Chilli Brinjal Peppers

This is a delicious Turkish dish of smoked brinjal and peppers , with a refreshing lemony tang. Its Arabic name is Acvar, and it is traditionally serves warm with lemon wedges to squeeze over it as part of a meze. Here the dish is accompanied by toasted pitta with which to scoop it up, but you could increase the quantities and serve it as a main dish with yoghurt and bread.

Ingredients:

2 sweet red peppers

1 large fat brinjal (aubergine)

30-45ml olive oil

1 red onion, cut in half lengthways and finely sliced along the grain

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves chopped

5-10ml sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Dash of white wine vinegar

A large handful of parsley, roughly chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges and toasted pitta bread to serve

Method:

Place the peppers and brinjal under a grill. Turn them from time to time until the skin is charred on all sides and the flesh feels soft. Place them in a plastic bag and leave for a few minutes to soften the skin. One at a time, hold the charred vegetables under cold running water and peel off the skins.

Place the vegetables on a chopping board and remove the stalks, halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the flesh of the peppers and the brinjal to a pulp.

Put the oil into a wide, heavy pan and toss in the onion, chilli, garlic and sugar. Cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to colour.

Toss in the pulped peppers and brinjal, stir in the lemon juice, vinegar and seasoning. Mix in the parsley and serve with lemon wedges and toasted pitta bread.

Smoked Brinjal and Yoghurt Purée

One of the most popular Turkish meze dishes, this garlic-flavoured purée varies from house to house and from region to region. It is sometimes made with a lot of garlic, with a kick of chilli, or with the fresh taste of dill, mint or parsley. The purée is heavenly when it is freshly made, served with chunks of warm crusty bread for scooping it up.

Ingredients:

2 large plump brinjals (aubergines)

30ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Juice of 1 lemon

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

250g thick natural yoghurt – plain

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A few fresh dill fronds to garnish

Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

Put the brinjals directly on the gas flame on top of the stove, or under a grill, and turn them from time to time until the skin is charred on all sides and the flesh feels soft. Place the brinjals in a plastic bag and leave for a few minutes to soften the skin. Hold each brinjal by the stalk under cold running water and gently peel off the charred skin until you are left with just the smooth flesh. Squeeze the flesh between your hands to get rid of any excess water and place it on a chopping board.

Chop the brinjal flesh to a pulp, discarding the stalks. Put the flesh in a bowl and add 30ml oil, the lemon juice and garlic. Beat well to mix in the yoghurt and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with dill. Serve at room temperature, with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Brinjal, Garlic and Sweet Red Pepper Paté

Serve this Italian-style chunky, garlicky paté of smoky brinjal and peppers on a bed of salad leaves, accompanied with crisp toast or savoury biscuits. Baking the ingredients gives this pate a wonderful smoky flavour. Use orange, yellow or green peppers in place of the red ones if you aren’t wanting too strong a pepper flavour. If you prefer a totally smooth pate, instead of chopping the peppers, add them with the peppercorns and coriander to the blender with the brinjal and garlic. The pate may not look as colourful, but it will taste just as good.

Ingredients:

3 brinjals (aubergines)

2 sweet red peppers

5 cloves garlic

7.5ml pink (or green) peppercorns in brine, drained and crushed

30ml chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Arrange the whole brinjals, peppers and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and set aside. Turn over the brinjals and peppers and return them to the oven. Continue to bake them for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the garlic cloves and place them in a blender.

Remove the charred peppers from the oven and place them in a plastic zip-lock bag. Set aside to cool. Return the brinjals to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Split each brinjal in half and scoop out the flesh into a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard the skins. Press the flesh with a spoon to remove the bitter juices, which can be discarded. Add the brinjal flesh to the garlic in the blender and process until smooth. Put the mixture in a bowl.

Skin, core and seed the peppers and finely chop the flesh. Stir the peppers into the brinjal mixture. Mix in the peppercorns and chopped coriander and blend thoroughly. Spoon into a serving dish and serve immediately.

Moroccan Braised Brinjal and Chickpea Salad

I LOVE EXPERIMENTING!

On Sunday evening we smoked some chicken on the Weber Kettle Braai. 

Needing a vegetable dish to compliment the chicken I looked for something to do with chickpeas,

Something Mediterranean that would be a bit spicy and warm for a winter evening.

I came up with this idea with finger brinjals (small long aubergines) and carrots with Moroccan spicing,

Not too hot but with a bit of a kick...

It's a meal on it's own, but if you prefer a vegetarian option,

 then use vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock I have used.

Normally I'd have used apricots, which are commonly used in Moroccan cuisine, but didn't have any, so I left them out and just used raisins. 

It was absolutely delicious and definitely worth repeating!

Give it a try.

As for the chicken, we will have to make that again also;

when we do I'll take photos and share the way to do it with you all.

Ingredients:

30ml olive oil

2 onions, each cut into 8 wedges

6-8 finger brinjals, cut in 1cm thick slices

5ml ground cumin

2.5ml turmeric

2.5ml cayenne pepper or ground chillies

7.5ml ground coriander

5ml ground cinnamon

300ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option) 

2 carrots, sliced

125ml raisins

125ml dried apricots, chunky chopped (optional)

60ml flaked almonds

I x 410g can chickpeas, drained

60ml couscous

60ml chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onions and brinjals and fry over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened and the brinjal has taken a bit of colour. 

Add the spices and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in the stock, carrots, apricots (if using), raisins and almonds and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Wash and drain the chickpeas and add them to the vegetables, stirring to mix the chickpeas through. Cover and return the pot to the boil and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle in the couscous, fold it in and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Season with salt and pepper and fold in half the coriander. Serve sprinkled with the remainder of the coriander.

Brinjal Mezze Salad

Tahini – sesame paste used as the essential ingredient of hummus – is useful to have on hand for dips and dressings. It also makes a healthy, ingenious addition to a vegetable salad. If you can’t get tahini, use a paste made from other nuts, such as macadamias, almonds or chestnuts with the addition of a little olive oil.

I like this salad a little more spicy than some, so I use 2-5ml of chilli powder and I also add 5ml of cumin seeds to the oil and allow it to get to the ‘popping stage’ to infuse the hot oil before frying the brinjal. As an extra special touch, garnish the salad with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Ingredients:

1 large brinjal (aubergine)

Salt

60ml olive oil

250ml pitted black olives

60ml chopped fresh parsley

30ml wine vinegar

30ml tahini

30ml lemon juice

1ml of chilli powder (use more if you want it spicier)

Method:

Wash the brinjal and cut it into sticks. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. After a half an hour, rinse with cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the brinjal over a medium heat until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel and set aside to cool.

Once the brinjal has cooled, mix in the olives and parsley. Arrange on a serving platter.

Mix together the vinegar, tahini, lemon juice and chilli powder and drizzle over the salad.

Moussaka

Moussaka is a great standby for those family gatherings when you need to be sure you have enough food for the multitude, and it makes a nice change to lasagne, LOL. Make it in advance, leaving you time to chat with friends while it cooks in the oven... Yum, love it!

Ingredients:

Eggplants and meat sauce: 

5-6 medium large brinjals (aubergines)
A pinch of salt (do not use salt substitute- salt is used to eliminate the bitter taste of the eggplants)
Olive oil for sautéing and broiling
3 medium onions, peelled and chopped into small pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
7 whole garlic cloves
black pepper, to taste
2.5ml of freshly ground cinnamon 
1ml allspice
2 fresh bay leaves
750ml ripe tomatoes chopped (substitute with 750ml canned tomatoes with the juice, if desired)
250ml whole wheat bread crumbs 
125ml red cooking wine
1.3 kg of beef or lamb mince (lamb is the meet traditionally used)
Grated Kefalotyri cheese for garnish (optional, if you can’t get Kefalotyri, use Cheddar) 

Béchamel sauce (6 cups) 

Note: - When doubling the recipe, use no more than 3 yolks. 

200ml plus 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
200g of unsalted butter
1.5L hot whole milk
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2.5ml nutmeg

Method:

Eggplant preparation: 

Wash eggplants and trim the steams. Peel off the skin and cut  
lengthwise into medium-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and 
sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. 

Rinse the eggplant slices and coat liberally with olive oil. Place in a 
baking tray.

Broil for 10-15 minutes, until the eggplant is lightly browned and soft. 
Set aside to cool.

 Meat sauce preparation:

Heat a lightly oiled skillet on medium-low heat. Sauté the onions and 
the garlic for 10 minutes, or until transparent and soft. 

Add the meat and sauté until lightly browned.

Add tomatoes, and sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly

Add the spices tomato paste and wine. Cover the pen and simmer for 45-50
minutes or until all liquids are absorbed. If the mixture still contains liquids, 
uncover, and mix thoroughly for an additional 5 minutes until dry. 

Turn off the heat and set aside uncovered.

 Béchamel sauce preparation: 

To save time, prepare the sauce while the meat is simmering. 

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan under low heat. 

Gradually add the flour, ¼ cup at a time and stir until smooth. Repeat until all of the flour is added.
    
Increase the heat to medium-low and slowly ad the milk whisking constantly, until creamy and 
thick.

Remove from the heat and add the beaten egg yolks and the spices. 

Return to the heat and whisk for an additional minute until all ingredients are combined. Set aside 
to cool. 

Assembly:

To save time, preheat the oven to 180°C before you begin assembling the Moussaka.

On a lightly oiled baking pan, sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs.

Align the eggplants on top of the breadcrumbs.

Spread the meat mixture on top of the eggplants.

Cover the meat with remaining eggplants.

Spread the béchamel sauce on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, and then sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven and bake for an  
additional 15-20 minutes until the top becomes golden brown.

Brinjal Pickle

Ingredients:

1 kg long brinjals or large brinjals,  washed and chopped in 1 inch pieces

1 cup sunflower oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, chopped

30ml chilli flakes

10ml cumin seeds

5ml fenugreek seeds

5ml mustard powder

5ml powdered turmeric

2 cups brown vinegar

250ml sugar

15ml sea salt

Method:

Grind half the chilli flakes (15 ml), cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to a powder.

Heat the oil in the pan and fry the prepared spices, remaining chilli flakes, mustard powder, turmeric, ginger and garlic in it for 5-10 minutes until the spices have fully permeated the oil.

Add the vinegar,  salt and sugar.

Bring to the boil and add the brinjals. Stir well and continue to cook on a very slow fire till the brinjals are cooked and the mixture has thickened.

This pickle can be served immediately or bottles and stored in a cool, dry place. The flavour improves on storing.

Lamb Dhansak

This is a one pot curry that just needs rice and a relish or chutney to go with it. You could also make it with chicken instead of lamb. Ideally, this needs to be started the day before it is to be eaten.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
500g stewing lamb or mutton, cut into cubes
500g yellow lentils
110g red lentils
110g mung beans, soaked overnight
Oil or ghee for frying
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
5ml turmeric powder
5ml coriander powder
5ml cumin powder
1 brinjal (aubergine), peeled and diced
250g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced
Salt
500g fresh spinach leaves, well washed and drained

For the Curry Paste:
6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6-8 dried red chillies
6 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
5ml black peppercorns
15ml coriander seeds
15ml cumin seeds

Method:
Rinse and drain the lentils and mung beans. Grind all the curry paste ingredients with a little water to make a smooth paste.

Heat the oil or ghee and fry the onions until golden brown, then stir in the curry paste, turmeric, coriander and cumin and stir-fry gently for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the lamb and cook gently over a low heat until the meat is coated with the curry paste and any liquid from the meat has been absorbed. The dish should be quite dry.

Add the lentils, mung beans, brinjal and pumpkin or squash and stir in a little water to form a gravy. Season with salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the meat is cooked and tender.

Remove the meat from the pan and put to one side. Purée the lentils, vegetables and gray with a hand blender and return the meat to this mixture.

Quickly stir-fry the spinach in hot oil, then add to the lamb mixture and serve.

Yellow Dhall with Brinjal

For a midweek, meat-free supper or as an accompaniment to a main course curry, this is an easy to make vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:
500ml yellow split peas
1.5 litres hot water
5ml salt
1 cube vegetable or chicken stock
5ml turmeric
60ml ghee
5ml cumin seeds
5ml mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 dried chillies, chopped fine
1 onion, finely sliced
1 large brinjal (aubergine), cut into cubes
1 large tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
5ml curry powder
5ml sugar
a sprig of curry leaves for garnish
15ml vegetable oil
chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish
750ml cooked rice

Method:
Place the split peas into a fairly large pot with 750ml of the hot water and the salt and stock cube. Bring to the boil. Add the turmeric and simmer until a thick sauce is formed. Add the remaining water as required.
Heat the ghee in a frying pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds, frying over medium heat until the seeds begin to pop. Add the garlic slices, the chopped chillies and the onion and continue to fry until the onion begins to take on a bit of golden colour. Add the brinjals, the chopped tomato and curry powder, lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the brinjal is soft.
In a clean frying pan, heat up the vegetable oil and fry the curry leaves for 30 seconds to a minute, just to crisp them and bring out their wonderful aroma.
Combine the brinjal mixture with the split peas, then blend in the sugar. Serve over the cooked rice, garnished with the curry leaves and fresh chopped coriander.

Brinjal or Aubergine Chutney with Tamarind

With the sweetness of brinjal and the tang of tamarind, this chutney makes a great accompaniment to almost any curry. Give it a whirl with your next Indian meal.

Ingredients:
1 large brinjal (aubergine), peeled and cubed
15ml mustard oil
15ml vegetable oil
15ml salt
1 medium onion, chopped
30ml tamarind paste
30ml granulated brown sugar
2 dried red chillies
2 long thin green chillies, chopped
a small handful of fresh coriander leaves chopped

Method:

Put the chopped brinjal in a bowl and toss with the mustard oil and vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cook the brinjal in a large frying pan over medium to high heat until the brinjal is soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Add the onion, tamarind paste, sugar, dried red chillies and brinjal to a food processor and blend to a chunky paste. Add the chopped green chillies and coriander and stir into the mixture. serve as an accompaniment to an Indian meal.

Brinjal and Tomato Curry

When we lived in Natal I made this curry with the long finger brinjals grown by the local Indian population. Of about the same dimensions as a courgette, they hold their shape well when cooked and are firmer and sweeter than the regular Mediterranean aubergines. If you can't find the long finger brinjals, use the regular large ones that are usually available but cut them into 6-8 pieces lengthways for more even cooking.

Preparing the brinjals by macerating in salt and then brushing with oil, rather than putting oil in the pan to fry them, prevents them from absorbing too much oil, which would make the finished dish very greasy.

Although courgettes don't feature in Indian cooking, they can also be used to make this curry, as can potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkin or butternut squash.

This is a great side dish to have with other Indian food or as a vegetarian meal with Naan bread, sticky rice, raita or chutney.

Ingredients:
600g brinjals, preferably the Indian finger brinjals
5ml salt
150ml vegetable oil
30ml ginger puree
30ml garlic puree
2 long thin green chillies, finely chopped
40-50ml water
10ml fennel seeds
5ml cumin seeds
15ml freshly ground coriander seeds
2ml turmeric
400g chopped tomatoes, tinned is fine
2ml freshly ground black pepper
50ml water
2ml salt
15ml chopped fresh coriander
15ml chopped fresh mint

Method:

Trim the brinjals at both ends and cut in half lengthways. Toss them with about a teaspoon of salt and set aside in a colander to macerate for about 10 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Pour oil into a shallow dish. Brush the brinjal pieces with oil and then fry them in the hot pan for 3-4 minutes on each side until well browned. Set aside in a bowl and repeat with the remaining brinjals until all are cooked.

Put the ginger, garlic and chilli in a mini blender with about 40-50 ml water and blend to a smooth paste.

Put 30ml of the remaining oil into the frying pan and add the cumin and fennel seeds. When they begin to fizz, allow them to do so for about 30 seconds before adding the prepared paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the coriander and turmeric, followed shortly by the tomatoes, black pepper, 50ml water and 2ml salt. Cover and leave to simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes until reduced and thickened.

Return the fried brinjals to the pan and toss carefully to coat in the sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then fold in the fresh herbs and serve.

Mozambique Sweet Potato Brinjal and Chicken Curry

Although I call this a curry,

it has hardly any of the heat you might expect from a curry.

What it lacks in heat it makes up for in flavour.

I call it a Mozambique curry as I use my own special curry paste here.

The recipe for this can be found in my e-book,

"Herbs and Spices",

which will be available shortly.

If you want more heat,

simply add one or two chillies and perhaps some more curry leaves,

both of which I put in the curry paste,

rather than showing them in the ingredients here.

Ingredients:
30ml vegetable oil - I usually use sunflower oil for curries
1 large brinjal - Aubergine - peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes, or shredded in strips as for stir fry
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

15-20ml "Mozambique Curry Paste"

500ml rich chicken stock

1 400ml tin light coconut milk

1/2 400ml tin of butter beans

a bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

Marinate the cubed or shredded chicken in the "Mozambique Curry Paste" for 30-60 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy frying pan and add the brinjal.

Fry over a medium heat until the brinjal has softened.

Stir in the chicken coated with marinade and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potatoes, coating them in the paste and fry for 1 minute.

Add the stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil then turn down to simmer.

Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the butter beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve on a bed of sticky rice and garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

Brinjal and Sweet Pepper Double Cheese Terrine

This terrine needs to be made a day ahead of serving as it needs to be refrigerated overnight.

Great for picnics and braais or barbecues. Brinjal is also known as Aubergine. I like to use the Italian peppers as they are long and sweet, but you can use bell peppers; you'll just need more to coat the terrine pan.

Ingredients:
Coating for the Terrine:
2-3 large sweet Italian red peppers
2 large brinjals or aubergines
sea salt
80ml olive oil

Filling:
15ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
15ml ground cumin
10ml caraway seeds
2ml cayenne pepper
250ml stale breadcrumbs
200g Feta Cheese, crumbled
200g mascarponi cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C.

Prepare the peppers and brinjal or aubergines:
Quarter the peppers, remove the seeds and membranes and grill with the skin-sides up until the skin blisters and blackens. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film for 5 minutes, then remove the skins. They should come away quite easily.
Cut the brinjals or aubergines into 1cm slices and place on a wire rack, sprinkle with salt and leave for half an hour. Rinse under cold water and drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
Brush both sides of the brinjal slices with oil and fry until both sides are browned and the flesh is softened.

Make the filling:
Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and spices and cook, stirring, until fragrant; set aside to cool.
Combine the spice mixture with breadcrumbs and cheeses and mix to combine. I like to do this in a blender as it gives a nice smooth mixture.

To Build the Terrine:
Line the bottom of a buttered loaf pan with not quite half of the brinjal slices, overlapping them to cover the base with a complete layer. Line the sides of the pan with the peppers so they overlap the brinjal on the base and there is some overlap at the top.
Press the filling over the brinjal and peppers, folding the overlapping peppers over the mixture at the top.
Cover the top of the terrine with a layer of brinjal slices and press down firmly.
Cover the pan with foil, place terrine on an oven tray, top with another loaf pan half filled with water to press down on the mixture.
Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes or until firm.

Refrigerate overnight, turn out on a plate and serve in slices.

Brinjal Pate

Better known as Baba Ganoush, this brinjal or aubergine pate can be served as a pate or dip with tortilla chips, potato chips or savoury crackers. It also goes great with steak or lamb chops as a thick sauce.

Ingredients:
1 large brinjal (aubergine)
1 clove of garlic
Juice and zest of half a lemon
15ml green Italian pesto - basil or coriander works well
5ml sesame oil
15ml sesame seeds
2.5ml Cayenne pepper
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Wipe the brinjal (aubergine) and prick it all over with a fork.
Cook the brinjal in the oven for about half an hour, or until the flesh feels soft and the skin is blackened. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Place all the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin of the brinjal. Add the flesh to the blender or food processor, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave for a few hours for the flavours to develop.
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