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This borani banjan recipe rocks golden, creamy eggplant slices topped with lightly spiced Afghan tomato sauce and a smear of garlicky yogurt sauce. It's a bomb eggplant dish made with simple ingredients and the easiest steps. (Yes, you can 100% make this even if you've never held a spatula in your life.)
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Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
Zero gluten in this one, so nothing to change.
Most of the hour is hands-off, but make the tomato sauce and the herb yogurt while the eggplant sits in its salt, and dinner lands wayyy sooner.
Regular canned diced tomatoes work fine, no need for the more costly fire-roasted ones. Trader Joe's unsweetened cashew yogurt is my budget pick for the herb yogurt. It's like half the price of Kite Hill.
Bake the salted, rinsed eggplant instead of frying. Brush with olive oil, 425F for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Air-frying works here too!
Can't find Aleppo pepper flakes? Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) nail the same sweet-smoky vibe. You can also substitute paprika for 'em.
Salt that eggplant like you mean it and give it the full 30-minute chill. Rushing it just means bitter eggplant that also absorbs more oil when being fried.
Make sure your oil's hot enough before frying. Go for around 350F (175C). It's the difference between golden perfection and limp sadness.
Fry the slices in a single layer with plenty of breathing room. Crowding the pan just kills the vibe and gives you soggy sadness.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
Fried eggplant might sound basic, but perfecting it? That's next level, m'dear. I needed this to be foolproof (no soggy eggplant!), packed with bold flavors, and balanced in texture-rich but not heavy (yes, it's shockingly completely vegan).
This delicious dish will introduce you to the wonders of Afghan cuisine. Think of this as Afghanistan's answer to Turkish shakshuka or solsu patlican yemegi-eggplant-centric, saucy, and wildly satisfying. A non sandwichy version of my sabich recipe? Nah, it's more than that.
Your weeknight dream-come-true: Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors made easy enough to whip up in your own kitchen in well under an hour. The combo of warm eggplant and cool yogurt? You need to pull yourself into its magic eggplant forcefield already.
This recipe looked complicated, but it was easy! The flavor was a wonderful surprise of creamy, spicy and fresh. Delicious.
Jump to:
🥰Why you'll adore this borani banjan recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan Middle Eastern recipes, this has no eggs, no dairy-based yogurt, no butter-just eggplant, aromatics, and a fire tomato sauce.
🧂 Salt Science Magic: Pre-salting the eggplant isn't just for show-it pulls out moisture and bitterness so each slice fries up tender inside, crisp outside, and never greasy.
⏱️ Meal Prep Champion: The recipe takes about an hour, but most of it's hands-off while the eggplant does its own thing. You can use that time to prep something else-or y'know, just vibe.
✅Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all the vegan recipes I drop, I fine-tuned this one, then sent it out to a huge squad of hundreds of recipe testers who made it and loved it with all of their hearts and souls.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🍆 Borani Ingredients
Eggplant
Use either globe eggplants or standard purple Italian ones for best results. They are the same generic ones I choose to make Persian khoresh bademjan becuase they have a high meat to skin ratio. Small eggplants or baby eggplants can also work but will require less cooking time.
Japanese eggplants have too high of a skin-to-flesh ratio for this dish, so save those for stir-frying with Thai basil eggplant or dropping into a curry laksa. Cut your eggplants into thick slices for the best texture.
Salt
Salt's not just for seasoning-it pulls out bitterness and helps the eggplant fry up golden brown and tender instead of spongy and sad. And yeah, don't stress about if the amount of salt looks insane, most of it gets rinsed off before anything hits the pan.
Cumin Seeds
These tiny seeds bring a huge aroma and earthy warmth to the sauce. I'm obsessed with wild mountain cumin from Burlap & Barrel-it's got this piney, almost citrusy aroma that regular cumin just can't touch. But don't freak out, regular cumin seeds work fine too, and if you're subbing ground cumin, just use about ½ as much.
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Using this link, add the wild mountain cumin to your cart, spend at least $15 on some of the other absurdly good spices from Burlap & Barrel (they all seriously slap) and the bottle of this bangin' wild mountain cumin becomes FREE, and you will love it so much.
Aleppo Pepper Flakes
Named after the Syrian city of Aleppo, these pepper flakes bring a mild heat with fruity, sweet undertones. Green chilies can also be added for extra heat if you prefer. Can't find Aleppo pepper flakes? Gochugaru is a great substitute-it nails the sweet-smoky vibe.
Your leftover Aleppo chili flakes can be used up in other Middle Eastern dishes like kisir, mutabal, and acili ezme.
Canned Tomatoes
I go with fire-roasted diced tomatoes for this recipe, the same ones I use in my vegan chili. Regular canned diced tomatoes? Totally fine. Fresh chopped tomatoes or Roma tomatoes work wonderfully in the summer. If it's tomato season, swap in 1 lb. of peeled, diced fresh ones. You can even add some red bell pepper or green peppers for extra flavor.
Plant-Based Yogurt
That creamy yogurt swirl brings just the right contrast to the warm, spiced eggplant. I lean on Kite Hill almond milk yogurt-it's thick yogurt that's tangy and reliably unsweetened (or for a budget option, Trader Joe's unsweetened cashew milk yogurt). But really, any plain vegan yogurt you like will work for the garlic sauce.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Lebanese-Style Fattet Batinjan
Make it a full-on fattet situation with crispy pita bread on the bottom, then layer on the eggplant, sauce, and yogurt. Finish with toasted pine nuts and a hit of pomegranate seeds. Stir a spoonful of harissa into the tomato sauce if you want extra heat and complexity.
Turkish Şakşuka
Turkish saksuka skips the yogurt entirely. It's just hot, juicy eggplant with spiced tomato sauce and a drizzle of olive oil-simple, absurdly-yummy, and straight to the point.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make borani banjan
Master this Afghan eggplant dish recipe on your first try with these step-by-step photos and my handy tips. Or, if you're ready to skip ahead, scroll down for the printable recipe card-because who has time for scrolling when you're hungry, right?
Step One
Sweat Child O' Mine:
Place the eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes to release their bitter moisture.
Step Two
Tub Time:
Rinse thoroughly under cool water, then pat dry with a clean towel.
✅ Don't be shy about the rinsing! You really want to get rid of as much of the salty flavor as possible as not to throw off the saltiness in this recipe.
Step Three
In the Heat of the Moment:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat for 90 seconds. Once hot, add the eggplant slices in a single layer, frying for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and tender. Transfer to a plate lined with a towel. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding more oil as needed.
✅ Make sure the eggplant is completely tender and cooked through by piercing it with a corner of your spatula. Undercooked eggplant suckkkkkkks.
Step Four
Olive You So Bad:
In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat for 90 seconds. Add garlic, cumin seeds, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, and Aleppo pepper flakes, cooking for 1 minute while stirring.
Step Five
Sauce Shank Redemption:
Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, and salt to the pan. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
Step Six
Yogurt To Be Kidding Me:
In a small bowl, combine plant-based yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, mint, parsley, and salt. Stir until evenly mixed.
✅ Optionally, if you want a hyper-garlicky herb yogurt, you can mix a spoonful of toum into it.
Step Seven
See You Layer, Alligator:
Spread a thin layer of herb yogurt at the bottom of a serving dish. Add spoonfuls of tomato sauce and fried eggplant slices. Layer more sauce and yogurt over the eggplant to coat everything evenly.
Step Eight
You Got Served:
Serve the eggplant warm or at room temperature. Optionally garnish with fresh parsley, dried mint, and finely minced red onion. Scoop up with freshly baked Afghan bolani or serve it over Persian rice!
💡Serving Ideas
Eggplant's just the beginning. You've got flaky msemen and soft kuboos ready to scoop up every bit of sauce. Stack on zhoug, tarator, harissa hummus, and that tangy labneh just because you can and should.
Still got room? Slide in tabbouleh, or pearl couscous salad, roast up some harissa carrots, crack open a few pieces of bolani, and let loubia do its slow-simmered white bean magic.
Make this eggplant a side for your fave Middle Eastern sammies. Vegan shawarma, or vegan kofta with tzatziki and a spoonful of shatta for heat.
Then, just like that, casually end things with irmik helvasi, or vegan pistachio baklava, like that's just your normal Tuesday.
👉Top tips
- Salt It Like Crazy: Salt that eggplant like you mean it and give it the full 30-minute chill-rushing it just means bitter eggplant that also absorbs more oil when being fried.
- Get That Oil Right: Make sure your oil's hot enough before frying. If you have a frying thermometer, go for around 350°F (175°C).
- No Crowds Allowed: Fry the slices in a single layer with plenty of breathing room-crowding the pan just kills the vibe and gives you soggy sadness. A Dutch oven or any high-sided pan helps keep splatters in check and your stovetop less tragic.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes! Brush the salted, rinsed, and dried eggplant slices with olive oil and bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
For air frying, set your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) and cook for 16-18 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until golden and tender.
🧊 Refrigeration: Store components separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The sauce and fried eggplant will keep for up to 4 days, while the herb yogurt is best used within 3 days. If already assembled, the complete dish can be stored for up to 3 days, though the yogurt will thin out slightly as it sits.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating: Warm the tomato sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. For the eggplant, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat and warm the slices for 1-2 minutes per side until heated through. Assemble with fresh herb yogurt.
NO. Do not freeze eggplant ever. If you try, your future self will send a robot back in time to stop you, and you may have to be dipped into a vat of molten liquid metal. So, please save yourself that terrible fate.
✌️You'll love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes too:
Learn the secrets to perfect falafel in this fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Borani Banjan
Ingredients
For the Fried Eggplant:
- 2 lbs. eggplant peeled and sliced 1 cm.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup frying oil canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 teaspoons garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
- 14 oz. Canned diced tomatoes preferably fire-roasted
- 4 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
For the Herb Yogurt:
- 1 cup unsweetened plant based yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons mint minced
- 2 teaspoons parsley minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional garnishes:
- Parsley leaves
- Dried mint
- Red onion very finely minced
Instructions
- Place the eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle evenly with the salt.
- Allow them to sit for 30 minutes to release excess moisture. Rinse the slices thoroughly under cool water, until no noticeable saltiness remains, and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Heat the frying oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the eggplant slices in a single layer without crowding the pan. Fry over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and tender. Transfer the fried eggplant to a plate lined with a clean towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding more oil to the pan as needed and allowing it to reheat for 90 seconds before adding more slices. Set the fried eggplant aside.
- To prepare the sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, cardamom, turmeric, and Aleppo pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, and salt. Stir thoroughly to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
- For the herb yogurt, combine the plant-based yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, mint, parsley, and salt in a small bowl. Stir thoroughly until evenly mixed.
- To assemble, spread a thin layer of the herb yogurt at the bottom of a serving dish. Layer spoonfuls of the tomato sauce and the fried eggplant slices over the yogurt. Spoon additional sauce and herb yogurt over the eggplant, ensuring all slices are well coated.
- Serve the eggplant warm or at room temperature, garnished with parsley leaves, dried mint, and finely minced red onion.
Notes
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Dawn says
I just made this for breakfast, lol!! Freaking outstanding, the depth of the flavors were fantastic!! The only thing I didn’t have was mint because mine is frozen in the yard; I’m in NJ & we just had a snow storm but now I feel so warm & happy. Thank you so much Adam for giving me something I didn’t know I needed so badly!
Saige says
I made this a few weeks ago and I'm still thinking about how wonderful it was. It's the comfort food I didn't know I needed. Will definitely be making again soon!
EA says
Delicious stuff! My cheat method to avoid all the mess of deep frying was to just cube the eggplant all up and sautee it in olive oil til it's jammy but still distinct pieces, then put it aside and make the sauce in the same pan. Faster, healthier, less mess, and makes for easier eating than whole slices! Otherwise fantastic recipe!
Maria says
Very good. To lazy to fry, I made the eggplant in my oven air fryer and served it with the Piyaz recipe and plain rice. Next time I think I'll serve it with mujadara (lentils & rice with fried onions).
Kimbi Walton says
This recipe looked complicated, but it was easy! The flavor was a wonderful surprise of creamy, spicy and fresh. Delicious.