Chicken & Eggplant Pilaf

Cook Time 1 hour 15 mins

Servings 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, cut into 2cm dice
Sea salt
2 tsp ground turmeric
500g chicken thigh fillets, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
4-5 cardamom pods
1 ½ cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained
2 cups (500ml)  chicken stock
1/3 cup toasted flaked almonds
¼ cup currants
1/3 cup chopped coriander

Method

Sprinkle sea salt liberally over eggplant and stand in a sieve over a bowl for 30 minutes. Rinse well, drain and pat dry with paper toweling.

Place eggplant and chicken into a bowl; toss through turmeric to coat; set aside.

Select SAUTE/SEAR button and press START/CANCEL button. Preheat bowl with lid on for 3 minutes. Remove lid and add the oil and butter; replace lid.

Add onion and garlic; replace lid and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once. Add cumin, pepper, bay leaf and cardamom; replace lid and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add chicken and eggplant and stir through. Replace lid and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once.

Add rice and stock and stir through. Replace lid.

Press START/CANCEL button to deselect function.

Press RISOTTO button and then START/CANCEL button.

Once cooking has finished and rice is tender and chicken is cooked, season to taste salt and pepper and stir through almonds, currants and coriander.