Oh hi there! Perhaps you were wondering “What’s for dinner?”. Perhaps you were wondering what to do with that eggplant you bought a couple days ago. Or, maybe, you just wanted to try something new. Say. No. More. I give you: Red Lentil Curry and Spiced Eggplant Slices over a bed of Black Rice.
This picture was merely supposed to go down in history as a snapshot of my dinner last week. I posted it to Facebook and Instagram and ended up getting a ton of “likes” and requests for the recipe. I suppose an unplanned recipe post won’t hurt 🙂
The inspiration for this dish came in the form of guilt from realizing that I filled up on nothing but quick wraps, smoothies, and snacks the previous week. My body was craving a REAL meal–something that involved a stove-top, ingredients packed with nutrition, and lots of color. I let my intuition guide me around my kitchen and pantry. The outcome? I grabbed the most colorful combination of ingredients I could find: black rice, eggplant, and red lentils. These items screamed “lentil curry”. Hmmm, I wonder what my body was telling me about my choice of colorful ingredients. Let’s dive into some nutrition facts about the star players in this dish:
5 Health Benefits of Black Rice:
- Rich source of antioxidants
- Higher amount of protein (8.5 grams per 100 gram serving) than brown, red, and white rice
- Assists liver in detoxification
- High in fiber (5 grams per 100 gram serving)
- Contains anti-cancer effects
5 Health Benefits of Eggplant:
- Improves blood circulation (must be eaten with the skin for this health benefit)
- Nourishes the brain (must be eaten with the skin for this health benefit)
- Low in calories; contains no fat; high fiber content can help you feel full
- Helps prevent blood clots thanks to vitamin ‘k
- High in bioflavonoids which are known to control blood pressure and relieve stress
5 Health Benefits of Lentils:
- Helps reduce blood cholesterol due to high levels of fiber
- Improves heart health
- Stabilizes blood sugar due to high fiber content
- Good form of protein
- Increases energy levels thanks to fiber and iron content
Okay, let’s get cooking!
Recipe
Dinner Idea: Red Lentil Curry & Spiced Eggplant Slices
Ingredients
For the Black Rice
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup coconut milk (use of coconut milk is optional) if desired, use 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 cup black rice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the Lentils
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 cups low sodium veggie broth
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- ½ medium onion or ½ tablespoon of onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger root finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon tumeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
For the eggplant
- 1 eggplant
- 4 tablespoons coriander powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon chili
- ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste or ⅛ teaspoon powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste or ⅛ teaspoon powder
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼-1/2 cup oil
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
To make the black Rice
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of water + ¾ cup of coconut milk + 1 cup of rice to a boil.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Be on the look out for overflow and you may want to stir occasionally.
- Remove from heat (with lid on) and let steam for 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork.
- If using rice cooker, add the same water/coconut milk to rice ratio. If rice is crunchy at the end of cooking, it may be necessary to add 1-2 tablespoons of liquid and cook a little longer.
To make the lentils
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped onions and salt. Saute for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add remaining spices and stir. Saute for about 1 minute. If spices begin to stick, add ¼ cup of water and stir. Add lentils and stir to coat with butter, onion and spice mixture. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer.
- Cover and reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 20-22 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Turn off heat. Stir in fresh chopped cilantro and save a little for garnish.
To make the eggplant
- Cut eggplant into thin slices (about ¼ of an inch) and make 2-3 slits on each slice.
- Mix all other ingredients except the oil and water.
- To the spice mixture, add 1 tablespoon water to form a paste.
- Apply a thin layer spice paste to eggplant slices.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add a single layer of eggplant slices and cook each side until golden (see main picture). You may want to taste 1 slice to assure seasonings are to your liking. If not, adjust according to your preference.
- Repeat previous step with the remaining slices.
To Assemble
- Scoop desired amount of rice into a shallow bowl. Add lentils. Top with a layer of 3-4 eggplant slices. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!
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