Eggplant Pilaf

Name: Eggplant Pilaf
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients: 2 whole cloves; 2 bay leaves; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 serrano chiles; 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds; ¼ cup [60 ml] fresh lime juice; ½ cup [60 g] peas, fresh or frozen; 2 Tbsp chopped mint; 2 cups [400 g] basmati rice; 7 cups [1.8 L] water; 2 lb [910 g] medium eggplants, trimmed and sliced into bite-size cubes; 3 tsp fine sea salt; ⅓ cup [80 ml] extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium red onion [300 g], halved and thinly sliced; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp dried red chili flakes; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 4 green cardamom pods, cracked; 1 black cardamom pod, cracked

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Season

By Nik Sharma

Published 2018

About

I love colorful, flavorful pilafs like this because it’s a one-pot meal. It is made with fragrant basmati rice that’s cooked with little cubes of eggplant, bright green peas, and crunchy pumpkin seeds, all coated and seasoned with spices and then finished with fresh mint. Serve it with plain yogurt, Rainbow Root Raita, or Spiced Lemon Pickle on the side.