Eggplant Pilaf with Fresh Herbs and Pine Nuts
This fragrant vegan pilaf features tender eggplant cubes, fluffy rice, and a medley of fresh herbs, finished with toasted pine nuts for a delightful crunch. Perfect as a main course with a simple green salad.
- Prep15 min
- Cook20 min
- Total35 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Servings4
This eggplant pilaf is a celebration of simple, fresh ingredients. The eggplants are first salted to remove any bitterness and then fried until golden, ensuring they stay firm and flavorful without absorbing too much oil.
The rice is cooked with garlic and tomatoes, then folded together with the eggplants, a generous amount of parsley, mint, and dill, and finally topped with toasted pine nuts. The result is a light yet satisfying dish that's perfect for a weeknight dinner or a meatless Monday.
Ingredients
Converted amounts are rounded.
Method
- Place the eggplant cubes in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Add a handful of salt and let them soak for about 1 hour. Drain, squeeze gently, and pat dry with paper towels. This removes bitterness and prevents them from absorbing too much oil during frying.
- Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. Let it drain well.
- In a wide pot, heat half the olive oil over high heat. Fry the eggplant cubes in batches, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- In the same pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the drained rice and the chopped garlic, and sauté for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in 1,200 ml (about 5 cups) of boiling water and bring to a boil. Add the chopped tomatoes and 2 level teaspoons of salt. Stir, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the rice for 13–14 minutes, or until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Once the rice is cooked, gently fold in the fried eggplant cubes, parsley, mint, dill, and toasted pine nuts. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel, then place the lid on top. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld and the rice to become fluffy.
💡 Tips
- For extra flavor, you can use vegetable broth instead of water.
- If you don't have Carolina rice, you can substitute with another medium-grain rice like Arborio, but adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- To toast pine nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes, shaking halfway, until golden and fragrant.
Inspired by a recipe from Γαστρονόμος