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Afghan

Borani banjan

Vegetarian

بورانی بانجان · Borani banjan

Fried aubergine slices baked in a garlicky tomato sauce, served on and under cool garlic yogurt with dried mint.

Borani banjan is an Afghan side dish from Afghanistan, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with eggplant, tomato and greek yogurt. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Borani banjan: fried aubergine slices in tomato sauce topped with garlic yogurt
Photo: Nissy-KITAQ / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
289

Ingredients

4 servings

For the yogurt

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Salt the aubergine (opens in a new tab) slices and leave in a colander for 15 minutes; pat dry.

    • 15 min
    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Fry the slices in batches in the oil until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

    Food safety: Hot oil spits; pat the aubergine dry first.

  3. Step 3

    In 2 tbsp of the oil, fry the onion (opens in a new tab) until golden, add the garlic (opens in a new tab), tomatoes (opens in a new tab), tomato paste (opens in a new tab), spices and water and simmer 8 minutes into a sauce.

    • 12 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Layer the aubergine (opens in a new tab) and sauce in a baking dish (opens in a new tab) and bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes until bubbling at the edges (or simmer covered on the hob).

  5. Step 5

    Mix the yogurt with garlic (opens in a new tab) and salt. Spread half on a platter, top with the aubergine (opens in a new tab), spoon over the rest and sprinkle with dried mint (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Afghanistan · Well documentedBorani (yogurt dishes) are also found in Iranian cuisine; this tomato-and-aubergine version is classically Afghan.More food from Afghanistan
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Shallow-fried, Oven-baked
Taste
savoury, tangy, garlicky, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-fibre · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Eggplant · Tomato · Greek yogurt · Onion · Garlic · Tomato paste
Techniques
Baking · Shallow-frying · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom greek yogurt

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

289 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 456 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 56%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy289 kcal63 kcal
Protein9.5 g2.1 g
Carbohydrate24.5 g5.4 g
Net carbohydrate15.6 g3.4 g
Sugars14.5 g3.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre8.9 g1.9 g
Fat18.9 g4.1 g
Saturated fat2.7 g0.6 g
Trans fat0.1 g0 g
Cholesterol8 mg2 mg
Sodium765 mg168 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
931 mg
Calcium
116 mg
Iron
1.3 mg
Magnesium
57 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
50 µg
Vitamin C
22 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
73 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Serve the aubergine warm on cool yogurt — the contrast is the point.

Common mistakes

  • Frying in oil that isn't hot enough — the aubergine soaks it up and turns greasy.

Serve with

  • Serve with Afghan naan and Kabuli pulao.

Storage

  • The aubergine keeps 3 days refrigerated; add yogurt just before serving.

Reheating

  • Warm the aubergine, then top with cold yogurt.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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