This recipe from a 13th-century Baghdadi treatise is named after the wife of the Abbasid caliph al-Ma’mun, Buran (بوران), who became famous for her signature fried aubergine dishes, which subsequently became known as būrāniyya. The aubergines are boiled in water and salt and then fried in sesame oil before being peeled and mashed. Salt, dried coriander, yoghurt and garlic are also mixed in. The result tastes and looks very similar to that present-day favourite baba ganoush (بابا غنوج). The meatballs are fried before they are placed on top of the mixture. The dish is rounded off with a sprinkling of cumin and cinnamon.
