Name: Pot stickers
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Makes 30 servings
Cuisine: Main Meals
Ingredients: For the dumpling wrapper: ,flour 250g ,hot water ¾ cup,For the filling, mix: ,onions, finely chopped 3 spring ,garlic, minced 2cloves ,pork mince 500 g ,light soya sauce 2 T ,Oyster Sauce 2 T,For the starch liquid, mix: ,water ¾ cup ,flour 1 T,cornstarch 1 T

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Turkish brinjal in tomato sauce

Serves 4– 6

Difficulty Easy

Cooking Time 1 hour

Ingredients

6 6 thin brinjals or 3 large round ones
salt, for salting the brinjals
1⁄3 cup olive oil, for pan-frying, plus extra if needed
chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)
For the filling:
4 T olive oil
3 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ½ t tomato paste
4–5 tomatoes, about 400 g, diced
2 t salt
1 ½ t sugar
1 t sweet paprika

For the sauce:

1 ½ t tomato paste
½ cup hot water (from a kettle)
1 t salt

Method

1. Peel some stripes off each aubergine, leaving the rest of the skin on for a decorative effect; alternatively, you can leave the aubergines unpeeled. If you’re using large round aubergines, cut them in half lengthways.

2. Cut a long slit lengthways along the middle of each aubergine, but not all the way through, to serve as a pocket. Rub all parts of the aubergines generously with salt. Leave in a colander for 30 minutes to 1 hour for them to release any bitter juices.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion over high heat for 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cook for a minute or two, then season with the salt, sugar, paprika and black pepper. Stir in ½ cup (125 ml) water and simmer gently over low heat for 15 minutes.

4. Wash and dry the aubergines. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and lightly pan-fry the aubergines on all sides over medium– high heat. We don’t want to cook them thoroughly at this stage, just soften them and add a bit of flavour. If frying the aubergines in batches, you may need to use some more oil.

5. Arrange the aubergines in a large saucepan. Open the slits down the middle and stuff each one with 2–3 tablespoons of the filling, drizzling in any remaining liquid as well.

6. Mix the sauce ingredients together until well combined, then pour into the pan from the side. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 15–25 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the aubergines are completely soft. You may need to add a bit more water if they take longer to cook. (Instead of cooking them on the stove during this final stage, you can also bake the aubergines in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 1 hour — but I personally prefer the stovetop method.)

7. Serve at room temperature, garnished with parsley if desired, with flat bread or Iranian rice (page 22, below) on the side.

This is an extract from Pomegranates + Artichokes: Recipes and memories of a journey from Iran to Italy by Saghar Setareh (Murdoch Books). Photography by Saghar Setareh

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