This stunning Azari dish combines layers of eggplant, ground meet, tomato, onion, garlic, unripened grapes, and hot peppers to create a very tasty dish or a surprising appetizer .
Instruction is provided by Simin who has improved the traditional Garny Yarikh recipe through many years of cooking experience.
Ingredients for 5 dishes or for 10 people as an appetizer
- 5 medium size (3-4 cm diameter) eggplants, green parts removed, strip pilled, and opened halfway through lengthwise with a sharp knife.
- 3 medium size tomatoes finely chopped or 2 table spoons tomato paste
- 3 onions cut in half and sliced to 2-3 mm
- 5 garlic cloves sliced and cut lengthwise to 2-3 mm
- 250 grams extra lean ground lamb or beef
- 100 grams unripened grapes or 1 table spoon unripened grape juice or 1 table spoon fresh lemon juice. This sour ingredient is used to balance the flavour of fat. You may use what you prefer
- 5 hot peppers (jalapeno, ring of fire, or similar) washed and trimmed of stems
- 1 tea spoon slat
- 1 tea spoon turmeric
- ½ tea spoon cinnamon
- 6 table spoon cooking oil
Instructions
Preparation
Heat 2 table spoon oil in a frying pan, add onions, and cook until golden. Add ¼ of seasoning, stir, remove from the pan, and set aside.
In the same pan cook garlic until gold, add ¼ of seasoning, stir, remove from the pan, and set aside.
Make the sauce: Use the same pan and cook the meat until soft. Then add ½ remainder of seasoning, stir, add tomatoes (or tomato paste), unripened grapes (or lemon juice), ½ of the salt, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and continue to cook for 20 minutes until the meat is well cooked and the sauce thickens and excess juice is evaporated. Note that the lemon juice decolorizes the tomato paste color. To preserve the sauce color, you should add the lemon juice at the last minute, at the time that the sauce is almost ready.
Eggplants: Heat the rest of oil in a large frying pan, place eggplants, and cook all around until soft. Remove eggplants from the pan drain the excess oil and set aside.
Building
We will build the Garny Yarikh with the previously prepared onion, garlic, sauce, and hot peppers
Carefully open the eggplants from the lengthwise semi-cut and place them down on a large pan side by side and sprinkle with ½ table spoon of the salt.
With a spoon make a mixture of sauce, onion, garlic, and place the mixture evenly on top of the opened eggplants. Top with hot pepper.
Cover the pan and cook over the medium heat for 15-20 minute until the flavours are diffused and the excess juice is evaporated.
This magnificent dish can be served with home-made snacks.
Notes
Eggplants should not be bulky. The best choices in Canada are Chinese eggplants, Indian eggplants, and Japanese eggplants that are normally small in size.
Here is an example of Garny Yarikh prepared with Indian eggplants that is a better choice for friend and family gatherings
Recent Comments