Eggplant and Cashew Rice
This rice is savory, healthy, and most importantly EASY. Don't be scared off by the long ingredient list - it's mostly just spices and other items you have. If you can't find the exact ingredient, don't be afraid to substitute a little. That's when the best recipes happen! For this particular dish though, I love finding a gorgeous eggplant at the market cooking it in this rice. This dish is colorful, veg heavy, and all the different flavors meld together so well. This recipe is inspired from Sunil Vijayakar's book: Fresh Indian which is full of easy, quick, healthy recipes. I hope you enjoy this one - perfect for a weeknight!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 2 Tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil
- 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 4 dried red chilies (or 3 fresh red chilies)
- 1/2 TBSP curry powder
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 2-3 cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 eggplant, cut into bite-sized cubes (about 2 cups worth)
- 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3 cups boiling water
- salt
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup cashews
- chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
- Rinse rice in cold water several times, until water runs clear over rice. Drain and set aside.
- Heat ghee or oil in a large nonstick pot and add shallots, mustard seeds, dried or fresh red chilis, curry powder, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and bay leaves.
- Stir fry for about 2 minutes and then add the rice. Stir gently to coat with spices
- Add chopped eggplant and powdered turmeric. Stir well
- Add boiling water. Season with salt (about 1/2 TBSP) and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let stand covered (no peaking!), so as to further cook and fluff the rice
- Just before serving, add lemon juice, cashews, and fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!