We Sri Lankans usually eat vegetables as curries. Vegetables contain antioxidants, important vitamins & minerals but the way of cooking them causes destroying  most of these micro nutrients. One of the best ways to cook vegetables is stir frying. Making rice is also a better way to incorporate vegetables into the diet than making curries. 

Only a selected few vegetable types are used in Sri Lanka's popular fried rice. Eggplant rice is a delicious Indian dish that can be introduced as an alternative. Not only it is delicious but it also provides good nutrition to you. It is easy to make as well. Eggplant is low in calories and sodium, and is a great source of dietary fiber, potassium, and B vitamins. Eggplant also has an antioxidant that may lower LDL (or "bad") cholesterol. A very good source of fiber which aids in better digestion. In addition to them eggplants are good for the heart, improves bone health, prevents anemia and increases brain function. 

Let’s see how to make this delicious indian dish. 

To make this rice you need eggplants, the original dish uses green eggplants but purple ones are suitable too. Many fried rice recipes add onions and garlic but for eggplant rice you don’t need to add these two ingredients. If you like you can add some onion slices.  In addition to eggplants you need a special spice powder. First let’s see how to make the spice powder. 

For the spice powder 

Ingredients : 

• 2 red chillies 

• 1 tbsp of coriander seeds

• ½ tbsp of chickpea dhal

•  ½ tbsp of  split black gram (If you can find)

• ½ tsp of cumin 

• ½ fenugreek seeds 

• 1 clove 

• Small cinnamon stick 

• ½ tbsp of dried coconut (optional)

Method of making spice powder:

• Roast the coriander seeds and keep it aside. 

• Then roast the chickpea dhal and split black gram dhal with red chillies, dried coconut until the dhal becomes golden. 

• Finally add the fenugreek seeds, cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Saute until aroma is given. 

• After cooling all these completely, powder them finely in a blender. 

• Now you have the spice mixture that is used in making eggplant rice. 

I am giving you the recipe to make eggplant rice for two people. Therefore if you want to make more, adjust the recipe as needed. 

When you cook rice you should be careful to not make rice mushy or sticky. Otherwise you wouldn’t get the desired texture. 

Let’s see how to prepare eggplant rice. 

Ingredients :

• 1 cup of raw rice (Basmathi is preferable)

• ½ tbsp of cooking oil 

• 1 green chili (slit)

• 200g Eggplants

•  ¼ cups of peanuts or ½ cups of cooked green peas 

• 1 tsp of lemon juice 

• Salt as per your taste 

• Spice mixture 

• Some curry leaves

• 1 bay leaf 

• ½ tsp of mustard seeds 

• 1 green cardamom 

Method : 

• Cook rice after washing and cleaning well.

• Wash eggplants well and then chop or slice them. 

• Keep them in salted water until used. This prevents browning.

• When using you should squeeze eggplant slices gently to remove water.  

• Pour oil into a hot pan with a heavy bottom and add cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds and curry leaves or  bay leaf. 

• Fry them until aroma is given. 

• Add  green chilli, green peas or peanuts and then add eggplant. 

•  Fry them for another 2-3 minutes. You can add salt now.

• Cover it and let it cook until eggplants are done. 

• Now add the spice mixture. 

• Mix well, let it fry further until you get a nice aroma. 

• If you feel the mixture is dry you can moisture it by adding a tablespoon of water.   

• Switch off the heat, next add rice, lemon juice, a little bit of oil or ghee and mix well. Add salt if needed. When you add rice it should be cooled completely. 

• Your eggplant rice is ready now. 

• You can eat this rice with raita. Raita is an important feature in indian meals.  It is generally made to tone down the heat of the spicy foods like eggplant rice and biryani. 

• I will upload a separate recipe for raita making.