Brinjal pickle

Name: Brinjal pickle
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 1 x 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) jar
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon salt; 6 eggplants (aubergines); 12 long red chillies; 10 French or red Asian shallots, peeled; 3 tablespoons ground cumin; 150 ml (5 fl oz) white vinegar; 100 g (3½ oz) sugar; 5 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds; 4 cm (1½ inch) knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 2 tablespoons ground turmeric; vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 1 tablespoon ghee; 15 fresh curry leaves

Preparation info

Makes
1 x 500 ml
jar

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Lands of the Curry Leaf

By Peter Kuruvita

Published 2018

About

The brinjal pickle is a beautiful condiment, even on a piece of toasted sourdough. It is used all across the subcontinent, and is loved for its flavour, texture and colour.

Ingredients

6 eggplants (aubergines)
12 long red chillies
10 French or r

Asia
Sri Lanka
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Method

Cut the eggplants, chillies and shallots into 3 cm (1¼ inch) chunks or pieces. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the turmeric, stirring well to thoroughly coat.

Pour about 5 cm (2 inches) of vegetable oil into a heavy-based saucepan and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns brown in 15 seconds.

Working in batches, add the turmeric-coate