Bademjan pollo & mast o' khiar - persian eggplant rice & cucumber dip

Ingredients

• Eggplant: 1 cup cubed
• Veg Oil: 2-3 tablespoons+ 4 tablespoons
• Onion: 1 chopped thin
• Basmati Rice: 1 cup
• Tomato: 3-4 medium
• Salt and Pepper: as per taste
• Dried Dill weed: 1-2 teaspoon

Mast o Khiar- Iranian Yoghurt and Cucumber Dip:

• Cucumber : 1 preferbly seedless,though any thing will do.
• Yoghurt:1 cup + as needed
• Salt and Pepper: as per taste
• Dried Mint: 1 tablepsoon or more.

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Preparation

• Cube the eggplant into bite size pieces and salt it. Let it sit for atleast half an hour when it lets out the bitterness.
• After atleast 30 minutes,squeeze the eggplant pieces and drain them on paper towels. Chop the onion into long thin pieces. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water and peel and chop them into small pieces.
• Heat 4 tablepsoons of oil in a thick bottomed pan,add in oniion and saute till it starts to brown. Add in rice and stir till it starts to brown and dry. Make sure there is enough oil for this.
• Add in the blanched,peeled and chopped tomatoes,salt ,pepper and enough water as needed to cook the rice. Bring to a boil,reduce,cover and cook till rice is (almost) done. This depends on the cooking time of basmati used.
• Meanwhile heat 2-3 tablepsoons of oil in another pan. Add in the drained eggplant pieces and saute till they start to brown. Drain them on paper towels for removing excess oil.
• Once the rice is almost done, fold in the eggplant pieces. Sprinkle dill and mix well. Cover the dish with a lid wrapped in towel and steam for about 10-15 minutes till the flavours blend.
• Fold the eggplant pieces when rice was almost cooked,then transferred everything to a smaller dish,covered with a lid and put the dish in a pressure cooker /steamer and steamer it for about 5-10 minutes till everything gets blended and cooked.
• Serve the rice with cucumber dip or raitha.
• Mast o Khiar- Iranian Yoghurt and Cucumber Dip:
  Dice the cucumber into small bite size pieces optionally peeling and deseeding it. Take yoghurt in a bowl,add in the salt,pepper and dried mint. Mix well. Fold in the cucumber pieces. Adjust the salt and seasonings and serve with pita or rice or chips/crackers as a dip.