Eggplant (brinjal or aubergine) is plentiful in summer and it’s a great time to showcase it in a delicious dish like this eggplant biryani. Chunks of eggplant and potato are simmered in a spicy, creamy sauce with fresh herbs like dill, cilantro and mint, then smothered with aromatic grains of basmati rice. It’s an easy recipe that’s also gluten-free, soy-free and vegan, and it can easily be made nut-free. Serve with a vegan cucumber raita on the side for an exquisite Indian themed dinner.
Why you’ll love eggplant biryani
Eggplants are delicious but if you don’t love them this is a great dish to change your mind. Eggplants are a wonderful stand-in for meat because they have great texture when they are perfectly cooked, and they are spongy enough to absorb those spicy curry flavors. If you think a biryani ought to have meat in it, or a meat substitute, you will find this biryani a pleasant revelation. So easy to make. When I shared my easy vegetable biryani with you I showed you just how quickly you can pull together an authentic Indian biryani without breaking a sweat. If you haven’t seen that recipe or watched that video be sure to. This eggplant biryani has different ingredients and it’s not as traditional a recipe because it uses tomatoes, but you can adopt some of the tips from that vegetable biryani recipe here to make this recipe even easier. Soy-free, gluten-free, vegan. And you can easily make it nut-free by leaving out the cashews. This means everyone in the family can enjoy the biryani–and enjoy it they will!
How to make eggplant biryani
Make the biryani rice: Wash the rice in a couple of changes of water and soak for at least 30 minutes. This helps the rice grains stay separate when cooked. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add to it four cloves, four cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Just before the water boils salt it liberally, the way you would pasta water. Add the soaked, drained rice to the boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the rice is about 80 percent done, with a slight bite to it still. Turn off the heat and immediately strain the rice in a colander. Run cool tap water over the rice to stop it from cooking further and set aside.
Make the spicy eggplant sauce: Heat the oil in a large pot with a tight lid. Add the remaining cloves, cardamom pods and shahi jeera or cumin seeds to the pot and saute for a few seconds. Add the herbs to the pot–the mint, cilantro and dill. Saute for a few more seconds just until the herbs wilt. Add the ginger garlic paste to the pot, mix it in, then add the potatoes and eggplant cubes. Add half a teaspoon of salt and mix. Cover and let the potatoes and eggplant cook about five minutes over medium heat. Stir a couple of times in between to make sure nothing’s sticking to the bottom of the pot. Puree the tomatoes and onion in a blender. Add the puree to the pot and mix it with the vegetables. Add ½ cup of fried onions, powdered spices (garam masala, biryani masala, ground coriander, ground cumin and paprika) and vegan yogurt to the pot. Add a cup of water. Mix well, then cover the pot again and cook until the veggies are tender. Finally, stir in the cashews, if using, and add salt if needed. Turn off heat.
Put the biryani together: Layer the cooked basmati rice over the eggplant and potato sauce evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining half cup of fried onions over the rice. You can also sprinkle on some biryani masala on the rice at this point, or mint leaves. Cover the pot, turn heat to low, and let the biryani cook 15 minutes for all the flavors to merge and meld. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand 15 minutes before opening. Serve hot.
Storage instructions
Make-ahead: Biryani tastes better the next day, so this is a great dish to make a day ahead. You can also make the rice and the eggplant sauce a day or two ahead and put them together and steam the biryani the day you plan to serve. Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days. Freeze: Freeze the eggplant biryani in a freezer safe container for up to three months. Reheat: Reheat individual portions in the microwave before serving. If you refrigerated the biryani in the pot you cooked it in, you can reheat the biryani in the same pot (so long as it’s oven-safe) in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
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