Eggplant Rice

Yes, well, it IS another eggplant recipe, but the bottom-line here (if you didn't know that already) is that I adore eggplants. And combining hearty vegetables like eggplants, ivy gourd (tindli or kundru) or purple yam (ratalu) to rice and making a rice-n-veggies dish always intrigues me. Hence, this recipe. This is a really simple recipe where the nutty flavours of sesame and peanut enhance the taste of cooked eggplants and rice.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp sesame seeds
2 1/2 cups water
4 tbsp oil
4 tbsp peanuts
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
250 grams eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
Salt to taste
A dollop of ghee

Method:
1. Roast the sesame seeds in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly. Once golden brown and fragrant, transfer to a spice mill (mortar and pestle) and pound to a powder consistency.

2. Heat a pan, add oil and once the oil is hot, add peanuts. Fry peanuts to a golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

3. In this hot oil, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Once they turn brown, add green chillies and grated ginger. Saute for a couple of minutes.

4. Add eggplants and salt, and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the eggplants are semi-translucent.

5. Add the rice and black pepper and saute until the rice becomes whitish.

6. Boil water separately and add to this rice, along with lemon juice.

7. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and let it simmer without stirring for 20-25 minutes. In the end, the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be cooked and fluffy.

8. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes.

9. Pound the peanuts to coarse bits and combine with ground sesame seeds.

10. Just before serving, evenly fold the sesame-peanut mix into the hot rice, along with a dollop of ghee. Serve hot.