This eggplant dish with a pomegranate-walnut-honey sauce is exotic. The walnuts are used as a thickening agent, the pomegranates for sourness and the honey as a sweetener. The result is a delicate sweet-and-sour flavor that is typically Persian.
To remove the bitterness from common Western eggplants, peel and slice them lengthwise into quarters, then cut the quarters into 1-inch lengths. Soak the eggplant pieces in a large container of water with 2 tablespoons of salt. Allow them to soak for 20 minutes, rinse them thoroughly and squeeze out the water with a towel. Asian eggplants, bottled pomegranate juice and pomegranate paste are available at Iranian markets. Serve this eggplant dish with rice or pasta.
Peel eggplants, and remove stems. Place segments of common eggplants, if using, in salted water to remove bitterness. Rinse Asian eggplants, squeeze out water with towels and slice into 1-inch-thick rounds.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant, and sauté on all sides about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove eggplants from skillet, drain on paper towels and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet, and reheat over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Add garlic during last few minutes of browning onions, and continue cooking. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, turmeric, crushed red pepper, parsley, cilantro and fresh mint, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Grind walnuts in food processor until very fine or sauce will be gritty. Combine walnuts with diluted pomegranate paste and honey, as needed, and stir until sauce is smooth.
Pour sauce into skillet. Return eggplants and seasoning to skillet, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer mixture for 30 minutes, or until eggplants are tender, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon. If sauce is too sour, add more honey or brown sugar to taste.
Spoon onto plates or into serving dish, garnish with cilantro leaves and pomegranate seeds; add optional garnishes of fried eggplant, cilantro leaves and crispy onion.
This dish is a good candidate for pairing with Riesling. Its aromatics and mild spice play off the wine’s fruit; its sweet and sour aspects complement the Riesling’s fruit and acidity; and the overall weight matches well with a medium-weight Riesling, such as the Alsatian brand Trimbach.