Merry Christmas fellow bachelor dads and mums, brothers and sisters. Christmas is complicated, right?
In Australia, it’s summer and a wonderful time for garden and grocery produce - basil, tomatoes, chillies, and eggplants.
I have a basil pesto recipe from a previous summer. Here is my version of a South Indian brinjal pickle to liven up a curry or steak.
Ingredients
1 medium eggplant (about 400g)
1 cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp peanut or canola oil
1 tsp salt
— Toasted spices —
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp palm sugar
4 curry leaves
Method
1. In a small saucepan, toast the spices over medium heat.
2. While the spices are toasting, cut the eggplant in to slices, then half-centimetre cubes, roughly chop the chilli and garlic.
3. Once the spices are fragrant, remove them to a mortar. (You know when they’re ready by testing the fenugreek which are rock-hard before toasting, and pound to powder easily after toasting.) With a pestle, grind the spices to a rough powder.
4. Add the oil to the saucepan, still on a medium heat, then add the eggplant, chilli, and garlic. Fry gently until the mixture softens and the juices come out. Fry until the juices evaporate and the mixture starts to stick. Don’t let it burn.
5. Add the toasted spices, turmeric, paprika, curry leaves and salt. Stir until the eggplant is thoroughly coated with the spices.
6. Add the vinegar and palm sugar and continue frying until the liquid is about 90% gone.
7. Spoon the mixture into a sterilised jar, seal it and put straight in the fridge.
Yields about 350g
