This week's recipe is inspired from Ranjana, a Maharastrian cook who comes to my in-laws house in Nagpur. She is an amazing cook and I learnt a lot of recipes from her. Som eof my favourite recipes have come from just normal cooks who go about their day in their own surroundings, oblivious to how brilliant they are. I hope to meet Ranjana when I visit India soon and will post some pics of this bubbly girl. Masala Bhaath is so common for Maharastrians and supposedly, its served in all weddings. This is just a more day-to-day version of this awesome dish.
Spiced Eggplant Rice with Peanuts aka Masala Bhaath
Ingredients :
Eggplant or Brinjal- diced into 1 inch pieces
Basmati Rice - 3 cups
onions- diced- 1 cup
green peas- 1/2 cup
peanuts- 1/2 cup
Cumin, coriander seeds- 2 tablespoons each
Dry red chillies- 3 or as needed
shredded coconut- 1/2 cup
2 cloves garlic- optional
Bay Leaf and cinnamon stick- 1
curry leaves- optional
turmeric- 1 teaspoon
garam masala or Maharashtrian goda masala- 1 tablespoon
salt- to taste
oil- 1/2 cup
Method:
Wash and Soak rice in 5 cups of salted water for 1 hr. Drain and set aside.Dry roast cumin, coriander and dry red chillies for 5 min on low flame and set aside. Dry roast the coconut as well and mix all these ingredients with 1/4 cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Heat 1/4 cup oil oil in wok and add peanuts and fry for 2 min. Add turmeric and eggplant or brinjal pieces and fry them for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add salt.They dont need to cook thoroughly Add bay leaf and cinnamon stick and then onions and garlic if using and saute. Now add curry leaves, peas and garam masala or goda masala and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the soaked rice and saute these for 2 minutes on high heat. Now add the ground paste and mix them together for 3 minutes. Put the entire mixture in a rice cooker and rest of the oil and add 5 cups hot water and turn on the cooker. Spiced eggplant rice will be ready in 10-15 minutes! Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!!!
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