Susie’s Brinjal Pickle

This one has been generously made by Susie, our Café’s Head Chef!

Brinjal (commonly used to refer to eggplant in Malaysia, India, Singapore and South Africa) is a versatile berry originating from south-east Asia perfect for a pickle! It features a variety of tangy, warm, and fruity flavours that could be used as a condiment for sandwiches, curries, casseroles, cold meats and/or cheese platters. Susie likes to pair this one with Egg Salad sandwiches or an Indian Chicken curry, yum!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

Makes 1.5kg chutney

Ingredients

1 kg aubergine/eggplant
2 large onions, chopped
100 g fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
10 curry leaves
2 tablespoons tamarind puree
2 tablespoons tomato paste
150g raisins
200g palm sugar
250ml malt vinegar

Method

Step 1:

Place onions, ginger and oil in a large saucepan and cook gently for 15 minutes until soft. Stir in the spices and curry leaves and fry for a few minutes, then add the tomato puree and tamarind paste and fry for a few more minutes.

Step 2:

Stir in the aubergine, then raisins, sugar and vinegar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 20 minutes until the chutney has thickened. Leave for 10 minutes, then spoon into sterilised jars and seal. The pickle can be eaten straight away and can be kept for up to 6 months.