Forget your bland, fluffy rice, friends! Tonight, we’re embarking on a culinary adventure that involves transforming humble eggplants into edible vessels bursting with fragrant, spiced rice. This dish, hailing from the sun-drenched shores of the Mediterranean, will tantalize your taste buds and rewrite your rice-cooking rulebook.
So, ditch the watery monotony and step into a world where eggplants become more than just a spongy sidekick. In this aromatic symphony, they’re the star performers, infused with bold spices and tender rice, delivering an explosion of flavor with every bite.
Ready to unleash your inner eggplant maestro? Gather your ingredients:
INGREDIENTS
- Eggplant
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- One and a half cups of jasmine rice
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Onions (250 grams)
- One tbsp of garlic
- Bell pepper (120 grams)
- Hot pepper
- Two tbsps of tomato paste
- One cup of tomato puree
- Ground meat (250 grams)
- One fourth of a cup of parsley
- One fourth of a cup of coriander
- One tbsp each of cumin, coriander, paprika, and one tsp of black pepper
- Parchment paper
- Three cups of hot water
- One tsp of vegetable bouillon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start first by cutting 6 eggplants into semi thick slices
- Place in a baking tray and seasoning with salt, Black pepper, and olive oil, from all sides
- Place in a preheated oven at temperature of 350°f, 180°c and bake it for 10 minutes
- Take the eggplant out from the oven and set it aside until you prepare the rest of the ingredients
- Wash one and a half cups of jasmine rice and soak it for 30 minutes
- While the rice is soaking, start preparing the tomatoes and peppers sauce to mix in with the rice later
- In a pot pour a little bit of canola, corn, or vegetable oil
- Add about (250 grams) of chopped onions and cook it until it caramelizes.
- Then, Add these ingredients; One tbsp of garlic, Bell pepper (120 grams), Hot pepper, Two tbsps of tomato paste, One cup of tomato puree
- Cook everything together for a little bit
- Let it cool down
- Drain the water from the rice and add the cooled down sauce to it
- Also add the following ingredients to the same mixture: Ground meat (250 grams), One fourth of a cup of parsley, One fourth of a cup of coriander, One tbsp each of cumin, coriander, paprika, and one tsp of black pepper, One and a half tsp of salt
- Mix everything thoroughly
- In an oven safe pot place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom
- Stuff the eggplant with the rice mixture and fold them into rolls and stack them in the pot
- Add three cups of hot water mixed with one tsp of vegetable bouillon and cover the eggplant with it
- Place the pot in a preheated oven at a temperature of 350°f, 180°c. Use the bottom heat only and cook it for one hour
