SPICY EGGPLANT CHUTNEY

Recipes, food styling and photography Emma Galloway

	900g (approx. 2 medium) eggplant, finely diced
	3 teaspoons fine sea salt
	60ml (¼ cup) olive or peanut oil
	2 teaspoons yellow or black mustard seeds
	2 teaspoons cumin seeds
	2 onions, finely diced
	3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
	1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
	1 teaspoon ground turmeric
	½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
	450ml apple cider vinegar
	440g (2 cups) raw sugar
	2 tablespoons tomato paste

1.	Combine the diced eggplant and salt in a colander, mix well and set aside to drain for 20 minutes.
2.	Heat the oven to 120°C.
3.	Clean 5 medium-sized, lidded glass jars in hot soapy water, rinse then place the jars into the oven to sterilise for 30 minutes. Place lids in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes.
4.	Heat the oil in a large, wide saucepan over a medium heat, add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook, stirring often, until the mustard seeds start to pop.
5.	Add the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli flakes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until soft.
6.	Add the remaining ingredients including the drained eggplant (I usually squeeze handfuls of the eggplant to release as much of the liquid as possible before adding to the pan), stir well, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until reduced and thick.
7.	Remove the jars from the oven and carefully ladle in the chutney, allowing 1cm of space at the top of each jar. Screw on the lids immediately and set aside to cool.
8.	Store unopened chutney in a dark pantry for up to 12 months. Once open, store in the fridge and use within a month.
9.	Note: The lids will suck down as the chutney cools; store any that don’t in the fridge and use within a month.