Georgia · 90 min · Vegan · Starter · For confident cooks
Badrijani Nigvzit
For 4 servings · US units
Fried eggplant rolls with spiced walnut paste and pomegranate
Badrijani Nigvzit are Georgian eggplant rolls filled with walnuts — a cold starter that shows up on every supra table and is just as welcome on a weeknight. The fried eggplant slices stay soft and silky, the walnut paste with garlic, blue fenugreek and Imeretian saffron gives them real depth, and the pomegranate seeds on top cut through it all. They taste best once they've had a little time to sit in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbeggplantabout 2–3 medium, sliced lengthwise 5–7 mm thick
- 5¼ ozwalnutsfinely ground
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1 bunchfinely chopped, some reserved for garnishThe fresh leaves and tender stems of the coriander plant, with a bright, lemony, pungent aroma.Substitute: There is no true substitute: flat-leaf parsley adds freshness and colour but not the distinctive aroma, and dried cilantro has little flavour left. If it is missing, use more of the other fresh herbs, knowing the dish will taste noticeably different.Read more
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 tspBlue fenugreek, called utskho suneli in Georgia: dried, ground leaves and seed pods with a mild, hay-like, nutty aroma.Substitute: Dried fenugreek leaves from an Indian grocer come closest but are stronger and more bitter, so use about half the amount; ground fenugreek seed is harsher still and works only very sparingly. Khmeli suneli contains blue fenugreek but also brings coriander, dill and other spices, which changes the character of the dish.Read more
- ½ tspGround dried marigold petals, a Georgian spice that turns dishes golden yellow and tastes mild, earthy and slightly bitter.Substitute: There is no equivalent substitute. A small pinch of turmeric matches the colour but brings its own sharper earthy flavour and should be used far more sparingly; dried calendula petals from a pharmacy or tea shop colour more weakly and taste flatter. True saffron is no substitute, its flavour is entirely different.Read more
- 1½ tbspwine vinegarwhite or red
- Chilito taste, ground or as paste
- waterlukewarm, to loosen the nut paste
- saltfor salting the eggplant and seasoning
- ½ cupvegetable oilfor frying
- Pomegranate seedsfor garnish
- 1onionblended raw or fried before adding to the nut paste (optional)
- ⅔ ozparsleyin addition to cilantro (optional)
- 1¾ ozbuttercold, used instead of water in the nut paste (optional)
- ½ tsp (optional)A Georgian blend of dried herbs and ground seeds, chiefly blue fenugreek, coriander and marigold, with a warm, nutty, herbal flavour.Substitute: A rough version can be mixed at home: ground coriander in equal parts with dried dill, summer savory and mint, plus a little ground fenugreek seed or, better, dried fenugreek leaves from an Indian grocer. Ordinary fenugreek is more bitter and sharper than blue fenugreek, so use it sparingly; without marigold the colour and earthy note are missing, and a pinch of turmeric replaces only the colour. The result is recognisably similar but not the same.Read more
Method
- Slice the eggplantsWash the eggplants, trim off the stem ends and cut them lengthwise into slices 5 to 7 millimetres thick.
- Salt and drain the slicesSalt the slices generously or lay them in salted water and let them stand for 20 to 40 minutes. Pour off the liquid that's drawn out, squeeze the slices gently and pat them dry.
- Fry the eggplant until goldenHeat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the slices in batches until golden on both sides. Drain them on kitchen paper and let them cool completely.
- Grind walnuts and garlicGrind the walnuts together with the garlic to a fine paste in a meat grinder or blender.
- Season the nut mixtureMix the ground coriander, blue fenugreek, Imeretian saffron, salt, wine vinegar and chili or ajika into the nut mixture.
- Thin the paste with waterWork in lukewarm water a little at a time until you have a smooth, pale, easily spreadable paste. Finally stir in the finely chopped cilantro, setting some aside for garnish.
- Spread and roll the slicesSpread the nut paste evenly over the cooled eggplant slices, then roll them up or simply fold them over.
- Arrange and garnishArrange the rolls on a platter and scatter over the pomegranate seeds and the remaining cilantro.
- Chill before servingLet them sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Tips and variations
If you'd rather use less oil, brush the slices thinly with oil and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 to 200 °C. An onion works well in the filling — finely chopped and fried before stirring it in, or blended raw with the nuts; cold butter instead of water will bind the paste just as well, and a little khmeli suneli or parsley adds another layer of flavour. The acidity can come from pomegranate syrup (narsharab) instead of vinegar, the heat from ajika instead of ground chili. You can also scatter the herbs onto the spread slices as you roll them rather than mixing them into the paste. Serve the rolls cold as a starter, ideally as part of a bigger spread of small dishes — at least an hour in the fridge, and even better after several hours.
Allergens
Contains: Tree nuts, Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Milk (including lactose)
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
