Kid-friendly Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan" + Yogurt Mint Sauce + Minty Yogurt "Doogh" Drink Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
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Family Meal Plan: Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan" + Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce + Minty Yogurt Afghan "Doogh" Drink

Family Meal Plan: Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan" + Yogurt Mint Sauce + Minty Yogurt "Doogh" Drink

Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan" + Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce + Minty Yogurt Afghan "Doogh" Drink

by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Dylan Sabuco
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
20 minutes
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

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Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan"

"Borani Banjan" (Bor-ah-nee Bahn-jahn) is a hearty Afghan dish made of tender eggplant layered with spiced vegetables in a garlicky yogurt sauce. Our Sticky Fingers Cooking® version comes together in under an hour while preserving the essence of the classic dish. Eggplant cubes are sautéed with curry, tomatoes, and potatoes, then simmered to a melt-in-your-mouth texture in a rich, spiced sauce.

The finished dish has a rustic, inviting look, with tender cubes of eggplant, golden-brown potato, and soft, slightly crushed tomatoes nestled in a rich, red-orange sauce. A drizzle of Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce adds a cool, creamy balance to each savory bite. Serve it with your favorite bread to sop up every flavorful drop, and enjoy a cool, refreshing Minty Yogurt Afghan "Doogh" on the side!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
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Shopping List

  • FRESH
  • 1 large (globe) eggplant OR 3 small (Japanese) eggplants **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 medium potato, any variety **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 2 tomatoes **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 handful fresh mint leaves (roughly 12 leaves)
  • DAIRY
  • 4 C plain yogurt **(see allergy subs below)**
  • PANTRY
  • 1 3/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 T curry powder
  • 2 T vegetable oil **
  • 2 T tomato paste **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 4 T + 1 tsp honey
  • pita bread or pita chips, optional **(see allergy subs below)**
  • HAVE ON HAND
  • 2 1/2 C water
  • 2 C ice

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • blend :

    to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

  • chop :

    to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

  • sauté :

    to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.

  • whisk :

    to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

Equipment Checklist

  • Medium pot + lid
  • Small or medium bowls (4)
  • Cutting board
  • Kid-safe knife
  • Measuring spoons
  • Wooden spoon
  • Fork to test doneness
  • Medium bowl
  • Measuring cups
  • Whisk
  • Blender (or pitcher + immersion blender)
  • Dry measuring cups
  • Liquid measuring cup
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Ingredients

Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan"

  • 1 large (globe) eggplant OR 3 small (Japanese) eggplant **(for NIGHTSHADE ALLERGY sub 2 C mushrooms or zucchini)**
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 medium potato, any variety **(for NIGHTSHADE ALLERGY sub 1 C mushrooms or zucchini)**
  • 2 tomatoes **(for NIGHTSHADE ALLERGY sub 4 T pumpkin purée)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 T curry powder
  • 2 T vegetable oil **
  • 1/4 C plain yogurt **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free plain yogurt)**
  • 2 T tomato paste **(Omit for NIGHTSHADE ALLERGY)**
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1 T honey
  • pita bread or pita chips, optional **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub corn chips)**

Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 small handful fresh mint leaves (roughly 6 leaves)
  • 3/4 C plain yogurt **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free plain yogurt)**
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Minty Yogurt Afghan "Doogh" Drink

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 small handful fresh mint leaves (roughly 6 leaves)
  • 3 C plain yogurt **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free plain yogurt)**
  • 2 C water
  • 3 T honey
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 C ice

Food Allergen Substitutions

Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan"

  • Nightshade: For 1 large eggplant or 3 small eggplants, substitute 2 C mushrooms or zucchini. For 1 medium potato, substitute 1 C mushrooms or zucchini. For 2 tomatoes, substitute 4 T pumpkin purée. Omit tomato paste.
  • Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free plain yogurt.
  • Soy: Substitute canola oil or other nut-free oil for vegetable oil.
  • Gluten/Wheat: Substitute corn chips for optional pita bread or pita chips.

Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce

  • Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free plain yogurt.

Minty Yogurt Afghan "Doogh" Drink

  • Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free plain yogurt.

Instructions

Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan"

1.
intro

"Borani Banjan" (Bor-ah-nee Bahn-jahn) is a traditional Afghan dish that consists of eggplant cooked in yogurt sauce. This dish is delicious on its own but is often paired with lamb, chicken, and rice. Let’s dive into our Sticky Fingers Cooking® version of Borani Banjan.

2.
chop + measure

Start by small dicing 1 eggplant, 1 yellow onion, 1 potato, and 2 tomatoes. Keep all the ingredients separated in small or medium bowls. Measure 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and pour them into the bowl of eggplant. Toss gently to coat.

3.
superstar food spotlight

Let’s talk about eggplant! This purple nightshade is technically a berry, but it is used as a vegetable in almost all preparations. Aside from having a ton of flavor packed into each eggplant, this berry is also really good for you. Eggplants are loaded with antioxidants and fiber, which help process food and get rid of harmful waste. They are also high in vitamins C, K, and B6!

4.
sauté + stir

Add the diced and coated eggplant to a medium pot over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do your best to lightly brown the eggplant on all sides. Then, add the diced potato and onion to the pot and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes.

5.
simmer + season

Finally, add the diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup yogurt, and 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Sauté for about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of water, stir a few times, and cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the sauce has become thick and coats the eggplant. Also, before moving on to serving, check the doneness of the potatoes with a fork. They should be tender. If not, cook for a few more minutes until they soften.

6.
drizzle + serve

Drizzle the Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan" with Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce drizzled over the top and optional pita bread or pita chips on the side! "Noshe jaan" (Nohshuh jahn) or "Enjoy your food" in the Afghan Dari language!

Whipped Yogurt Mint Sauce

1.
chop + measure

As finely as possible, chop 1 cucumber and 1 small handful of mint leaves. Scrape those into a medium bowl. Then, measure 3/4 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and add them to the bowl with the cucumber and mint.

2.
whisk + serve

Whisk the mixture until well combined. The more you whisk, the more green the sauce will become! Try serving this sauce drizzled over Sweetly Spiced Afghan Stewed Eggplant "Borani Banjan."

Minty Yogurt Afghan "Doogh" Drink

1.
intro

"Doogh" (Doog) is a yogurt-based drink originally from Afghanistan that appears in many countries around the world. This drink is generally a thinner and icier version of the lassi (another popular yogurt drink). What makes "Doogh" special is that it is often a salted drink. Let's dive into this sweet and salty sip.

2.
chop + pour

Start by roughly chopping 1 cucumber and 1 small handful of mint leaves. Pour those into a blender (or pitcher for use with an immersion blender).

3.
measure + blend

Measure 3 cups yogurt, 2 cups water, 3 tablespoons honey, and 1/8 teaspoon salt into the blender with the cucumber and mint. Blend until smooth. Then, add 2 cups of ice. Blend until the ice is crushed into teeny, tiny bits. Practice counting to 5 in the Dari language while you blend: 1 yak (yack), 2 du (doo), 3 se (say), 4 chahaar (cha-HAAR), 5 panj (pīnj).

4.
pour + serve

Pour the "Doogh" into cups and serve! "Cheers" or "Kha sehat walar" (Kah say-hot wah-lar), meaning "to good health" in Afghanistan.

Surprise Ingredient: Eggplant!

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Photo by BearFotos/Shutterstock.com

Hi! I’m Eggplant!

"I'm the star of this dish, the exciting Eggplant! You might think of me as a vegetable, but I'm actually a berry! Not only that, but I'm large and oblong (that's a long oval shape), and I'm purple! Some of my eggplant cousins are short and plump, and have white streaks, but we all wear the same perky green cap, and we're all good to eat!"

History

  • The eggplant was called the Mad Apple for hundreds of years before people were actually brave enough to try eating it. People worldwide thought it was poisonous, so it took a long time before someone was brave enough to take a bite.
  • Eggplant is widely believed to be native to India. In fact, it is known as the King of Vegetables in India. Eggplant still grows wild in India!
  • Chinese emperors enjoyed eggplant way back to as early as 600 BC. How's this for an interesting fact: Ladies of China found it fashionable to stain their teeth black way back in 600 BC, and they would use eggplant skins to make a black dye for their teeth!
  • Eggplant eventually made their way around the world with global explorers, but people used them more for table decoration than food for hundreds of years because they were afraid they'd be poisoned if they ate them!
  • One story tells that when eggplant was brand new to France, King Louis XIV wanted to impress guests at his royal table, so he had his gardeners plant eggplant in his garden. Do you think his diners were impressed? They were not! They described the eggplant as "fruits as large as pears, but with bad qualities." 
  • King Louis XIV cooked them and served them to his guests anyway, without them knowing. And they didn't get sick! This is because he had done his research first and found out that once eggplant mature, they are safe to eat and are actually quite delicious!

Anatomy & Etymology

  • Eggplants are technically berries, not vegetables! Are you surprised? What are some other fruits commonly mistaken for vegetables? How about cucumbers and tomatoes?
  • Did you know that eggplant and tomatoes are related? That's right—they both belong to the Nightshade family, along with potatoes and peppers. 
  • The standard eggplant is oval or pear-shaped, glossy-skinned, or purple. However, there are many different varieties of eggplant around the world. For example, eggplant can be white, green, round, small, long, purple-and-white speckled, cream-colored, or deep purple.
  • With eggplant, bigger isn't necessarily better. The smaller the eggplant, the sweeter it tends to taste.
  • Eggplant does have seeds, but once they've developed seeds, their flesh becomes pretty bitter. That's why it's best to harvest eggplant before their seeds become too big. 
  • Europeans gave these berries the name "Eggplant" in the middle of the 18th century because the variety they knew looked exactly like Goose Eggs! 
  • Another name for eggplant is "aubergine" (ober-zheen), adapted from the original Arabic name al-badinjan.

How to Pick, Buy, & Eat

  • When buying eggplant, look for smooth skin, even color, heavy-in-the-hand, and no bruises. Squeeze the eggplant gently with a finger and then let go. If the eggplant is fresh, it will bounce back again. The stems should be bright and green. 
  • Store eggplant overnight at room temperature and plan to use it soon after bringing it home. If you are storing it for longer than a day, wrap it in a plastic bag and place it on a shelf in the fridge. 
  • The skin of the eggplant is edible, but many recipes advise peeling the skin before cooking because the flesh is sweeter and more tender, while the skin can be tough. 
  • Eggplant is a very watery vegetable, and this is why many people like to salt their sliced eggplant before frying them to remove some of the excess moisture. They also used to be much more bitter, so people would add salt to them to cut the bitterness. Eventually, growers bred the bitterness out of the plants. 
  • Eggplant can be roasted, baked, fried, sauteed, grilled, braised, stir-fried, and stuffed. The only way we wouldn't suggest eating eggplant is raw. While it is not harmful in small doses, eggplant is so much more delicious when cooked. 
  • Eggplant is in peak season from August to March—they love hot weather!

Nutrition

  • The color of a fruit or vegetable tells us what nutrient it contains (nature is amazing!). Orange vegetables and fruits have special nutrients. So do green vegetables. Purple eggplant also contain a nutrient that gives them their color: anthocyanin. It's an antioxidant also found in red or purple grapes, blackberries, blueberries, plums, red cabbage, red onions, and prunes. 
  • Brains! Did you know that the brain is made up primarily of fat? Eggplant has a unique nutrient that's been shown to protect the fats in our brain. When we safeguard the fats in our brain, we make it possible for brain cells to send signals back and forth to each other—which is a very good thing! We need our brain cells to talk to each other!
  • Fiber! We often talk about fiber when we reveal our Surprise Ingredient, and that's because vegetables and fruits contain a lot of fiber. Eggplant are no exception. What does fiber help with? Digestion! And which body parts are responsible for digestion? Many, but namely our stomach and intestines. We definitely want to keep those running in tip-top shape!

 

What is "Borani Banjan"?

Photo by Farzadsadaat/Shutterstock.com
  • "Borani Banjan" is a vegetable dish from Afghanistan. The star ingredient is eggplant. Slices of eggplant are fried and stewed in tomato sauce, garlic yogurt, and spices. 
  • "Borani" was originally a cold Persian dish made with yogurt and eggplant. "Borani Banjan" is a warm Afghan dish served with naan or rice as an appetizer, side, or a vegetarian main dish.

Let's Learn About Afghanistan!

Photo by Jono Photography/Shutterstock.com (view over the Bamiyan Valley)
  • The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (formerly the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) is a landlocked country in Southern-Central Asia. It is considered the crossroads of Asia.
  • Pakistan is on its southern and eastern borders, and Iran is on its western. Turkmenistan is northwest, Uzbekistan is north, and Tajikistan is northeast. The Wakhan Corridor in the Badakhshan province shares a tiny part of China's western border, about 57.5 miles long. 
  • The government had been a unitary presidential Islamic republic until the Taliban took control by force in 2021 and made it an authoritarian Islamic emirate with a supreme leader, prime minister, and chief justice. Other countries have not recognized it as the rightful government.
  • The country is divided into 34 provinces and 400 provincial districts. Provincial governors are appointed by the prime minister. The currency is the Afghani. 
  • Afghanistan's total area is 252,073 square miles, slightly smaller than the state of Texas. Its population is estimated at 41 to 43 million. The people are called Afghans.
  • There are 14 recognized ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The two largest groups are the Pashtuns and the Tajiks.
  • The two official languages are Dari and Pashto. The most broadly used language is Dari or Dari Persian. It is a variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Pashto, an Eastern Iranian language, is spoken in the southern and eastern parts of the country. It is the native language of the Pashtuns. 
  • Agriculture is a large part of the country's economy. Mining and the textile industry are other contributors. Afghan carpets, primarily handwoven by women, have been produced for thousands of years and have won international awards.
  • Afghanistan is a mountainous country. The Hindu Kush mountain range bisects plains in the north and southwest. The second-highest peak in the range and the highest in Afghanistan is Noshaq, at 24,580 feet. Other geographical features in the country include forests, deserts, highlands, valleys, plateaus, lakes, rivers, and river basins.
  • The Bamiyan valley in the central highlands of the Hindu Kush range is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant statues of Buddhas were carved into cliffs on the north side of the city in the 6th century CE. The valley was a center of Buddhist culture from the 1st to 13th century. The statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
  • The country has a continental climate with notable temperature variations. The southwest is hot and arid, especially in summer. The central highlands have severe winters. Rainfall is mainly between December and April. 
  • The snow leopard is the official national animal of Afghanistan. It resides in the eastern alpine areas of the country. Siberian (or Amur) tigers and brown bears live in high-elevation alpine tundra areas. Marco Polo sheep are found only in the Wakhan Corridor. The Afghan flying squirrel and Afghan snowfinch are two of the endemic species found only in Afghanistan. 
  • Afghan cuisine is "halal," which means food that conforms to Islamic dietary laws. It has Central Asian, South Asian, and Persian influences due to the countries that surround it.
  • "Qabeli palaw" or "Kabuli pulao," an Afghan rice pilaf, is the national dish. Many dishes are rice-based, although some popular dishes consist of dumplings, like the leek-filled "aushak" and the lamb-filled "manti." A typical Afghan diet includes meat (beef, fish, mutton, or poultry), "nan" or "naan" (bread), rice, vegetables, and yogurt.  

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Afghanistan?

  • Afghan kids usually live in multifamily homes, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They are taught to respect their elders. 
  • Under Taliban rule, girls cannot attend secondary school, and they are not allowed to play sports. Afghan kids have been affected by various internal and external conflicts for decades. Many families have emigrated to other countries.
  • The two most popular sports boys may play are cricket and association football (soccer).
  • Popular snacks for kids include yogurt, nuts, and fresh and dried fruit, especially pomegranates, grapes, melons, and raisins. 
  • For dessert, they may also eat fruit, enjoy an Afghan cake, similar to a pound cake with fruit or jelly, or a cold dessert drink called "falooda," consisting of milk, rose syrup, sweet basil, and vermicelli. 

The Yolk's On You

Where do chickens grow? 

On egg-plants!

That's Berry Funny

How do you fix a broken tomato? 

Tomato paste!

The Yolk's On You

What do you call an eggplant that fell off the kitchen counter? 

A faceplant!

That's Berry Funny

What did the mint say to the other mint? 

We're mint to be together!

The Yolk's On You

What's purple, delicious, and fun to decorate for Easter? 

A hard-boiled eggplant!

That's Berry Funny

What is a mint’s favorite sport? 

Bad-mint-on!

The Yolk's On You

Why does milk turn into yogurt when you take it to a museum?

Because it becomes cultured!

Lettuce Joke Around

What is the only food that you are allowed to play with? 

Yo-Yo Gurt!

The Yolk's On You

Why did the tomato blush? 

Because he saw the salad dressing!

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