Badnekayi(Brinjal/Eggplant) Pulav

I am a sucker for pulavs. I try to make each and every version I come across either online or on TV.. It is fascinating how just change of vegetables and few spices here and there can bring about so many varieties... 

Badnekayi Pulav is again from oggarane dabbi cooking show. It’s fairly easy and comes out very tasty. As usual, instead of cooking it all together, I cooked rice separately and then mixed with the masala. 

Do try!

Ingredients

Rice(basmati) - 1 cup (see notes)

Eggplant/badnekayi - round - as needed

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 1 big

Peas 

Mint leaves - 2 tbsp

Methi leaves - 2 tbsp (see notes)

Cilantro - 2 tbsp 

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp (see notes)

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Kasoori methi - 1 tsp

Lemon juice - of 1/2 lemon

Oil + ghee

whole spices

Cinnamon/chakke - 2 pieces

Star anise - 1

Cloves/lavanga - 6

Marat moggu - 2(skip if you don’t have it - see notes)

Cardamom/elakki - 4

Fennel seeds/sompu - 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

to grind

Coconut - handful

Green chillies - 5-6 (spicy)

Ginger

Garlic - 2-3 pods

Cilantro - handful

Mint leaves - handful

Method

Wash and soak rice in 1 and 1/2 cup water. 

Soak whole spices in little water - I skipped this step

Grind ‘to grind’ ingredients with little water.

In a cooker add oil + ghee. 

Add soaked and drained whole spices.

Add thinly sliced onions - sauté till translucent.

Add tomatoes - sauté till mushy.

Add peas + mint leaves + methi leaves + cilantro + red chili powder + dhaniya powder + garam masala + ground paste + eggplant - cut in big pieces + kasoori methi - crush it with your hands. 

Add soaked rice and water. Let it boil. Add lemon juice and close the lid. Cook for 1 whistle in medium flame. Then cook it in sim for 5 min. 

As usual, I prepared the masala separately and then mixed with cooked rice. The flavors remain strong this way. 

Serve with raita.

Recipe Source - Oggarane dabbi

Notes -

• The recipe uses jeera rice, I used basmati rice.
• Marat moggu is hard to find in Indian stores in US. You can skip this. I didn’t see any major difference just by adding this.
• Methi leaves definitely adds to the flavor. But you can skip this if you don’t have it.
• If you don’t have dhaniya powder, add little dhaniya(coriander seeds) while grinding the masala.