SWEET AND SPICY EGGPLANT PICKLE

SWEET AND SPICY EGGPLANT PICKLE image

Yield 30

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

1 kilo eggplant
8 decent-sized cloves of garlic
3 inches of ginger
8-10 small red chilis
1 ¼ cup of sunflower oil
1 ¼ cups rice vinegar (I use the Thai Dancer brand)
1 tsp fenugreek
3 tsp cumin seeds
¾ tsp coriander seeds
4 whole green cardamom pods
2/3 tsp + 1/3 tsp black mustard seeds
12-15 small green (Indian) chilies
1 stick cinnamon
½-2/3 teaspoon turmeric powder
small handful of curry leaves
8 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
salt
lime juice (optional)

Steps:

1. Peel 1 kilogram of eggplant. Dice eggplant into 1/3-1/2 inch sized cubes. The smaller the pieces, the better/quicker they fry. 2. Put eggplant in a colander over a pan and sprinkle generously with salt (perhaps ¾-1 tablespoon of salt) and let sit for at least 2-3 hours, allowing excess water to drain off. 3. Prepare 8 decent-sized cloves of garlic. Prepare 3 inches of ginger. Cut both into small pieces. Place 8-10 small red chilis (depending on heat you desire) with stems cut off, garlic, and ginger in ¼ cup of oil and blend well. 4. Dry roast 1 tsp of fenugreek, 3 tsp of cumin seeds, ¾ tsp of coriander seeds, and 4 whole green cardamom pods (open cardamom pods). After roasted, put these 4 things, along with 2/3 tsp of mustard seeds, into a hand grinder. Grind to a fine powder. 5. Heat 1/2 cup of sunflower oil in pan, and fry 1/3 of eggplant until begins to turn golden brown (you need to make sure the eggplant is properly fried so that the texture of the pickle is correct but make sure not to burn the eggplant!) Remove with spatula (allowing oil to drain back into pan), and set aside. Add another ½ cup of oil, then fry remaing two batches of eggplant in the same way. 6. With remaining oil in pan, fry the garlic/ginger/red chili paste, as well as 12-15 small green chilies (with stems removed) for 5-7 minutes. 7. Add spice blend, 1/3 tsp of whole mustard seeds, 1 stick of cinnamon, and ½ to 2/3 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Add small handful of curry leaves. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. 8. Add fried eggplant cubes. 9. Add 1/2 cup of rice vinegar. Allow to cook down. Add another 1/2 cup of vinegar when you notice that it looks a bit dry, and allow to continue to cook down. 10. Add 8 tablespoons of dark brown sugar (or 6 tablespoons, and ½-1 tablespoon of white sugar). Add sugar gradually, to suit your taste. Add salt by 1/4 teaspoons, to suit your taste (3/4-1 teaspoon) 11. Squeeze half a lime over chutney if desired.