Eggplant Pilav Recipe
Eggplant pilav is one of the most affluent members of the pilav of Turkish cuisine. Especially if you use a tasty eggplant in its season and if you cook it slowly and make sure the eggplant aroma is passed to the rice, eating your fingers is guaranteed.
Is it necessary to soak the eggplant in salty water?
It's one of the questions people ask frequently. In the past, I mean 5-6 years ago, I used to soak eggplants in salty water because some eggplants were bitter and salty water were taking this bitterness. But now the eggplants aren't those old eggplants, they are not bitter. So I don't feel I need to soak them.
Can I bake the eggplant instead of frying?
Yes you can but it makes lots of difference. There is no drastic difference between fried potatoes and baked potatoes by means of taste for example. But when eggplant is concerned, the situation changes. Fried eggplant has a unique taste that no other cooking method can give. Baked eggplant gets a little bit mushy, cooking it again in pilav can make it diseppear. Finally when you bake eggplant its colour becomes darker. If they are all ok for you, yes you can use baked eggplant instead of fried.
How to Avoid Splattering?
You can cover a a lid on top while frying to avoid splattering. But you need to be careful about a few things. You will need to open the lid to check or remove the frying food. Before doing it you should decrease the heat to minimize the splattering. And also the steam of the oil will pile on the lid as water drops. When the water drops into oil, it splatter dangerously, so be gentle while opening the lid. Try not to drop the water into the oil. Get rid off all the water drops on the lid before covering again.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice, washed and drained,
- 1 eggplant,
- 1 onion, finely chopped,
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste,
- 1 tbsp pine nuts,
- 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon,
- 1/4 teaspoons black pepper,
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice,
- 2 handful finely chopped parsley,
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil,
- 2-2,5 cups hot water,
- Salt,
- Vegetable oil to fry the eggplants.
Preparation
- Peel the eggplant in stripes, dice and fry in deep oil, remove into a strainer,
- Take 2 tbsps oil in a large pan,
- Add rice and sauté for a few mins.,
- Add the pine nuts and stir for a few more minutes, add the tomato paste and sauté 1 min. more,
- Add eggplant, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, parsley and salt, stir and add the water, and cover the lid,
- Cook in low heat until the rice absorbs all the water.
Bon appetit...