EGGPLANT COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Whisk together yogurt, turmeric, a few grinds of pepper, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Add eggplant and toss with your hands until well coated. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grind coriander seeds, mace blades (if using), and 1½ tsp. cumin seeds in spice mill or with mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in chile powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if you’re using ground mace, add it here).
• Heat oil in a large (6–7-qt.) Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Stir in half of sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 9–12 minutes. (Keep an eye on the onions during the last few minutes, as they will darken quickly.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat process with remaining sliced onions; set onions aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and add fennel seeds and remaining ½ tsp. cumin seeds to pot. Cook until seeds start to sputter and turn a shade darker, 30–60 seconds. Add chopped onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and starting to turn golden, 7–9 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until tomato paste is brick red and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add spice mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add eggplant along with any marinade to pot. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in crushed tomatoes, remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ cup water, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of pot. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is cooked through and easily pierced with a fork, 30–45 minutes.
• Uncover pot, increase heat to medium-low, and cook until sauce is reduced by a third and clings to eggplant (you don’t want the masala to be too wet or it will result in soggy rice), 8–10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Remove from heat and cover pot to keep eggplant masala warm.
• While the eggplant is cooking, place rice in a medium bowl and rinse in several changes of cold water, swishing rice with your fingers, until water runs almost clear. Fill bowl with cold water to cover rice by 2" and let soak at room temperature 30 minutes; drain.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, and salt; boil 2 minutes to infuse. Stir in rice and cook until barely al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Pick out and discard the whole spices if desired.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Place saffron (if using) in a small bowl and cover with 2 Tbsp. hot water. Let sit at least 15 minutes.
• Transfer half of eggplant masala to a medium bowl and set aside. Spread remaining eggplant masala in an even layer in its pot. Top with half of rice (do not pack it down; you want to give the rice space to cook fully and become fluffy). Top with half of chile, half of cilantro, and half of reserved fried onions. Layer with reserved eggplant masala, then with remaining rice. Drizzle with saffron water (including saffron threads); scatter remaining chile, cilantro, and fried onions over top.
• Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and bake 25 minutes. Let biryani sit, still covered (do not peek!), 15 minutes.
• Mound biryani on a platter or serve straight from pot. Top with lots of chopped cilantro; serve with yogurt and lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
• Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
• After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
• When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
• Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
• Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)