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Middle Eastern Eggplant Rice
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 
Course: Vegetables
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1/2 C. uncooked brown rice long-grain
  • 2 eggplants cut into 3/4 inch cubes
  • 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil plus more to sauté onions and garlic
  • 2 onions finely sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 2 C. cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 t. ground cumin
  • 1 t. pepper
  • 1 small bunch chopped cilantro or parsley
  • Salt
  • Roasted pine nuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cook brown rice until it is done but still a bit al dente.
  3. Do not peel the eggplant. Cut it into 3/4 inch cubes and mix with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt in a large bowl. Put the eggplant cubes on a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from the oven when the eggplant cubes begin to blacken on the edges. Set aside.
  4. Add a small amount of olive oil to a skillet and sauté onions and garlic over medium heat until they soften and just begin to brown. Add tomatoes, cumin, pepper and salt and stir. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes.
  5. Add eggplant cubes to onion/tomato mixture. Add cooked rice. Sprinkle with cilantro and roasted pine nuts and serve.
Recipe Notes

According to Salma Hage, from whose cookbook this recipe was adapted, this dish improves dramatically by letting the flavors marry overnight. She also points out that this dish is often considered best when served at room temperature. I found this to be true. The flavors in the dish, particularly the flavor of the slightly caramelized onions, absorb into the rice and make for a wonderful dish when stored overnight in the refrigerator and allowed to warm to room temperature before being served.