Dinner Tonight: Eggplant Curry & Tomato Rice

It's late summer and you've tried everything. You've made batch after batch of gazpacho and eaten so many caprese salads, you're surprised you haven't turned into a tomato. It's time to keep your passion for cooking alive -- what better way to spice it up than by preparing a veritable Indian weeknight feast? Eat this tomato biryani and eggplant and tomato curry together and finish off the meal with a refreshing berry lassi.

The Menu

Click through on the recipe titles or images below to see (and save and print) the full recipes, but we've provided your grocery list and game plan too!

Tomato Rice (Tamatar Biryani) by pauljoseph

Purnima Garg's Eggplant and Tomato Curry by luvcookbooks

Strawberry Mint Lassi by amanda

The Grocery List (for 4)

Although this list looks long, it's mostly spices, some of which you will likely have at home.

4 Japanese (long and thin) eggplants
3 to 4 serrano chiles
28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup Indian or Pakistani white basmati rice
1 small red onion
1 yellow onion
1 teaspoon shredded fresh ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
14 ounces (or more) Fage Greek yogurt (full-fat)
16 mint leaves
8 ripe strawberries
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
6 green or white cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long)
2 blades mace
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

We're also assuming that you have garlic, salt, pepper, canola oil, water, sugar, and ghee or butter at home. If not, add those to the list!

The Plan

1. Rinse and soak the rice and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Make the lassi (you just throw everything in the blender) and then put it in the fridge to chill while you prepare the rest.

3. Get the eggplant curry simmering (some exciting mustard seed-popping and onion-sizzling going on here), then get going on the biryani.

4. Serve the two dishes together with a dollop of Greek yogurt for good measure.

5. Cool down with a refreshing lassi and go to sleep!