things i don’t like right now:
the cold
my hair length, it’s that in-between thing
doing dishes
bad internet connection
coffee creamer saying it’s non-dairy
but closer look at the ingredients list lists milk.
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!
the ravens not making the superbowl
things i like right now:
not having cable
watching mpt/pbs/bbc
burt’s bee’s skincare line
blooming cyclamens
this taytay mashup
smothering my superbowl disappointment with dip two dips
one dip is usually fine,
but two makes it all the more bearable
brinjal pickle hummus – vegan & gluten free
brinjal pickle adapted from the Splendid Table
basic hummus adapted from Ottenlenghi’s Jerusalem, click on link for full ingredients or purchase the book for instructions. Or, use your own fave hummus recipe, but for the love of gawd, don’t add olive oil!
note about the brinjal: original recipe calls to store in jars in dark corner and ignore for a month before consuming. that’s not happening, we’ll likely finish this batch in a week. it also says can be ignored, unopened for MONTHS and once opened can be kept in fridge for at least 2-3 months. we might test that. in the meantime, we’ll add it to our hummus or eat as a side along with rice.
brinjal pickle:
2 lbs indian eggplants, trimmed & cubed
2 TBL salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2″ knob of fresh ginger, minced
2 red peppers, seeded and diced
1 generous TBL tamarind paste
1 cup vinegar
5 generous TBL light brown sugar
place cubed eggplant into colander in sink and sprinkle with salt. ignore for an hour as the eggplants supposedly releases its bitter juices.
toast cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and fennel seeds in dry frying pan. when warmed through and fragrant, grind in mortar & pestle (or as dw would’ve preferred, in a spice grinder). when finely ground, add in the cinnamon stick, ground tumeric and mustard seed, ignore until needed.
rinse eggplant and pat dry. or like me, ignore for awhile until sufficiently dry.
in batches (i did it in two) fry up eggplant cubes in oil, add more oil as needed. brown and soften.
when done, remove eggplant and set aside. heat remaining oil and saute onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper over medium high heat, until soft. add in ground spices, mix through, then add in the tamarind paste and brown sugar. finally put the eggplant back into pan and mix it thoroughly. last, pour the vinegar over the mixture and simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until very tender. some pieces will be mush, don’t be alarmed.
taste for seasoning. cool completely before storing in clean jars.
to assemble the dip, take the hummus out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to soften.
in a food processor ladle two generous scoops of the brinjal pickle and pulse. i like a chunky texture but i wanted to break down the brinjal a little.
the point is to add these two dips together. dw likes it all mixed together, i like some division, it’s up to you. serve with pita chips, veg sticks, or as a spread.
BAM!
other dippy dips and appetizers:
za’atar socca + middle eastern smashed avocado – vegan & gluten free
mango pomegranate guacamole – vegan & gluten free
homemade lactose free ricotta cheese
green tomato & mint chutney – vegan and gluten free
roasted bone marrow
morestomach 
I am salivating. The pickle reminds me a litlle of melitzanosalata, my all-time favourite Greek dip made of charred eggplant, pickled cucumber, chopped red pepper, lemon, parsley and a whack of garlic. I bet it also would be awesome stirred into hummus.
i did some research on melitzanosalata and now i’m wanting to make it, pronto. and in fact, Soulvaki for the Soul just posted his recipe yesterday!
I’ve always been curious about fenugreek but have never tried it. The next time I see some I’ll be making this yummy looking dip! My favorite show on pbs/bbc right now is The Great British Bake-Off…I am totally obsessed with it…have you watched? 🙂
YES! i love love love love The Great British Baking Show/Bake-Off. we stream it and though i realize i’m watching the episodes the night after they air in the States, and that we are watching it about 6 months after they aired in the UK, i’m constantly tweeting about it and trying to converse with the contestants. they are so polite, on the show and on twitter and i just absolutely love it.
i do not miss my cable either…nutrition label on some of things really scare me too, sometimes i just pretend it does not exist, its a sad situation, no?
it’s a very sad situation. i think being transparent on labels is key, i hate the up marketing and smart marketing brands do now.
Looks great!
thanks so much!
I’ve been weirdly obsessed with hummus for just over a week now. Do you go on kicks like that? This sounds like it might round out my week of hummus gorging just fine…
YES! we are currently on a hummus kick, this is our second week making hummus from scratch, i feel like i’m constantly putting dried chickpeas on our grocery list.
OH WHAT! I just read Souvlaki for the Soul’s recipe too and then this!! OH MAN. I love eggplant so much. The flavors, the spices! Insane. And love your line about no olive oil in the hummus 🙂 Ottolenghi’s is the best damn hummus. And once I switched to our high-powered blender instead of using the food processor? — Smoothest hummus EVAR.
I am sorry about your favorite team! 😦 I had a dream last night that I buzzed off the sides/back of my hair, thinking it would look edgy and modern, but ended up looking kind of butch and uggo. I was terrified. Until I woke up 🙂
sophie, i’ve always liked eggplant and in our fridge right this second we have thai, indian and japanese eggplant varieties. i can’t decide which i enjoy better.
that’s interesting about using the high powered blender! dw is wondering about making it in our vitamix and i was skeptical. will have to try.
PS. your dream sounds terrifying, but also kinda funny…
I think you will love Vitamix hummus!!
Gosh, it looks delicious! It’s a must try for me! Yum!
Thank you for an awesome recipe!
thank you Julia!
This looks so good. What a unique twist on a classic. Eggplant? Awesome and all of those spices. I’m definitely keeping this. DEFINITELY!
thanks Amanda!