Borani Banjan

PCOS Friendly Meals From Around The World Day One: Afghanistan

Traditionally, Borani Banjan is made with fried eggplants, which makes them super creamy and tender. It has a melt-in-your-mouth, velvety texture and is loaded with flavour. Be sure to have some bread on the side to help soak up all the delicious sauce. In Afghanistan this is usually eaten for lunch or dinner. I grew up eating this meal and often craved it!

Eggplants are rich in fiber and antioxidants. A serving of eggplant can provide at least 5% of a person's daily requirement of fiber, copper, manganese, B-6, and thiamine. It also contains other vitamins and minerals. In addition, eggplants are a source of phenolic compounds that act as antioxidants.

Ingredient

• 4 small eggplants or one large one

• 1/4 Olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 Anaheim Peppers, sliced lengthwise and de-seeded

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• ½ tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into ½ cm thick rounds

Optional :

• jalapeño

Garlic yogurt sauce

• 1 cup plain or greek plain

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp pepper

Sides:

• whole wheat breat

Instructions

1.Peel the eggplants. Cut them through the middle horizontally and then slice them into 1 cm thick planks. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over high heat.

When the oil is hot, carefully add a few eggplant slices. Cook until golden, about 2 - 3 min per side. Transfer the fried eggplant to a plate set aside.

2. There should be leftover oil in the pan after frying the eggplant. For the following steps, we will drizzle oil to the pan. Reduce the temperature to medium. Add the garlic. Cook until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Stir throughout. Add the onions, jalapeño, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, turmeric, pepper, and salt.

3. Stir and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. Drop the heat to medium-low. Then lay the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the pan and cook until to the softness of your liking, about 15 minutes**.

4. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the yogurt, garlic, and salt in a small bowl.

5. Once done, add anaheim peppers on top and scoop up any sauce and drizzle over the dish.