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Saturday, February 10, 2018

Eggplant Rice


Here is a delicious rice choice for eggplant lovers. Crisply fried eggplants paired with spicy lentil powder yield a great flavor to this rice. The spice powder can be prepared ahead and can be stored in an air tight container for months. I prefer to fry the eggplants but calorie conscious folks can cook eggplants with little oil though crispy eggplants taste better.
 
Ingredients for spice powder:
1 tbsp. chanadal
1.5 tsp. uraddal
1.5 tsp. coriander seeds
2 tbsp. shredded dry coconut (copra)
5 spicy variety dries red chillies

Ingredients for part 2:
1 cup rice (I used sona masuri rice.)
3 big sized round egg plants (I had about 3 cups eggplant slices.)
Oil to fry the eggplant slices (I used canola oil.)

Ingredients for part 3:
4 tsp. oil
1 tbsp. cashew halves
1 tsp. split roasted chickpeas / chana dal
1 tsp. split black gram / urad dal
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
10 - 12 curry leaves
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1.5 tsp. salt
Red chili powder (if needed) 

Part 1: Preparing spice powder
Toast chanadal and uraddal individually in a saute pan until they turn reddish brown. Saute the coriander seeds till they turn slightly brownish and add the red chillies at the end. Let them cool and grind all the ingredients finely.

Part 2:
* Rinse rice with water and drain. Pressure cook adding 2 cups of water and let it cool.
* Cut off the eggplant stalks and cut them lengthwise into two. Slice them thinly.
* Heat oil in a pan and fry the eggplant slices in batches on medium flame until crisp and golden brown. Drain them on absorbent paper towels.

Part 3:
* Heat oil in a kadai or a big non stick pot. Add the cashews and toast them till they turn golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Add split roasted chickpeas, split black gram
and mustard seeds to the same oil and sauté until roasted chickpeas turns reddish. Then add curry leaves and turmeric powder.
* Add 3 tbsp. spice powder, salt and fried eggplants to the pan and mix properly so that the eggplant slices are well coated.
* Then add the cooked rice and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Garnish with the toasted cashews.  

This post goes to Blogging marathon #85 under the theme "Rice /  Gravy recipes". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.
 bmlogo

Comments

12 comments:

Usha said...

That is a comforting rice dish. Though I avoid dee frying, I think some dishes taste good with crispy deep fried veggies.

Priya Suresh said...

Am sure that spice powder makes this rice more flavourful, eggplant rice with some potato fry will definitely makes a satisfying lunch. Inviting dish.

cookingwithsapana said...

Eggplant is my favorite in any forms and this rice looks absolutely delicious with eggplants in it.

Harini R said...

A variation to the traditional Vangibath? Good one. I stay away from eggplants but my parents love them.

Jayanthi said...

I love eggplant rice. Looks awesome.

Samira said...

Looks amazing one pot dish....

Pavani said...

This is one of my favorite rice dishes. Love the idea of frying the eggpant -- makes the dish extra delicious.

code2cook said...

This rice is called vangi bath in Bangalore and it is my favorite rice.

Mayuri Patel said...

This eggplant rice looks very nice... I usually stuff them and add to the rice. However, like your method and will try it out.

Sandhya Ramakrishnan said...

This is one of my favorite rice and I always store a bit of eggplant after making curry to make this rice.

Kalyani said...

Good to see u back, Suma! this twist to the vangibhath is a great idea.. I think I love ALL of ur rice -based dishes...

sushma said...

Love your variation of eggplant rice. Looks delicious