Curried Eggplant Rice

When I am uncertain about what to cook for lunch, I bank on mixed rice. Scour your refrigerator for any vegetable, sauté them with appropriate spices, mix with rice and serve with raita and chips. Lunch is taken care of. This is one such recipe I came up with and liked so much, that it goes to my cooking repertoire.

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 1 cup
Indian eggplant – 6 or 7
Onion – 1, chopped
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Chana dal – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves
Red chillies – 2, broken
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
MTR Curry powder or a combination of garam masala, coriander powder and cumin powder – 2 tsp
Salt
Oil

Method

Cook rice in a pressure cooker or on stove top and cool separating each grain.

In a skillet, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, and add chana dal, urad dal and red chillies. After dal gets brown, add curry leaves, onion and turmeric powder. Let onions turn soft and add chopped eggplants, salt, curry powder. Sauté until eggplant is cooked and roasted well. Mix the cooled rice and adjust seasoning as required. Serve with vegetable salad or raita.

Eggplant rice served with rainbow carrots that I picked from the local farmer’s market.