Recipe | Aubergine, garlic and date chutney (Brinjal chutney)

A spice-rich chutney most often found served alongside meals in Indian restaurants, though I like to have it smothered over cheese stuffed in a fresh bread roll or served on a cheese board with a crumbly cheddar and a cold beer, making it a super preserve to give to friends who love platter-style eating or are Indian food fans. The amount of chilli is a personal choice, but this recipe has been made with strong-tasting New Zealand garlic, so if you’re using imported Chinese garlic, add another bulb. The spices used here — cumin, mustard and fenugreek, along with garlic and ginger — will make you feel like you’re standing in an Indian spice market while cooking this chutney!

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Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes: 2x 350ml jars

Ingredients

500 grams (approx. 2 medium sized) aubergines

4 teaspoons salt (not iodised)

2 whole bulbs garlic

8–10cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled

1 cup vinegar

¼ cup flavourless oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ –1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds

¾ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1–2 tablespoons dried chilli flakes

1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric or 1 ½ teaspoons dried

½ cup molasses, golden syrup or soft brown sugar

10 dates, stoned and chopped

1 generous teaspoon tamarind paste

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Method

Chop the aubergines into 2cm diced pieces, place in a colander; sprinkle with salt. Toss well and set aside for 1 hour. Allow any juices to drip away. Rinse well to remove the salt.

To release the cloves of garlic easily from the bulb, place the garlic bulbs root side down on a chopping board and use the heel of your hand to press down firmly on each bulb to release the cloves from the core. Crush each garlic clove with the flat blade of a cook’s knife and peel. Chop the ginger finely or grate coarsely.

Into a food processor, put the garlic, ginger and half the vinegar and process to make a paste.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeds and cook over a moderate heat, stirring until the spices begin to pop. Add the garlic and ginger purée with the remaining vinegar and cook over a moderate heat, stirring regularly for 5 minutes. The mixture should be heady with scent from the spices.

Add the aubergines, chilli flakes, turmeric, molasses or golden syrup or sugar, dates and tamarind paste and stir regularly over a moderate heat for about 4–5 minutes, until the ingredients begin to soften.

Increase the temperature and boil for about 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent any burning until the aubergines are well softened and mushy and the mixture is thick and heady with spice notes. Bottle into hot, dry jars and seal immediately.

Store for 2 weeks before serving.

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Note: standing savoury preserves allows the spices time to evolve and mellow and allows all the flavours to come together.

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