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Red Curried Lentil with eggplant and blak rice
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Dinner Idea: Red Lentil Curry & Spiced Eggplant Slices

Creamy red lentil curry and Indian-spiced eggplant slices on a bed of black rice, makes for a colorful, flavorful, and satisfying lunch or dinner.
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings

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!