along with any liquid, and stir to mix well. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring twice in that time.

Pour in 125ml/half cup kashk and stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then check seasoning and add salt if necessary. Finish off with a couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper.Add a splash of water or more kashk if you'd like it wetter.

Dish up your finished kashke bademjan into a shallow plate. Drizzle the rest of the kashk all over and scatter the fried mint and crushed walnuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.