"Georgian Rice Salad with Eggplant and Tart Cherries" from Silk Road Cooking

Tonight's Dinner

Ingredients:
RICE
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
1 tablespoon veg oil or butter

4 Chinese eggplants (2 lbs) (you can use regular eggplants, but peel and de-seed them first)

4 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted, dried tart cherries (or a little more)

SALAD DRESSING
1/2 cup sour cherry syrup (I don't use this... I just add a hint more olive oil)
2 tbs lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (coarse salt is best)
dash of ground black pepper
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped scallions

GREENS
4 cups of shredded greens, arugula, or romaine (I use arugula and it's FANTASTIC)

GARNISH (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios or toasted walnuts


DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse rice in lukewarm water.  Agitate gently with your hand, then pour off the water.  Repeat 5 times until rice is clean (water will run clear).
2. Combine rice with 3 cups of water, 1 tablespoon oil, & 2 tsp salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Gently stir once with a wooden spoon.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, until all the water has evaporated.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. While the rice is cooking, wash the eggplants, dice into 1/2-inch cubes and blot dry
4. In a large bowl, mix the garlic, cayenne, cumin, paprika, and remaining salt.  Add the eggplant cubes and mix well so that the spices adhere to the raw eggplants.
5. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat until very hot & fry the eggplant cubes for 10 minutes until golden brown.  Add 1 cup of water, cover & cook over low heat for another 15 minutes until tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Combine the eggplant, cooked warm rice & tart cherries in a salad bowl and set aside
7. To make the dressing, thoroughly mix all the salad dressing ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.  Pour over the salad, toss well, served on a bed of greens and garnish with pistachios or walnuts.