For the most part I eat vegetarian meals. I find them to be easier to digest. After consuming a vegetarian, even vegan meal like this veg and rice stew, I feel light and energized. Visually, vegetables are very pleasing to the eye. They bring joy to the space which is why I like displaying them in the kitchen too!

But back to this dish, which in Serbia we call djuvec. Djuvec or veg and rice stew is traditionally baked with a piece of meat. This is how my grandma makes it and it tastes absolutely delicious. Now to make this dish healthier I did minor changes. First, I replaced oil for cooking the vegetables with water. Then I added vegetables which are not widely used to make this this dish, like eggplant and zucchini. And since I didn’t use any meat, those vegetables almost act like a meat replacement and give more substance to the dish. Lastly for the rice for this eggplant and rice stew, instead of white I used brown rice. Brown rice has deeper flavor which added even more character to the dish.

To serve this vegan aubergine and rice stew I used a touch of ground dried chili I found at the market in Belgrade. It had this rich orange color I just couldn’t resist! And it looks so pretty sprinkled on top. Also, I drizzled over a little bit of olive oil.

This vegetarian aubergine and rice stew goes well with any salad. During Spring and Summer, green leaf salad, tomatoes and cucumber are my choice.

If you enjoyed this vegan eggplant and rice stew, leave me a comment and let me know!

And for more daily inspo like this vegetarian zucchini and rice stew, check out my Instagram where I post daily and my Pinterest account!

Veg And Rice Stew

Course: One-Pot Meals, Savory dishes, Serbian recipes, Vegan, Vegeterian, Weight Loss Recipes

Servings

4-6

servings

Total time

minutes

Ingredients

1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 green paprika
1 brown onion
2 tomatoes
6 tbsp brown rice
100 ml tomato juice
2 tsp dried dill
2 tsp dried parsley
Salt
Chili flakes and salad for serving

Process

Cut eggplant into chunks. Place in a sieve, salt and leave for around 30 min. Wash eggplant pieces well under running water, then squeeze the liquid out of them.
Cut onion into smaller pieces, zucchini, paprika and tomatoes into bite size chunks.
To a large pot add some water and chopped onion. Cook until translucent.
Add in eggplant, zucchini and paprika chunks. Add in more water if needed and cook until they start to soften up.
Add in washed rice, dried herbs, salt, tomato chunks and tomato juice. Mix well. Add more water if needed. There should be enough water to barely cover everything and for rice to be able to cook.
Keep the heat on medium-high and let the stew simmer until the rice is cooked al dente and vegetables are fork tender.
Once the rice is cooked and the stew has thickened, remove from the heat.
Serve with a sprinkle of chili and lots of salad on a side. Enjoy!