Name: Pickled Eggplant (Imkhalal Bitinjan)
Yield: Makes 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of pickles
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon sugar; 6 cups (1½ liters) of water; 4 tablespoons (75 grams) salt; 2 tablespoons white vinegar; 2 pounds (just under 1 kilogram) baby eggplants, stems removed; 10 cloves garlic

Preparation info

Makes
2 pounds
of pickles

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Gaza Kitchen

By Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt

Published 2021

About

This is a quick and simple recipe for pickling one of Gaza’s most prominent summer crops. It uses tiny eggplants, the first of the season, no larger than a few inches. Indian eggplants of a similar size will do splendidly. This recipe was given to us by Um Hani, who makes jars to distribute to each of her married children every year.

Ingredients

6 cups (1½ liters) of water
4 tablespoons (75

Method

Sterilize your canning jars, then set them aside.

Boil the water for the pickling brine, then add the salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Make sure the water comes to a full boil to prevent spoilage. Let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the vinegar.

In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic with a pinch of salt until it is coarsely crushed. Transfer it to a small bowl. Add t