This Eggplant-Tomato Chutney is a mouth-watering chutney that tastes
especially great with rice and a dollop of ghee (clarified butter).
This is another vangi/baingan chutney recipe that's and easy to make
and vegan.
Use this eggplant-tomato chutney as a
spread for your sandwiches or as a dip for tacos and chips, or over a
baked potato.
Made with roasted eggplant, this chutney is a low-fat alternative
to mayonnaise
and cream-based dips and spreads; if you're on a weight-loss diet, try
this delicious chutney.
Servings: 4 Cooking Time: 10-15
minutes
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants (Indian or Italian variety);
if using the American variety, use a small one
1 small tomato, cut into cubes
1 tsp cilantro leaves, chopped
For Masala
2 tsp urad dal (split black gram)
3/4 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 green chilli (adjust to taste)
3 red chillies
Asafoetida
powder (hing), a pinch
Turmeric powder, a pinch
3 tsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Preparation
Coat the eggplants with oil. You can use a vegetable
oil spray.
Roast the eggplants on a grill or wrap them in
plastic wrap, poke a couple of holes through the wrap, and pop into the
microwave for 3-4 minutes or until done. You could also place them in a
baking pan and roast them in the broiler until peel is charred. The
eggplants should not be too mushy.
Set aside to cool.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a small pan. Add the hing, urad dal
and mustard seeds, and roast until the dal and red chillies are golden
and the mustard is popping. Remove and set aside to cool.
In the same oil, fry the green chilli and remove. Add
the tomatoes and fry until tender.
In a small grinder (a coffee grinder works fine),
pulse the roasted urad, mustard and red chillies to a coarse powder.
Remove in a
mixing bowl.
Peel the eggplants and in a mortar
and pestle, add to
the coarsely ground masala. Or pulse for a second or two in a blender.
Add some salt, cooked tomatoes, asafoetida, turmeric
powder, and oil and mix well. Pound until the lumps are gone and
the flavors combined. Add the green chilli and pound until mashed.
Garnish the eggplant-tomato chutney with chopped
cilantro.
Serve the eggplant-tomato chutney with rice, ghee
(clarified butter) and pappadums,
or as a sandwich spread or dip.
Cooking Tip
Although you could cook the eggplants in the
microwave, I would
recommend roasting them as roasting intensifies the flavor and adds a
nice, smoky flavor to the chutney.
If you don't want to use tomato, add 1/8 tsp tamarind paste.
I use a coffee
grinder just for grinding masalas in small quantities ... it's easy and
fast. This particular chutney, I finish up in a mortar and pestle
because it gives me more control over the texture. (Be sure not to use the same grinder for
coffee ... you don't want the flavors to mingle.)