Making khoresh

Practice makes perfect. That's the rule of thumb that I learnt as a child, and have since harvested rewards over and over. One day, an old friend invented me to dine at her home. She cooked for me one of her favorite Persian dish, an eggplant khoresh. I was totally amazed by the taste of it. It was her who told me that broiling the eggplant in oven helped it to cook with less oil. She cooked with the large American eggplant, which till now I've not fathomed. But her tip worked very well with the Chinese eggplant which softens like bread in heat. Having mastered the eggplant, I proceeded to conquer the khoresh. For a while, I was cooking it every week, until it's become a part of me. 


Recipe: Eggplant lamb khoresh (for 3)


Ingredients:
- 1 large Chinese eggplant
- 12 oz lamb chop with bones
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 oz old ginger, peeled of skin
- 1-2 tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon (TB) turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon (tp) cumin
- 1 small piece of cinnamon
- 1 bay leave
- 1/2 tp salt


Procedure:
1. Brown lamb chop and onion in oven. Then transfer with juice to pot on stove. Add water to cover meat, and then add salt, ginger, garlic, and all the spices. Bring to boil. Let simmer for 1-2 hour on low heat.
2. Cut eggplant into irregular shapes and broil all sides in oven until softened. Set in baking tray with cover. Place the hot lamb mixture in baking tray on top of eggplant. Cover lid and cook in oven at 350F for 20 minutes or until boiling. Cut slices of tomatoes and place on top of the lamb dish. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve hot.