A Yemeniyah's Recipes

This is a dish that the people of Aden (aka as Adenis) learned from the Indian generations that settled in the City of Aden, during the time it was a British protectorate . I think that Kalonjee means “Black Seed” which is one of the ingredients in this dish. If you ever go to Yemen and ask about this dish don’t be surprised if many don’t know  it. It is only CERTAIN people in Aden, who have southeast Asian backgrounds who know it. I am glad I am one of them, because it is ABSOLUTELY delicious and a REAL crowd pleaser.

Okay, you will need:

1) a medium and firm eggplant

2) 2 medium onion finely diced

3) 1 green hot pepper finely minced

4) 2 tblsp cilnatro finely chopped

5) 1 tsp black seed

6) 1 tblsp ground cumin

7) 1 tblsp ground coriander

Salt to taste

9) 1 tblsp hot sauce (i use Adeni red chilli mix)

10) 1 tblsp concentrated Tamarind

11) 2 tblsp tomato paste

12) 2 cloves of minced garlic

13) 2 tblsp of Oilive Oil

14) 4 medium patatoes with skin, washed and halved

Place the oil in a big pot and place on medium heat.

Mix the onions, hot green pepper, garlic, cilantro, black seed, hot sauce, cumin, coriander, salt

Take the egg plant and cut the green top off and slice through vertically stopping a little short of the base of the egg plant–do not cut al lthe way through. Continue doing so until it opens up like a flower. Take the onion mixture and, to the best of your ability, stuff it into the egg plant.

Place the stuffed eggplant in the oil in the pot. Sprinkle in the rest of the onion mixture and patatoes as well.

Add the tamarind and tomato sauce and 2 cups of water. Add a little more salt and cover and let boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat way down and let cook for about an hour and a half–or until the patatoes are cooked through and the sauce is thickend.

This sounds like a throw-everything-in-the-pot kind of recipe, but it turns out delicious.

Enjoy with rice or bread. It goes really well with fried fish.