Passport & Plate - Badrijani Nigvzit
Georgia | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Serves 8 as an appetizer
4 long Chinese eggplants
2 cups raw walnuts
3 large cloves garlic
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground wild blue fenugreek (use regular fenugreek if the Georgian wild blue variety is not available)
¼ - ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust amount depending on how much heat you like)
½ tsp. sea salt
A pinch of dried marigold (optional)
1 cup water
A neutral tasting oil for brushing the eggplants (e.g. grapeseed oil)
Additional salt for preparing the eggplant
Curly lettuce, chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds for garnish
How to prepare this recipeBadrijani Nigvzit
Eggplant rolls with walnut paste
These delightful eggplant rolls can be found on almost every restaurant menu in Georgia and are one of my favourite dishes. I served these at a supra (Georgian feast) for friends in Yellowknife, Canada. While the spices and flavours were unfamiliar to the Western palate, everyone was delighted by savory and slightly tart walnut paste against the creamy eggplant in this dish.
1. Combine walnuts, garlic, vinegar, ground coriander, fenugreek, cayenne, salt, water and dried marigold if using, in a food processor. Process until smooth. Make the paste at minimum 3 hours ahead of serving or ideally one day ahead to allow the flavours to meld.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C.
3. Wash and cut off the tops of the eggplants. Take a sharp knife and cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4” thick slices.
4. Lightly salt the eggplant slices and let stand for 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry with a dishtowel. Salting the eggplant removes the bitterness and also reduces the oil you need for cooking. Otherwise, the eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge.
5. Lightly brush the eggplant slices with oil and roast in the oven on a baking sheet for 15 min on each side or until lightly browned. Don’t let the eggplant turn crispy. You want the slices floppy for rolling. Traditionally, the slices are fried in oil in Georgia, but I found baking works just as fine.
6. Allow the eggplant slices to cool after baking. Spread a layer of walnut paste on one side of each slice of eggplant and roll up with the filling on the inside. Spread a tiny amount of walnut paste on top of each finished roll.
7. Arrange the eggplant rolls on a bed of curly lettuce and garnish with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds. Served at room temperature.
The story behind this recipeGeorgia is a country I can't get enough of. My first visit was in 2012, during my one-year break from life, romantically recreating Theroux ‘s Great Railway Bazaar. I crossed the border from Turkey into Georgia on foot, leaving behind a call to prayer and stepping into a strange country full of deep traditions, framed by futuristic buildings, old Soviet blocks and thousands years old monasteries. I was immediately hooked.
With dominant Russia to its north and Europe to its west, it is a country with more than its fair share of upheavals. But its identity remains intact. Their people are filled with pride for their language and a pretty alphabet curved like the grape vines that snake through their country. Here, sweet wine flows freely and Georgians are proud to be the first to cultivate and ferment grapes for wine over 8000 years ago.
Accompanying their delicious wines is a rich food culture. A tiny country with a tinier diaspora, Georgian food doesn’t exist much beyond Georgia and Russia. With their location along the Silk Road, Georgian food is influenced by the many cultures that have passed through. I detect hints of Turkey and hints of Persia. Walnut is a star ingredient, as are dried marigold petals and wild blue fenugreek – all used in delightful combinations unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.
I returned to Georgia in the fall of 2014, during rtveli, their wine harvest season. I paid close attention to their food this time, as I wanted to recreate my favourite dishes at home. Badrijani nitgvit are delightful bundles of eggplant rolled with a walnut paste. Prior to leaving Georgia, I went to the spice section of a bazaar and said “badrijani?” A sullen merchant nodded and measured out a glassful of yellow spice. I took it back to Canada, researched the limited Georgian blogs in English and tweaked the flavours to my memory. I hosted my first supra (Georgian feast) for friends where we ate the badrijani and toasted to Georgia and Yellowknife.
