Serves 4
Ingredients
- 400g baby brinjals, quartered
- Fine salt to sweat brinjals
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
- Sunflower oil, to fry potatoes and brinjals
- 45ml pine nuts
- 15ml crushed ginger
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 45ml fresh coriander, chopped
- 15ml red chilli powder
- 3 tomatoes, blanched and chopped
- 7ml coarse salt
- 5ml ground coriander
- 5ml ground cumin
- 5ml garam masala
- 2ml turmeric
- 750ml cooked basmati rice
- 100ml boiling water
- Fried onion slices, to garnish
- Handful of fresh coriander, to serve
Method
- Sprinkle the fine salt on the quartered baby brinjals.
- Place the brinjals in a strainer and leave to drain.
- Wipe the brinjals with absorbent paper towel, gently squeezing out the excess moisture.
- Fry the potato slices in hot oil until light golden brown and tender.
- Leave the fried potatoes in a strainer to drain.
- Fry the brinjal slices in hot oil taking care not to overcrowd the pan.
- Remove from the oil and leave in a colander to drain away excess oil.
- Gently dab the excess oil off the potatoes and brinjals using absorbent paper towel.
- Roast the pine nuts in a microwave oven at 30 seconds intervals until golden brown.
- Place the crushed ginger, chopped garlic and coriander on a chopping board.
- Using a large knife, chop the ingredients to ensure they are well combined.
- Reheat 50ml of sunflower oil in a thick bottomed pot.
- Add the chopped ginger, garlic and coriander.
- Fry for a few seconds until fragrant and when the garlic starts to brown, add the red chilli powder.
- Stir for 3 seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes and coarse salt.
- When the tomatoes soften, add the ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and turmeric.
- Stir for a few seconds and simmer until the oil separates from the tomatoes.
- Place the fried potatoes into the cooked tomatoes and layer the basmati rice over.
- Pour the boiling water over the rice and then scatter the fried brinjals over.
- Simmer until the rice fluffs up and heats through.
- Sprinkle the fried onion slices and toasted pine nuts over.
- Chop the fresh coriander and sprinkle over the steamed pulao.
Yudhika’s Tips
- Chickpeas may be added to this pulao.
- Large brinjals may be used but they will take longer to fry.
- Potatoes can be boiled instead of fried for a low-fat option.
- Green chilli can be added to the chopped ingredients for a spicier dish.
- Fried onion slices can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Always use cooked rice that is cold when making a pulao as hot rice makes the pulao very sticky.