Brinjal/Eggplant Pickle

Ingredients:

1 kg brinjals (long and small are the best – quartered but not cut through)

2 tablespoons garlic (roughly crushed)

6 to 8 whole green chillies (slit)

6 whole cloves of garlic (peeled and cut in halves)

1 tablespoon methi pickle masala

4 tablespoons chilli powder

3 tablespoons crushed dried red chillies

1 ½ teaspoons jeera seeds

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon methi seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 ½ tablespoons fine salt

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ bottle vinegar (375 ml)

1 ½ cups oil

2 sprigs curry leaves

METHOD:

Cut brinjals into quarters but do not cut through. Leave in a dish of cold, lightly salted water to keep from turning brown.

Mix the methi masala, chilli powder, crushed chillies, turmeric powder and roughly crushed garlic with a little oil to form a paste.

Drain brinjals, place on a clean dish cloth and dab with a dry cloth.

Heat the oil in a deep pot and add the jeera seeds, mustard seeds, methi seeds and whole garlic. When mustard seeds start to splatter, add the paste spices, brinjals, green chillies, vinegar, salt, sugar and curry leaves. Leave to simmer until brinjals almost done but still whole.

Bottle when cool.

You can also place your brinjals, ½ the oil and the vinegar in a casserole bowl with a lid and microwave until ¾ done. Then drop the rest of the ingredients over (except whole mustard, jeera, methi, curry leaves, green chillies and split garlic). Toss well. Fry the mustard, methi, jeera, curry leaves, green chillies and split garlic in the rest of the oil and pour over the brinjals. Bottle when cool….

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