Black Rice, Kale & Aubergine Pilaf
Why I Love This Recipe
This little concoction is from my all time favorite vegetarian cooking blog- Green Kitchen Stories. A must visit!!
I was actually congratulated by a chef himself that it was the best salad he had ever tasted. Well, not my creation, unfortunately, but I was happy to give the credit to this lovely young couple and daughter!
Ingredients You'll Need
We have cooked black rice and green lentils together to save time and simplify the recipe. The lentils will become all black, but it only makes them look cooler. You could combine red rice and red lentils or whole grain rice and quinoa instead.
Black Rice & Lentil Mix
1 cup / 250 ml black rice (preferable soaked)
1 cup / 250 ml green or brown lentils (preferable soaked)
4 cups / 1 liter water
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp cardamom seeds (without pods)
Baked Aubergine
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chili
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
4 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp for massaging the kale
4 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil + 1 tsp for massaging the kale
1 large aubergine/eggplant, cut into small cubes
Salad ingredients
2 large stems kale, stems removed and finely chopped
1 avocado, stone removed and cubed
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
1 small handful raw pistachio nuts, coarsely chopepd
5 unsulphured dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup / 125 ml yogurt, to serve
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Rinse and drain rice and lentils. Then place in a saucepan, add water, salt and cardamom seeds, cover with a lid and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook gently for about 30 minutes or until tender and all the water has been absorbed. Meanwhile, stir together cumin, chili, turmeric, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Place the cubed aubergine and the spice mixture in an oven-proofed dish and toss to cover. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until soft on the inside and slightly browned on the outside. Set both the black rice and lentil mix and the baked aubergine a side to cool. Now prepare the salad ingredients. Place the chopped kale in a medium serving bowl, add lemon juice and olive oil and massage the kale for a couple of minutes until soften. Add all ingredients and toss to combine. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.
