Aubergine Rice with Tomato (Patlıcanlı Pilav)
Ingredients
- 1 cup* Basmati or long grain rice
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- l aubergine, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 large beefy tomato
- 1 tsp. tomato purée
- Water, to make up to 2 cups with tomato
- * The cup I used measured 350 ml. (12 fl. oz.)
- 2 tsp. vegetable stock
- powder or 1 stock cube
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
- Butter
Method
Place rice and 1 tsp. salt, in a bowl or large jug, half cover with cold water and add just off the boil hot water to cover well. Leave to soak for about 15 minutes or ½ hr. Pour into sieve and rinse under cold water, leave to drain for at least 5 minutes.
Pour boiling water over the tomato and leave for a minute. Take off the skin. Chop and whiz with a hand blender. Sieve and make up to 2 cups with the water.
Fry the onions in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the cubes of aubergine and soften together with the onions.
Put the tomato and water into the pan with the onions and aubergines. Add the tomato purée, stock powder or stock cube and a generous amount of seasoning. Stir round.
When the water is boiling, add the rice, stir and put on the lid. Let it boil gently until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn down the heat. Let it continue slowly to absorb the water. You can tell when all the water has been absorbed if you place a spoon gently into the rice and feel if there is any more water at the bottom of the pan.
When all the water has been absorbed, turn off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for at least 10/15 minutes.
Plain Aubergine Rice
You can omit the tomato and tomato purée, and cook the aubergine with the onions for just a plain Aubergine Savoury Rice.