Here’s one for eggplant (aubergine) that I had fun with on my last no-child weekend. It’s a good time of year for this as young ginger is widely available in Asian grocers.
Ingredients
- 3 onions, chopped
- 100g chunk young ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tbsp black mustard seed
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1kg egg plant, diced
- 150g currants
- 200g palm sugar
- 250ml apple cider vinegar
- Salt to taste
Method
Put the onions, ginger and oil in a large saucepan or wok and gently cook for 15 minutes until soft.
Stir in the spices and curry leaves and fry for a 5 minutes, then add the tomato purée and tamarind and fry for 5 minutes more.
Stir in the egg plant, currants, sugar and vinegar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 30 mins until the mixture has thickened and egg plant is soft.
Remove from heat and leave for 10 mins, then spoon into sterilised jars and seal.
The pickle can be eaten straight away and keeps if properly sealed for weeks.
