Up high on Damian’s list of favorite foods, there’s a special spot for curry fried rice. But alas, fried rice is notoriously finicky! So often it ends up sticky, smooshy, or super oily. I’m really good at getting the ‘smooshy’ type. Curry fried rice pudding? Not so much with the nom.
So I came up with this alternative, which offers the same flavors but without the potential disaster. It’s easy to assemble and the texture is lovely – no sticky, no smoosh, and no oil slick! The rice holds up well through baking and doesn’t deteriorate at all, yet the overall dish remains moist. And of course, it’s baked instead of fried, so it’s much better for you. Bonus!
Ingredients
4 cups ‘leftover’ brown rice (cooked and then refrigerated for at least 24 hours)
1/2 a medium eggplant, cubed
white onion, slivered
poblano pepper, sliced
other veggies like bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans, etc
4 cloves garlic, crushed
about an inch of fresh ginger, finely diced
1/2 a pineapple, cubed (if you don’t have fresh, use 1 can pineapple chunks)
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons red curry paste (my favorite)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon agave
optional: 1/2 cup raw cashews
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º.
Oil a large pan over medium-high heat, and add the garlic and ginger. Sauté until browned. Add the eggplant, onion, and poblano, and sauté until onion gets glassy. Add the remaining veggies and cook for a few minutes, then remove from heat.
Put the rice in a giant mixing bowl and dump everything else on top.
Stir it around so it mixes together real good. *Slop slop* This is the fun part!
Dump the mix into a large, lightly oiled casserole dish, and spread it out evenly. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15-20, until the liquid is just gone.
Stir to ‘fluff’ before serving. Drizzle with hot chili oil and soy sauce to taste. NOM!
