To set the record straight, I am 100% Indian. I come from a long line of Indians dating back to the beginning of time. My great great grandparents originated from Mauritius and India.

Then please explain to me why of all the vegetables on the face of the earth my parents are anti brinjals????

It is not like we don’t eat food that doesn’t contain brinjal. Puli curry does, and they eat it in puli curry without complaining. Even dhal with brinjal, no fuss.

Let them just see a whole brinjal in the fridge and they complain from sun rise to sun set and most times the thing goes frot and I just chuck it out.

Of course I did just happen to come across a recipe for a brinjal chutney which sounded delicious and I thought why not give it a try, I mean the worst thing that could happen it didn’t come out as planned and my parents refuse to eat it.

Just an extra couple of steps added to make the journey for the brinjal to land up in the bin anyway.

So no loss at the end of the day.

WOW, I was blown away by the results, it came out lip smacking delicious. To save myself the trouble of washing up, I made only one serving of the dish and we were all fighting for seconds.

My parents actually enjoyed it, my mother of all people who loathes the brinjal ate it with a spoon straight out of the container… not very hygienic if you ask me.

Method:

• 1 x brinjal.
• 2 x Tbsp coconut oil.
• 1 x Tbsp cashew nuts.
• 2 x green chillies, chopped.
• 3 x cloves of garlic, diced.
• 1 x piece of ginger, grated.
• 2 x Tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 x tomatoes, diced.
• 1 x tsp mustard seeds.
• 1 x tsp cumin seeds.
• A few curry leaves.
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Cut the brinjal in half and drizzle with some olive oil. Pop onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven till soft.
• Scrape the flesh out of the skins and set aside.
• In a pan, lightly toast the cashew nuts.
• Add in the ginger, garlic and chillies and cook for 2 – 3 minutes.
• Add in the tamarind paste and tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
• Pour the mixture as well as the roasted brinjals into a blender.
• Blitz till nice and smooth, pour into a dish and set aside.
• Heat the coconut oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
• When they start to pop add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, cook for a couple of minutes until the cumin seeds start to darken.
• Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the brinjal paste.
• Give it a good stir and a generous seasoning.