Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Banjan (Eggplant)


This meal was made possible because of that extra hour which most people get to sleep through, that extra hour in the morning when we fall back and say goodbye to Daylight Savings Time. My baby woke me up at 5 AM this past Sunday. If it was the previous Sunday it would have been 6 AM, but not that day since we changed the clock. And when you're a mother and your time is not your own and you can never get anything done because your baby makes a 5 second job take 10 hours, then an extra hour in the day can really come in handy (even if you are dead tired).  And so with that extra hour I was able to make this delicious Banjan dish while I was entertaining my baby (or being entertained by my baby) playing together with all of her toys, reading books, dancing to music, showing her the hand movements to The Itsy Bitsy Spider (which makes her laugh and laugh) and teaching her "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" (she kept touching her head). Talk about multi-tasking! It was a really fun morning and eventually at 9 AM (which used to be 10 AM), she fell asleep watching The Barenaked Ladies Video of "Another Postcard." If you've never seen it, you should definitely check it out; It is hysterical!



Chicken and Banjan (eggplant) another one of my favorites!


First put chicken in pan (I used 2 thighs and one chicken breast on the bone) and brown them on both sides.  I used frozen chicken. I tend to stock up on chicken and freeze it because a trip to the market is a pain in the neck now that we moved and no longer live one block from the Kosher market. Believe it or not, this recipe works well with frozen chicken.


Put 2 tablespoons of water in the pan and simmer chicken for 1 hour.


I used 2 eggplants but regretted not making more as I was licking the plate clean during dinner time. As you know, veggies shrink and while it seems like you are making a lot, if you have the time and patience use as many eggplants as you desire! Slice them and spray PAM on them, and cook in oven for about 8 minutes on each side.



When the chicken has simmered for an hour and looks cooked add the eggplant to the pot and try to coat the eggplant with the liquid in the pot. Add allspice and salt.  Now simmer for 30 minutes or longer (the longer, the better).  Check on it often to make sure that there is still liquid, and that the eggplant is not burning.



Warning**This dish is more of a side dish than a main course (depending on how much chicken you use of course!)

Banjan

1) 2 (or more) eggplants 
2) 4 pieces of chicken pieces
3)1 teaspoon of allspice
4)1/2 teaspoon of salt
4)1 teaspoon of oil

In a pot, brown the pieces of chicken on both sides in the teaspoon of oil. Add 2 tablespoons of water and simmer for an hour or until chicken is cooked.

Meanwhile slice the eggplants and place them on a tray. Spray with PAM and cook in oven on 350 degrees for 8 minutes on each side.

When the chicken has cooked, add the cooked eggplant to the chicken. Season with the allspice and salt and mix the liquid that is in the pot with the eggplant. Simmer for another half hour. If you have the time you can simmer it for even longer, just make sure to keep checking on it to make sure that it isn't burning.

2 comments:

  1. great! what about in a crock pot????????
    Tristin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmm... Good question. I have just recently discovered the crock pot and am a big fan but I'm not so sure how it works. Would we need to add some sort of liquid? Not sure... Maybe I'll try it out one of these days...

      Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Tristin!

      Delete