Quinoa Medley on Eggplant Boats

We all need a break from the usual every once in a while. Today is one of those days. We spotted this beautiful Sicilian eggplant at our local grocer and couldn't go home without it. So purple and succulent! 

My mother picked it up and knew just what to do with it. Instead of chopping it up and making our usual curries, she decided to use it as a vessel or boat and stuff it with quinoa and vegetables. 

Don't you just love how her mind works? 

Check out this huge Sicilian Eggplant!

Ingredients

• 1 Sicilian eggplant, cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup Quinoa cooked 
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup frozen cut spinach
• 3 to 4 oz firm tofu (optional), cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp crushed chilies
• 1 tsp dhanjeera powder (cumin and coriander powder)
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella (we used Cabot pepper jack cheese for lil kick)
•  salt for taste
• 1 Tbsp veg oil for seasoning
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Procedure
Preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and start your prep work for the Sicilian Eggplant boats:

1) Cut the top flesh off each quarter of eggplant, leaving behind a 3/4" of it at the bottom. 

Sprinkle salt and rub into each eggplant quarter. Also brush it with oil, inside and outside. Cut the top flesh into small cubes and set aside.

2) Heat oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds. When it sizzles, add dhanjeera powder and a pinch of turmeric. Stir and add onions, ginger/garlic paste, and crushed chilies.

Stir fry until the onions are transparent. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Allow them to cook under closed lid. After tomatoes are cooked, add eggplant and continue to cook under closed lid.

3) After the eggplant is soft, add frozen spinach and stir for a one to two minute and add salt and cooked quinoa. Mix well and continue to cook for two to three minutes until all are mixed well.

4) Spoon the cooked mixture into the eggplant quarters evenly. Then sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of all the stuffed quarters. Place the stuffed quarters in a small aluminum tray and add half a cup of water.

Cover the aluminum tray with foil, Then take a knife and pierce a couple of holes in the foil for the steam to escape. When it is ready, place the tray in the oven for 30 minutes. Add more water if needed.

5) Make sure the eggplant is soft and cooked, remove the foil and broil until the cheese turns golden brown. Remove from tray and serve hot.

This dish had everything a foodie like me would enjoy; eggplant, cheese and lots of flavor. The fact that it was healthy didn't even cross my mind. :)

I hope someday, I can hold a vegetable in my hand and know it's future...all the endless possibilities of dishes I can make with it.  OH, THE JOY!! 

Until then, I will learn all that I can from my foodie mentor and guru, my mother, and share with you all. 

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If you liked this eggplant dish, then you are sure to love our Eggplant Raita (yogurt dip), Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Eggplant Bharta and/or Stuffed Eggplant dishes. 

Daddojanam - My Favorite Childhood Dish

Question of the day: What is your favorite childhood meal or dish?

Feeding time was always a challenge for my mom. I'm sure most new moms and experienced ones would agree; especially for toddlers versus any other age group. My mom told me that whenever she cooked something for the night, I never ate it. I would just runaway and be a menace. After many such days, she couldn't take it anymore and tried something different. She started to feed me yogurt rice (plain white rice mixed with homemade yogurt). Now that may sound awful to some people who don't eat yogurt to begin with. Well,what can I say except that it worked. Slowly she added vegetables to the mixture and that's how I got my nutrition.

When I told my mom I was going to share the recipe of my favorite meal, she thought that it wasn't anything special. Oh, was she wrong! See, yogurt rice doesn't sound fancy but it's the revised version that I find more scrumptious these days. Think of it as an upgrade. It's called Daddojanam and it's mixed with spices that make it taste different. We always serve this along with our other dishes for family parties. My mom tells me that the guests enjoy eating daddojanam after eating anything spicy because it refreshes their palate and calms the stomach.

By the way, we served this at the Diwali Dinner and it was gone by the end of party. Guess who ate most of it? ME...if you haven't guessed it by now. 

Daddojanam 

(Popular in Andhra Pradesh)

Ingredients (for 4 servings) 

1 cup Plain Rice (white or brown)

1 cup Plain Yogurt

1/4 cup Sour Cream (Regular or Non-Fat)

2 to 3 Tbsp Milk

Half Cucumber or Carrot (optional), grated

A pinch of Salt, for taste

Seasoning (Chaunk, Taalimpu or Thadka)

1/2 tsp Mustard

1/2 tsp Jeera

A pinch of Turmeric (optional)
1/2" Ginger, grated

1 Green Chili, chopped

1 to 2 Tbsp Oil

5 Curry Leaves, fresh or dry (optional)

Procedure

1) Cook rice to a slightly softer grain so that it can be mushed easily after done. (Hint: easier to do when rice  is hot)

2) Mash the rice and mix in yogurt, sour cream and some milk and mix well until the mixture is somewhat liquidity.

Seasoning:
- Heat some oil (1-2 tbsp) and add jeera and mustard. When they splatter, add green chillies, ginger, salt and curry leaves. Stir for few minutes until the leaves are crisp.

3) Transfer the seasoning into the rice mixture and add salt as needed and mix well.

4) The dish will taste better if it is allowed to stand for 2-3 hrs. If you have more time, leave it in the fridge overnight.

Quick Tips:
- This dish can also be made by using cooked Quinoa, rice noodles or vermicelli.
- Additional milk or sour cream can be adjusted to your desired consistency.
- 4 to 5 cracked black peppercorn can be used as a substitute for green chilies.