A yummy eggplant biryani with meaty chunks of eggplant and potatoes woven by way of lengthy strands of basmati rice.
Why you will love this eggplant biryani
- Eggplants are scrumptious however in case you do not love them it is a nice dish to vary your thoughts. Eggplants are a beautiful stand-in for meat as a result of they’ve nice texture when they’re completely cooked, and they’re spongy sufficient to soak up these spicy curry flavors. In the event you assume a biryani should have meat in it, or a meat substitute, you will discover this biryani a nice revelation.
- It is really easy to make. Once I shared my simple vegetable biryani with you I confirmed you simply how rapidly you’ll be able to pull collectively an genuine Indian biryani with out breaking a sweat. If you have not seen that recipe or watched that video remember to. This eggplant biryani has completely different substances and it is not as conventional a recipe as a result of it makes use of tomatoes, however you’ll be able to undertake a few of the ideas from that vegetable biryani recipe right here to make this recipe even simpler.
- It is soy-free, gluten-free, vegan. And you’ll simply make it nut-free by leaving out the cashews. This implies everybody within the household can benefit from the biryani–and get pleasure from it they’ll!
Components for eggplant biryani
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8 inexperienced cardamom pods
- 8 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds or black cumin seeds). You need to use common cumin seeds instead. They don’t seem to be an ideal substitute however they’ll do at a pinch.
- ½ cup recent mint leaves + ½ cup cilantro + ¼ cup recent dill. That may seem like loads of herbs however they’ll prepare dinner down and add superb aroma and taste to this biryani.
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 3 medium eggplants. About 2 kilos. Any eggplant will work right here apart from the globe eggplant. Italian eggplants are excellent, as are the small Indian eggplants or the thin Chinese language eggplants.
- 2 medium pink or yellow potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 cup fried onions. You’ll be able to deep-fry sliced onions in oil your self, or save your self the difficulty and use storebought fried onions. French’s fried onions or different fried onion manufacturers (I normally use a retailer model from Aldi’s) that you just use in your inexperienced bean casserole are excellent for this, or purchase the fried onions in a packet on the Indian retailer.
- ½ cup vegan yogurt. I used cashew yogurt, which I make myself. If nut-free you should utilize a nut-free vegan yogurt.
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon biryani masala. If you do not have biryani masala use 2 tablespoon of garam masala as an alternative, or vice versa.
- 1 teaspoon floor coriander
- 1 teaspoon floor cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika. This isn’t vital however provides a deeper shade.
- ½ cup uncooked cashews (elective). These add a little bit of protein and the crunchy cashews provide a pleasant texture distinction, however go away them out if you’re nut-free.
- Salt to style
make eggplant biryani
- Make the biryani rice:
- Wash the rice in a few adjustments of water and soak for at the least half-hour. This helps the rice grains keep separate when cooked.
- Convey a big pot of water to boil and add to it 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Simply earlier than the water boils salt it liberally, the best way you’ll pasta water. Add the soaked, drained rice to the boiling water and prepare dinner for 5-7 minutes or till the rice is about 80 p.c carried out, with a slight chunk to it nonetheless. Flip off the warmth and instantly pressure the rice in a colander. Run cool faucet water over the rice to cease it from cooking additional and put aside.
- Make the spicy eggplant sauce:
- Warmth the oil in a big pot with a decent lid. Add the remaining cloves, cardamom pods and shahi jeera or cumin seeds to the pot and saute for a number of seconds.
- Add the herbs to the pot–the mint, cilantro and dill. Saute for a number of extra seconds simply till the herbs wilt.
- Add the ginger garlic paste to the pot, combine it in, then add the potatoes and eggplant cubes. Add half a teaspoon of salt and blend. Cowl and let the potatoes and eggplant prepare dinner about 5 minutes over medium warmth. Stir a few instances in between to ensure nothing’s sticking to the underside of the pot.
- Puree the tomatoes and onion in a blender. Add the puree to the pot and blend it with the greens. Add ½ cup of fried onions, powdered spices (garam masala, biryani masala, floor coriander, floor cumin and paprika) and vegan yogurt to the pot. Add a cup of water. Combine properly, then cowl the pot once more and prepare dinner till the veggies are tender.
- Lastly, stir within the cashews, if utilizing, and add salt if wanted. Flip off warmth.
- Put the biryani collectively:
- Layer the cooked basmati rice over the eggplant and potato sauce evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining half cup of fried onions over the rice. It’s also possible to sprinkle on some biryani masala on the rice at this level, or mint leaves.
- Cowl the pot, flip warmth to low, and let the biryani prepare dinner Quarter-hour for all of the flavors to merge and meld.
- Flip off the warmth and let the rice stand Quarter-hour earlier than opening.
- Serve sizzling.
Storage directions
- Make-ahead: Biryani tastes higher the subsequent day, so it is a nice dish to make a day forward. It’s also possible to make the rice and the eggplant sauce a day or two forward and put them collectively and steam the biryani the day you propose to serve.
- Refrigerate: Retailer leftovers within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the eggplant biryani in a freezer secure container for as much as three months.
- Reheat: Reheat particular person parts within the microwave earlier than serving. In the event you refrigerated the biryani within the pot you cooked it in, you’ll be able to reheat the biryani in the identical pot (as long as it is oven-safe) in a 350-degree oven for 10-Quarter-hour or till warmed by way of.
Steadily requested questions
You’ll be able to substitute 1 tablespoon dried mint and ½ tablespoon dried dill for the recent herbs within the recipe. Do attempt to use recent cilantro, nevertheless.
Sure, simply prepare dinner the brown rice till about 80 p.c carried out utilizing the identical technique. You have to to prepare dinner it longer than you’ll white rice. Try to use brown basmati rice for greatest outcomes.
To make this recipe with cauliflower rice skip the steps for cooking the rice. As an alternative simply layer on the thawed cauliflower rice over the brinjal curry and proceed to steam for Quarter-hour.
This biryani has 9 grams of protein per serving. If you wish to add extra, you’ll be able to add 14 oz tofu. Use baked tofu, if potential, or air fried tofu.
A biryani is a meal in a pot. You do not want a lot else however a vegan cucumber raita would make it fairly excellent.
Extra vegan Indian biryani recipes you would possibly like
Spicy Eggplant Biryani
An eggplant biryani with chunks of eggplant (brinjal or aubergine) and potato simmered in a spicy, creamy sauce with recent herbs like dill, cilantro and mint, then smothered with fragrant grains of basmati rice. It is a straightforward recipe that is additionally gluten-free, soy-free and vegan, and it will probably simply be made nut-free. Serve with a vegan cucumber raita on the facet for an beautiful Indian themed dinner.
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Assessment Recipe
Servings: 8 servings
Energy: 387kcal
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Directions
Make biryani rice
-
Wash the rice in a few adjustments of water and soak for at the least half-hour. This helps the rice grains keep separate when cooked.
-
Convey a big pot of water to boil and add to it 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Simply earlier than the water boils salt it liberally, the best way you’ll pasta water. Add the soaked, drained rice to the boiling water and prepare dinner for 5-7 minutes or till the rice is about 80 p.c carried out, with a slight chunk to it nonetheless. Flip off the warmth and instantly pressure the rice in a colander. Run cool faucet water over the rice to cease it from cooking additional and put aside.
Make eggplant sauce
-
Warmth the oil in a big pot with a decent lid. Add the remaining cloves, cardamom pods and shahi jeera or cumin seeds to the pot and saute for a number of seconds.
-
Add the herbs to the pot–the mint, cilantro and dill. Saute for a number of extra seconds simply till the herbs wilt.
-
Add the ginger garlic paste to the pot, combine it in, then add the potatoes and eggplant cubes. Add half a teaspoon of salt and blend. Cowl and let the potatoes and eggplant prepare dinner about 5 minutes over medium warmth. Stir a few instances in between to ensure nothing’s sticking to the underside of the pot.
-
Puree the tomatoes and onion in a blender. Add the puree to the pot and blend it with the greens. Add ½ cup of fried onions, powdered spices (garam masala, biryani masala, floor coriander, floor cumin and paprika) and vegan yogurt to the pot. Add a cup of water. Combine properly, then cowl the pot once more and prepare dinner till the veggies are tender.
-
Lastly, stir within the cashews, if utilizing, and add salt if wanted. Flip off warmth.
Put the biryani collectively
-
Layer the cooked basmati rice over the eggplant and potato sauce evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining half cup of fried onions over the rice. It’s also possible to sprinkle on some biryani masala on the rice at this level, or mint leaves.
-
Cowl the pot, flip warmth to low, and let the biryani prepare dinner Quarter-hour for all of the flavors to merge and meld.
-
Flip off the warmth and let the rice stand Quarter-hour earlier than opening.
-
Serve sizzling.
Vitamin
Energy: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 9g | Fats: 12g | Saturated Fats: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 4g | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 706IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg
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