Rice with Lemon Coconut and Eggplant (Vangibhat)

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) long-grain rice, cooked
• 2 ½ tsp salt
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
• Vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
• 2 tsp yellow split peas
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1¾-inch (4 cm) stick of cinnamon
• 3 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp turmeric

Steps

1. Place the eggplant into a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well and allow to sit for half an hour, then rinse lightly and allow to drain.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over a medium flame. Add the coriander, seeds, split peas, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir well. When the spices have darkened, remove them and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.
3. In the same pan, fry the coconut, stirring constantly. When it turns a golden-brown, remove and place on the paper towel.
4. In another skillet, sauté the eggplant until it is cooked through. It should turn a bruised dark brown. Be careful not to add too much oil in the process. Remove, set aside, and keep warm.
5. Put the dried spices into a mortar and grind into a fine powder. You'll find that a well-cleaned coffee grinder works well as a substitute.
6. In a small pot, combine the lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, turmeric, and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
7. In a skillet, add the cooked rice and the eggplant and sauté with very little oil. Mix well. Allow the mixture to cool. Add 2 more tablespoons of vegetable oil; mix well. Add the coconut-spice mixture and the lemon mixture. Mix well and serve at room temperature.

More recipes with rice, eggplant, coriander, split peas, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, coconut, lemon or turmeric

Adapted from “Rice with Lemon Coconut and Eggplant (Vangibhat)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for this site; this page's recipe text is shared under the same license.