Aachari Baingan (Pickled Eggplant)

This recipe wins as my favorite hands down. It is so flavorful and the combination of the tomatoes, eggplant and the spices….beautiful, beautiful!!!

Ingredients:

Eggplant – 4, Japanese variety

Oil – for deep frying

Kalonji ( Onion Seeds) – ½ tsp

Saunf ( Fennel Seeds) – 1 tsp

Jeera ( Cumin Seeds) – ½ tsp

Rai ( Mustard Seeds) – ½ tsp

Haldi – ½ tsp

Green Chili – 2-3, finely chopped

Ginger – 1 tsp (roughly crushed)

Garlic – 1 tsp ( grated)

Diced tomatoes – 2, 8oz cans

Salt – to taste

Method:

1. Dice the Eggplant into 1” cubes. Deep fry them and keep aside.
2. In a separate wok (Kadhai), heat 1 tbsp oil, put in the Onion Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Cumin Seeds and Mustard Seeds.
3. Once the Mustard Seeds splutter and the Jeera seeds get a golden color, add the Haldi, Green Chili, Salt, Ginger and Garlic and sauté for a minute.
4. Add in the tomatoes and cook covered, stirring frequently, till the mixture leaves oil.
5. Add in the fried Eggplant, mix well and cook for just another couple of minutes. Be careful not to overcook.
6. You can serve it as a dish or as pickle.

Tips:

1. Be careful not to burn the tomatoes. Hover around the stove while this is cooking.
2. The secret to this recipe lies in the Tomatoes mixture cooking well, so have patience and enjoy the process.