A yummy eggplant biryani with meaty chunks of eggplant and potatoes woven through long strands of basmati rice.
Why you'll love this 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.
- It's 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.
- It's 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!
Ingredients for eggplant biryani
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 8 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds or black cumin seeds). You can use regular cumin seeds as a substitute. They are not a perfect replacement but they will do at a pinch.
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves + ½ cup cilantro + ¼ cup fresh dill. That might appear to be a lot of herbs but they will cook down and add amazing aroma and flavor to this biryani.
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 3 medium eggplants. About 2 pounds. Any eggplant will work here other than the globe eggplant. Italian eggplants are perfect, as are the small Indian eggplants or the skinny Chinese eggplants.
- 2 medium red or yellow potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 cup fried onions. You can deep-fry sliced onions in oil yourself, or save yourself the trouble and use storebought fried onions. French's fried onions or other fried onion brands (I usually use a store brand from Aldi's) that you use in your green bean casserole are perfect for this, or buy the fried onions in a packet at the Indian store.
- ½ cup vegan yogurt. I used cashew yogurt, which I make myself. If nut-free you can use a nut-free vegan yogurt.
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon biryani masala. If you don't have biryani masala use 2 tablespoon of garam masala instead, or vice versa.
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika. This is not necessary but adds a deeper color.
- ½ cup raw cashews (optional). These add a bit of protein and the crunchy cashews offer a nice texture contrast, but leave them out if you are nut-free.
- Salt to taste
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.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use dried herbs in the recipe?
You can substitute 1 tablespoon dried mint and ½ tablespoon dried dill for the fresh herbs in the recipe. Do try and use fresh cilantro, however.
Can I make this recipe with brown rice?
Yes, just cook the brown rice until about 80 percent done using the same method. You will need to cook it longer than you would white rice. Try and use brown basmati rice for best results.
Can I make this with cauliflower rice for a keto diet?
To make this recipe with cauliflower rice skip the steps for cooking the rice. Instead just layer on the thawed cauliflower rice over the brinjal curry and proceed to steam for 15 minutes.
Can I add a protein to this recipe?
This biryani has 9 grams of protein per serving. If you want to add more, you can add 14 oz tofu. Use baked tofu, if possible, or air fried tofu.
What can I serve the biryani with?
A biryani is a meal in a pot. You don't need much else but a vegan cucumber raita would make it quite perfect.
More vegan Indian biryani recipes you might like
Spicy Eggplant Biryani
An eggplant biryani with chunks of eggplant (brinjal or aubergine) and potato 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.
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 387kcal
Equipment
- Large dutch oven with tight lid (or handi with lid)
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice (uncooked)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8 green cardamom pods (divided)
- 8 cloves (divided)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds or black cumin. Or use plain cumin seeds)
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves (tough stems trimmed, then roughly chopped)
- ½ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
- ¼ cup fresh dill (tough stems trimmed, then roughly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 3 medium eggplants (About 2 pounds. Chop in ¾-inch cubes. Italian, Indian and Chinese eggplants are all fine. Try not to use the large globe eggplant.
- 2 medium potatoes (Use red or yellow potatoes. Stay away from starchy potatoes like russet)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 cup fried onions (divided)
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon biryani masala (if you only have garam masala and no biryani masala or the other way round, use 2 tablespoon of either)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional, for color. You don't need more spice in this recipe as the garam masala and biryani masala already have chili peppers in them but if you want more heat you can add some cayenne)
- ½ cup raw cashews (optional)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make 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 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 706IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg
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