Eggplant-Onion Rice

This quick Eggplant-Onion Rice makes a good one-dish meal. If you have leftover rice, this vegetarian dish takes only 15 minutes to make. Try it next time you want something different for lunch or dinner.

Servings: 2
Cooking Time: 35 minutes (including time for cooking rice)

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice (jasmine rice or any other non-sticky rice)
• 2 cups, eggplants (long or small round ones), cut into 1-inch pieces and immersed in a bowl of water to prevent discoloring
• 1 1/2 cups onions, halved and cut into thin strips
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning

• 3-4 tsp vegetable oil
• Asafoetida powder (hing), a pinch
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 5-6 curry leaves
• Salt to taste

For Masala

Use the store-bought Vangi Bhath powder (available in Indian grocery stores or make the powder fresh with the following ingredients).

• 4 tsp coriander seeds (dhania)
• 3 tsp urad dal (split black gram)
• 4 tsp chana dal (split bengal gram)
• 6 tbsp dry, grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
• 14-16 red chillies (adjust to taste)
• Asafoetida (hing), a pinch

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a small pan, and fry the coriander, urad dal, chana dal, and red chillies until golden brown and set aside to cool. Add the grated coconut and fry until light brown.
2. When all the masala ingredients are cool, grind these with some hing into a coarse powder.
3. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or pressure cooker with 4 cups of water. Let the rice cool.
4. Heat the oil in a wide skillet, and add the asafoetida, cumin, and mustard seeds and fry until the seeds start popping. Add the green chillies and fry for a second. Add the curry leaves and fry for a couple of seconds.
5. Add the onion and salt and saute until lightly browned.
6. Add the eggplant and salt. Saute the vangi or eggplant on medium heat, until it’s cooked and sauteed well.
7. Add the vangi bhath masala you just powdered (4-5 tsp) or 4-5 tsp of the store-bought powder, and fry for a couple of seconds.
8. Add the cooked rice along with some salt and mix well. Add more masala if needed.
9. Saute the eggplant-onion rice for a few minutes until all flavors are combined.
10. Serve the eggplant-onion rice hot with some pappadums.

Category: Rice Recipes - Members, Vegan Rice recipes - Members