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Torshi Betingan

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

2 pounds very small, long, thin eggplants (3–4 inches long)
Salt
4 or 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 or 2 small dried chilies, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups white-wine vinegar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Wash the eggplants. Do not peel them, but make a small slit lengthwise in each one. Poach them in boiling salted water for 5–10 minutes, until softened, weighing the eggplants down with a small, heavy lid. Drain, and when cooled, press gently to squeeze the water out.

    Step 2

    Mix the chopped garlic and chilies and stuff the eggplants with this mixture through the slits. Arrange them in layers in a glass jar.

    Step 3

    Put the water, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, and the vinegar in a pan and bring to the boil, then pour over the eggplants. Close the jar tightly. The pickle will be ready to eat after 4 days and will keep up to 2 months or longer in the refrigerator.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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