Aubergine pickle
Recipe by:
Rupert Smith
-
Serves:
4
-
Ready in:
40 mins
(10 mins
Prep
-
30 mins
Cook)
Black onion seeds (Kalonji) give this recipe a slightly pickled taste. They can be difficult to find but are essential to the recipe. Look in a local provision store run by an Indian and you should find them. Serve as a vegatable dish with other Indian recipes.
Ingredients
-
2 large aubergines
-
4 cloves garlic
-
2.5cm piece of ginger
-
1/2 teaspoon kalnji (black onion seeds)
-
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
-
1 tablespoon ground coriander
-
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
-
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
-
1 tin of tomatoes (or peeled fresh tomatoes)
Preparation method
- Cut the aubergines into wedges about 2.5cm long and fry them on medium heat. You will need a lot of oil to fry them because they tend to soak it up. Fry until reddish brown. When fried set aside on lots of kitchen paper, which will help absorb some of the fat. You can leave them in a dish overnight to let the fat run out again, but I have found that this is not neccessary.
- Blend the garlic and ginger into a paste with some water. Alternatively you can just finely chop them.
- Heat oil in a pan and when hot put in the kalonji and fennel seeds. After a few seconds they will begin to pop. Add the garlic/ginger paste and fry until most of the water has evaporated.
- Add in the tomatoes, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. simmer until it forms a thick paste. Add the aubergines to the paste and heat gently for 5 minutes.