Mums brinjal pickle
I too never liked to cook as my sister Christine was the best cook in the family. She still is and turns out ridiculous things like samosas and jalebis in Perth W Australia. Infact all her messages in those days were about her cooking and both Mum and me would grimace and glance them over. Never forget while I was doing my 2nd Masters In Aarhus or Amsterdam I had to make dessert for the pot luck we were having in the hostel and I wrote to her asking for something simple. She send me Cathedral Windows which was 3 or 4 types of coloured jellies cut up and placed together! Tons of work!
I went to TESCOs and bought a huge flan base of sponge and a carton of ready custard, some cherries and tins of peaches. My dessert was ready and I was hailed as a wonder cook. Ridiculous really as all of it was ready made! But now as I age and am kind of semi -retired, I cook to relax and find it very cathartic. Pickles especially and Mums goan brinjal pickle is a favourite in the house and among my pals. Its easy, its quick and I have changed ingredients to suit what I like. Infact its in a recipe book written by an author friend with Mums name in print! She'd be chuffed!
Use only these fat fleshy brinjals
Here's the recipe which has gone round the world. I make 1 kg bottles
and freeze for my DIL's as they love it and enjoy with tortillas.
Here the men eat it with every meal.
I love it with a hot chappatie.
Only ONE very important point to remember ---
DO NOT use a dirty spoon. Since the oil component is
less and I dont use preservatives s its dangerous
for us humans, keep that STRONGLY in mind so
your pickle does not go off.
Sweet and hot Brinjal pickle....
RECIPE
1. Heat 3/4 cup of groundnut oil in a pan till quite hot.
2. Put in 2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste, 2 tbsp kashmiri chilli pwd, 2 tsp jeera,
1 tsp mustard pwd and 1 tsp haldi. Fry well till the raw smell disappears.
3. Now put in 1 kg of chopped brinjal pieces with 2 tbsp salt and
3/4 cup brown sugar. Stir well.
4. Add 1 cup brown vinegar and bring to the boil. Put in curry leaves and
20 pods of garlic sliced. Mix everything well.
5. Close the pan bring everything to the boil and cook on simmer
for around 45 minutes.
Check that the brinjal is soft. Cool pickle and fill in bottles.
Here is where I made variations: 1) I used Apple Cider vinegar ONLY
2)Used 1 tbspn of minced garlic rather than the 20 cloves
3) cut the sugar down to half the quantity
as I am diabetic. Now I use jaggery instead of sugar.
4) Used mustard paste in the US rather than powder.
In India the seeds lightly crushed are fine. 5) Used sunflower
oil rather than olive oil or peanut.
6) I put the pieces out in the sun for an hour or more
so the water comes out of the brinjal.
Pour the liquid to your plants!
Comes out really well with the fat purple brinjal.
Eat with chappaties!
