Gheymeh Bademjan

Beef and yellow split-pea stew with separately pan-cooked eggplant.

Preparation: 25 min · Cooking: 2 hr 35 min · Total: 3 hr · 2 servings

Ingredients

• 200 g Raw boneless beef cubes
• 100 g Yellow split peas, weighed dry
• Large eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise — 1
• Dried Persian limes, pierced; remove before eating — 2
• Small raw onion, chopped — 1
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 0.25 tsp Ground turmeric
• 720 ml Initial retained braising water
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil for beef and onion
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil reserved for eggplant
• 0.125 tsp Dry saffron threads, lightly crushed
• 30 ml Hot water for saffron infusion, separate allowance
• 1 tsp Food-grade rosewater
• 600 ml Initial split-pea cooking water, discarded
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Conditional extra hot water, measure only if needed

Instructions

1. Infuse saffron

   Infuse the lightly crushed dry threads in all 30 ml hot infusion water for about 10 minutes. This is separate from cooking/process water; use the whole infusion at the stated finishing stage.

   Infuse saffron: 600 seconds

2. Cook the split peas

   Rinse the measured dry yellow split peas. Simmer separately in the initial 600 ml process water, starting checks at 25 minutes and continuing until fully tender before any acidic sauce. Follow compatible package instructions; measure extra hot water only if needed. Do not taste raw peas.

   Cook the split peas: 1500 seconds

3. Drain fully cooked peas

   Drain only when yellow split peas are fully tender after the 25-minute first check or longer, discarding the process water. Set aside for the final braising phase; do not rely on a short acidic simmer to soften firm peas.

4. Start the beef

   Heat only the beef/onion oil over medium heat, sauté onion from 5 minutes until soft, then add beef and turmeric and brown without scorching. Wash hands and tools after raw meat; browning is not the completed safety endpoint.

   Start the beef: 300 seconds

5. Braise the meat base

   Stir measured tomato paste into the meat from 2 minutes, then add initial 720 ml retained water. Cover with a normal fitted lid and simmer gently from 60 minutes, continuing toward fork tenderness. Measure hot-water top-ups only if needed; do not let the pot boil dry.

   Braise the meat base: 3600 seconds

6. Begin final 30-minute phase

   Once meat is approaching tenderness, add the pierced dried limes and fully cooked drained split peas for the final 30-minute first-check phase. Continue longer if needed for fork-tender beef. Whole-cut guidance 63°C plus 3-minute rest is a minimum, not a stew-tenderness guarantee. Set this timer for the first 15 minutes of that final 30-minute phase; add eggplant and infusion for the remaining 15 minutes below. These two timers do not add an extra 15 minutes to the stated phase.

   Begin final 30-minute phase: 900 seconds

7. Prepare eggplant

   If needed, salt peeled lengthwise slices from 15 minutes and pat thoroughly dry with clean kitchen paper before they meet oil. Do not add rinse water to hot oil.

   Prepare eggplant: 900 seconds

8. Cook eggplant separately

   Pan-cook in its reserved 2 tbsp oil over controlled medium-low heat, in manageable batches, checking from 6–8 minutes until soft throughout. Turn as needed without scorching, using suitable cookware rather than adding unlisted oil.

   Cook eggplant separately: 360 seconds

9. Finish within the same phase

   During the last 15 minutes of that same final braising phase, lay the fully softened eggplant on the stew and stir in all saffron infusion plus measured rosewater gently. This is not another extra 30-minute phase. Continue until all food is cooked and hot throughout.

   Finish within the same phase: 900 seconds

10. Remove hard limes and serve

    Remove the hard whole limes before eating, check beef fork tenderness and fully soft peas/eggplant, season with listed salt and pepper and serve promptly with clean tools. Do not require anyone to bite into a hard lime.

Tips

• Base batch: quantities are for 2 catalogue servings (minimum 1, maximum 8). Cup = 240 ml; tbsp = 15 ml; tsp = 5 ml. Scale ingredients, not temperatures or automatically the cooking times. Wash produce with potable water and keep raw meat/tools away from ready-to-eat food.
• Timers mark first checks, not guaranteed doneness. Keep water/fat allocations separate, use appropriate cookware and manageable batches, normal fitted lids and no towel seals or blocked vents. Conditional top-ups are measured, never guaranteed final yields.

Common mistakes

• Do not mistake browning or elapsed time for cooked-through food, omit named process inputs, add unlisted garnish fats or leave perishable food waiting warm.

Substitutions

• Use the specified foods, quantities and dry/cooked preparation states. No unmeasured ingredient swap is approved for this master; separate accompaniments do not replace its measured ingredients.

Storage

Chill promptly in shallow portions within 2 hours (1 hour in hot conditions), at 4°C or colder; selected household limit 2 days, or any shorter label/use-by limit. Cool rice ideally within 1 hour and use within 24 hours. Keep bread/garnishes separate. This is not a validated shelf life; reheating cannot rescue mishandling.

Reheating

Reheat only once to 74°C throughout, steaming hot, checking several places. Reheat only the needed portion and add only a measured amount of water if necessary. Add separate ready-to-eat garnishes with clean tools.

About this recipe

An owner-selected Iranian household version with explicitly measured ingredients and practical home-kitchen steps. Historical exclusivity, medical benefits and exact traditional-origin claims have not been independently verified.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.