Easy Aubergine Pickle

Easy Aubergine Pickle

by | May 1, 2020 | food, Vegan (plant-based), Vegetarian (eggs & dairy)

If you like your recipes quick and simple but tasting great here’s a variation of the previous recipe. Just for you

aubergines for sweet pickle
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Simple Aubergine Pickle

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Cuisine: British, Indian
Keyword: aubergine, chutney, pickle

Ingredients

  • 1   good glug of oil
  • 1  large  aubergine
  • 1  large  onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 4 tbsp vinegar
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • salt to taste

Spices

  • 1 tbsp garam masala ground
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric ground
  • red chilli powder to taste (optional)
  • 1 tsp cumin whole or ground

Instructions

  • slice the onions and chop the aubergine into fairly small pieces
  • heat some oil in a pan: if you're using whole cumin seed add this to the hot oil, let it sizzle for a few seconds (without burning) them add the onions
  • cook the onions for 5 minutes, then add the sliced garlic. Continue to cook gently for another 5 minutes
  • add the aubergines, tossing them to cover in oil. Sauté for a few minutes to slightly brown them
  • add the vinegar, sugar, powdered spices and salt plus enough water to cover; bring to the boil, turn down the heat and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or longer until the liquid is absorbed, the aubergines are soft and you have a deep dark, shiny finish. You may need to add more water and stir the mixture during this time to stop it from sticking
  • cool and store in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks
  • great with pappadams or cheese or as an alternative to ketchup. Enjoy
Sweet Aubergine Pickle

Sweet Aubergine Pickle

by | May 1, 2020 | food, Vegan (plant-based), Vegetarian (eggs & dairy)

I’ve just finished my precious jar of brinjal pickle from London. Trouble is it was so packed full of sugar I only dared enjoy it very occasionally with a morsel of cheese. Now that I have to make my own I’m back in control. And to celebrate I turned to my equally precious stash of pappadams with absolute lashings of pickle!

There is no end of varieties of aubergine pickle recipes. Some use sugar, others not. Many Indian recipes use tamarind for sharpness, vinegar being alien to their cuisine bar in Goa, where the Portuguese introduced it in dishes. Curry leaves feature quite a bit, as does mustard. Onions always. Spices vary hugely

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Based on availability of ingredients I’m going for the sweet, sticky variety using wet tamarind and vinegar with a sweetener. And here I have to tell you that sugar is an essential part of the pickle’s sticky, syrupy texture. There’s no getting round a big, generous spoonful (or four) of sugar: I used honey. The rest I made up for, quite happily, with ground stevia leaf. The amount of stevia I put in verged on scary. And it still wasn’t as sweet as the shop bought version. Good

For spice I wanted sweet warming spices like cinnamon, clove, black cardamom and black pepper. Garam masala (literally “warming spices”) fits the bill. This unctuous mix is most often added towards the end of cooking as a garnish of fresh perfume. Here it penetrates deep into the dish, rounding off the primary flavours. The sharp sweetness is further balanced with fenugreek for a hint of bitterness, salt adding the final flourish

Sweet Aubergine Pickle
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Sweet Aubergine Pickle

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: British, Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 good glug of oil
  • 1 large aubergine
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch piece ginger root
  • 1 green chilli
  • 1-2 generous tbsp raw brown sugar, honey, agave nectar or maple syrup double it if you're not using stevia
  • non-sugar sweetener such as stevia or xylitol to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp tamarind paste
  • salt to taste

Whole spices

  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch fenugreek seeds
  • 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)

Ground spices

  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder

Instructions

  • Season the oil: heat some oil in a roomy pan and add in the whole spices, letting them pop and splutter for a few seconds. Finish with a pinch of hing
  • immediately add the finely sliced onion and sauté till soft, translucent and golden (about 10-15 minutes)
  • in a mortar and pestle make a paste with the green chilli, garlic and ginger and add to the softened onions and cook for a further 5 minutes
  • add the thinly cut aubergine, stirring well to coat with the spiced oil
  • sauté at medium heat for 5-10 minutes to partially brown the aubergine - add a little more oil if necessary to avoid sticking
  • now add the vinegar, tamarind, sugar / honey, stevia if you're using it, ground spices and some salt. Add water to cover, bring to the boil, then put on a lid and cook on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes until the aubergine is completely soft and the mixture gloopy and sticky
  • check for sticking or burning and add more water as needed
  • cool and store in a jar for up to 3 weeks in the fridge
Spiced Smoked Aubergine Curry – Begun Bharta

Spiced Smoked Aubergine Curry – Begun Bharta

by | Apr 27, 2020 | food, Vegan (plant-based), Vegetarian (eggs & dairy)

The versatile aubergine or eggplant takes pride of place in our kitchen. And having shared one aubergine recipe this excellent vegetable surely deserves a bit more attention before we get side-tracked

Here large plump aubergines are roasted over a naked flame, sweated and scooped from the charred skin. The pulp is then seasoned with long-sautéed onions, garlic, chilli, coriander. a little turmeric and salt

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Deeply smoky and creamy began bharta is great warm with flat-breads, a yoghurt cooler and a fresh crunchy salad. Eaten at room temperature it makes a delicious spread for a slice of good crusty bread

This recipe was given to us by our dear friends Shams and Alan on a visit to us in Spain a couple of years back. In fact cooking curry throughout was the condition for Shams even contemplating a visit.

Shams retired from her day job as head pharmacist for Redbridge trust in south-east England to devote herself to cooking.

She’s ubiquitous at festivals, weddings and other events She runs a private restaurant and cooking school where she teaches Pakistani and Indian cooking.

At the moment she and her husband Alan are doing takeaways – as well as distributing food to people in their Walthamstow community vulnerable to Covid-19. They were vegan when we last met just a few weeks ago. Are they still? Check them out at Sham’s kitchen

smoked aubergine curry with roti and yoghurt raita
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Smoked Began Bharti

A creamy flame smoked aubergine dish with onions, chilli and coriander. Simple but deep
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Resting time45 mins
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani
Keyword: aubergine, curry, spice, vegan

Ingredients

  • 3 large aubergines
  • 4 large onions
  • 3 cloves  garlic  minced or crushed
  • 2 tsp  ground coriander seed
  • 1/2 tsp  ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp   red chilli powder
  • 1 bunch   fresh coriander  roughly chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil I'm afraid I use extra virgin olive oil with everything - but you might prefer a more neutral tasting oil such as rapeseed / canola

Instructions

Prepare the aubergines: You can do this in various ways

  • Place the aubergines directly over a gas flame - my personal wont
    smoked aubergines
  • Place over charcoal or a wood fire - for the best taste
  • Put into a very hot oven -
  • Turn the aubergines as necessary to get them evenly charred.
  • Place flame-roasted aubergines in a sandwich bag wrapped in a tea towel, letting them steam until cooked through. 45 minutes minutes is about right for me. The longer you leave them the smokier they'll taste. But be warned, they can taste too smoky and rather bitter if you leave them over-long
  • Simply rest oven-roasted aubergines until they are cool enough to handle
  • Peel away the skin, leaving bits of charred skin here and there and finely chop or mash the flesh with a fork. Set aside

Transform the onions: this stage is crucial to the flavour of the dish

  • While the aubergines are cooling gently sauté the onions in a a couple of tablespoons of any neutral-tasting oil. After 15 minutes add the garlic and a large pinch of salt. Continue cooking for further 10-15 minutes, splashing in a little water as necessary to stop them from burning. This step is crucial to the flavour of the dish. Don't lose patience. The final rich sweetness of the onions will blow your socks off. It really is worth it
    onions and spices for Indian food
  • You're on the home run: stir in the powdered spices and salt and sauté for a minute or two, stirring continuously
  • Add in the chopped aubergines, season with salt and warm through. Sprinkle on some chopped fresh coriander and serve
    smoked aubergine curry with roti and yoghurt raita
Bengali Spiced Aubergines With Onion

Bengali Spiced Aubergines With Onion

by | Apr 24, 2020 | English, food, Vegan (plant-based), Vegetarian (eggs & dairy)

Complex and varied as Bengali cuisine is, two essential flavours stand out in its dishes: mustard and the unique five-spice blend panch-phoran

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Whole or ground fennel, fenugreek, nigella, cumin and lovage (or sometimes black mustard) seeds are used at the beginning of cooking to season hot oil, in the middle for depth of flavour or towards the end for a fragrant top-note

This simple aubergine dish combines slow cooked onions, ginger and aubergines with five-spice, chilli and turmeric

To illustrate a point five-spice is first used whole to season the oil, then ground along with the other spices

Don’t be tempted to cut short the onions’ cooking time. This step transforms the sugars for a magic alchemy which your nose will surely thank you for

aubergine curry with panch-phora
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Bengali Five-Spiced Aubergines

Aubergines, onions and ginger are slow cooked with whole and ground Bengali five-spice, turmeric and chilli.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian, Bengali, Indian
Keyword: aubergine, bangali, indian, spice

Ingredients

  • 2 large aubergines cubed. I like to peel mine with a carrot peeler
  • 2-3 medium onions sliced
  • 1 inch piece ginger root pounded to a paste
  • 4 fresh plum tomatoes liquidized quartered and unpeeled in a blender - or you can use a tin of tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp whole panch phora (Indian 5-spice)
  • 1 tsp ground panch phora
  • 1/3 tsp ground turmeric root
  • red chilli powder to taste
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Season the oil: add whole panch phora to oil just hot enough for the spices to sizzle and pop whithout burning
  • After a few seconds add the onions, coat them in the spiced oil and cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes
  • Add in the ginger paste and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes. Add a few drops of water every time the mixture looks dry or like it might burn
  • Add the cubed aubergines and toss for a couple of minutes, coating them with the spiced oil while you gently brown them - you may want to add a drop more oil
  • Add the puréed fresh or canned chopped tomatoes, ground panch-phora, chilli, turmeric and salt to taste
  • Bring to a boil then simmer, covered with a well-fitting lid, until the aubergines are tender but hold their shape (start checking after about 20 minutes). Add a little water as needed
  • Adjust the seasoning and garnish with chopped coriander or mint. Serve with your favourite flatbread and a lentil dish
Panch Phoran – Bengali Five-Spice

Panch Phoran – Bengali Five-Spice

by | Apr 24, 2020 | food, Vegan (plant-based), Vegetarian (eggs & dairy)

An essential aroma in cooking from the Bengal in Northern India and Bangladesh this spice blend can be used whole or ground at different stages of cooking

Whole spices are used to season hot oil at the start of cooking. Whole or ground spices are added later to be either incorporated into the dish or to offer an aromatic top-note. Five spice also makes a fragrant rub for roasted vegetables (and meats too, I hear)

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Panch Phoran

5 spices from India's Bengal
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: all
Cuisine: Bengali, Indian
Keyword: bengali, curry, indian, masala, spice-blends, spices

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tbsp lovage seeds (AKA wild celery seeds)
  • or black mustard seeds
  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp nigella seeds (AKA black onion seeds)

Instructions

  • Put the spices in a dry jar with a tight fitting lid and give them a good shake
  • That's it!