Our most unusual locrio recipe, Locrio de berenjena, a rice and eggplant dish, is the perfect meatless choice for vegetarians. We've made some changes to the traditional recipe that we've found to improve it greatly, but it retains the spirit and flavors of the original one.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Oct 26, 2023
Why we ❤️ it
If you had never heard of Locrio de berenjena, don't worry; I hadn't either until fairly recently, when team-member Joe told me about it. He doesn't have a high opinion of the humble dish, and having tasted it myself, I agreed.
But every dish can be made better.
Drawing inspiration from the traditional Torrejas de berenjena, we have it into a lovely little vegetarian dish that even meat eaters will enjoy.
What's Locrio de berenjena?
Dominican locrios are rice dishes that typically contain some protein, such as meat or seafood, and are cooked in the same pot. But some unusual ones break the mold. Locrio de berenjena is such a case.
It is typically made by cooking the berenjenas and rice in the same pot. Our recipe differs, as you'll see below.
Locrio de berenjena (Dominican rice and eggplant).
Serving suggestions
Classic and inexpensive, some Dominican salad, or some slices of Dominican avocado go great in nearly every Dominican meal.
Fritos maduros, Plátanos al caldero, or Arepitas de yuca and a bowl of Guandules guisados will make it irresistible to Dominicans.
Top tips
- Salting: Salting the eggplant draws out liquid, making it less bitter and crispier when fried. Don't worry; they won't be too salty. Some salt goes out with the liquid.
- Flour: Unlike traditional Torrejas de berenjena which are coated in cornstarch, this recipe calls for flour, which makes the batter less fluffy but gives it a meatier mouth feel.
- Cooking eggplant: You can add one chopped eggplant when sautéing the vegetables if you want a hybrid with the regular method.
About this recipe
Yes, this is a traditional Dominican dish, albeit not a very well-known one. Alongside Locrio de queso, and Locrio de trigo, it probably is the most unusual of our locrio recipes.
Thanks to Joe for introducing me to Locrio de berenjena. He spent a few years in Baní as a kid, so perhaps it's a regional recipe I hadn't encountered before.
Is Locrio de berenjena something you've had before? Would you try it? Let me know in the comments.
Video
Recipe
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Locrio de Berenjena [Video+Recipe] Rice and Eggplant
Ingredients
- 3 small eggplants, about 6 ounces [170 grams]
- 2½ tablespoon salt, divided (or more, to taste)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup bell peppers, diced. or cubanelle peppers (cubanelle)
- ½ teaspoon oregano, dried, ground
- 1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
- ⅓ cup peas,
- ⅓ cup diced carrot, diced
- ¼ cup pitted green olives, (optional)
- ⅓ cup sweet corn,
- 2 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground or crushed, divided
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 4 cup long grain rice
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoon onion powder
- 1½ tablespoon dry parsley
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
1. Salting eggplant
Make a long cut along the lengh of the eggplant and keep making shallow cuts on the inside until you can press the skin flat.Sprinkle each eggplant with half a tablespoon of salt, and lay them flat on a tray lined with paper towels. Set them aside for another step later.
2. Cook the vegetables
- In a medium pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring until it starts to turn translucent. Add peppers, oregano, garlic, peas, carrots, olives, corn and ½ tablespoon of black pepper. Cook and stir for one minute.Stir in tomato sauce, followed by 4 cups of water. Season it with salt (I used a tablespoon) to taste. Lower heat to medium and bring to a boil.
3. Cooking the rice
- When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and cook, stirring regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. When almost all the liquid has evaporated, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over low heat (but just enough to generate steam) for 10 minutes.In 10 more minutes, taste the rice. It should be firm but cooked through. If necessary, cover it again and leave it for another 5 minutes over low heat.
4. Coat the eggplants
- While the rice simmers, proceed with the eggplants. Shake any excess salt off the eggplant, then cut them into small chunks (about ¾ x 1½ inches [1.5 x 4 centimeters]).In a bowl, whisk flour, onion powder, 1½ tablespoon of salt, dry parsley, and 1½ tablespoon of black pepper until it's uniformly mixed. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.Drench the eggplant pieces in egg, and coat with flour to form a thick layer. Place them on a tray.
5. Fry the eggplants
- Heat the oil for frying over medium-high heat in a small saucepan (so it's high enough to cover the eggplant chunks).Fry the eggplants without overcrowding until they turn golden brown, flipping halfway to fry evenly. Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil and set them aside.
6. Serve
Remove the rice from the heat. Serve rice and top with the fried eggplant.See serving suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More rice recipes
We have the most complete collection of rice recipes and locrio recipes, such as Locrio de salami, Locrio de puerco, Locrio de longaniza, Locrio de camarones, Locrio de arenque, and more Dominican delicacies.
Also see more of our berenjena recipes.
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