Garam Masala Spiced Eggplant Salad

2 eggplants

1 Tbsp garam masala (coriander, turmeric, red chilli, cumin, clove, black cardamom)

½ c cherry tomatoes

1-2 cups rocket or mesclun salad

¼ c crumbled feta

¼ c roasted peanuts (or any nuts of choice)

1 c mixed quinoa, brown rice & amaranth

1 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp chopped parsley

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Preheat oven to 190 º C.

I have been enjoying mixing grains when I cook them. This time I mixed the three, feel free to skip or substitute just make sure you use 1 c to 2 cups water. Melt butter in a pot and add grains, toast until they start to crackle, stirring often. Add water and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Let sit 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.

Chop eggplant into cubes and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle with oil and garam masala. If you have all the spices whole you could toast them and then use a spice grinder. I went the quick method and bought a powder. Toss well and place in the oven for 20 minutes until eggplant are tender. In the last 5 minutes add the chopped cherry tomatoes just to warm and soften them.

Chop peanuts and toast in a pan for a few minutes, keeping an eye on them until they are lightly browned.

To assemble the salad place grains in the bottom of a large salad bowl, add rocket or salad greens, top with eggplant, sprinkle feta, parsley and peanuts on top. Give the whole salad a big toss to incorporate the flavours. Adjust seasoning as you see fit.

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