Last week Mr Tiffin told me that his boss still made, on a regular basis, the recipe I had given her years ago for Tomato Kasundi. That sent me into the depths of the recipe basket to hunt it out. I couldn’t even recall how I had first encountered kasundi or came across a recipe, let alone making and sharing it with colleagues. The timing could not have been better as I have several eggplants and a handful of tomatoes that needed to be used. So, rather than making a tomato kasundi, I adapted the recipe to create an eggplant kasundi.
There is very little (in English) on the internet about kasundi except to state that it is a spicy relish or pickle that is Bengali in origin. It’s likely to have originated from kashundi, which is a pungent mustard sauce, mustard being a key ingredient in Bengali cuisine. Whilst mustard seeds are present in this Eggplant Kasundi, they play a supporting rather than starring role. This version is also chilli free, allowing the many other spices to shine through rather than overwhelming with a punch of heat.
Kasundi can be used as a chutney or relish to accompany Indian style meals. It goes equally well when stirred through scrambled eggs for a spicy pick me up breakfast or late night snack on toast, after a few drinks. My favourite use is to brighten a simple of bowl of earthy dahl with a splodge of kasundi stirred through, topped with some crushed pappadoms. This recipe keeps well in jars unrefrigerated for several months, when processed correctly.
Spiced Eggplant Kasundi
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 large eggplants, cubed
- 4-6 large tomatoes, chopped or a punnet of cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, chopped or grated
- 1 knob of ginger, grated
- 1 – 2 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin, ground
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander, ground
- 1 tbsp garam masala (optional)
- 2 tspn salt
- 1/2 tspn black pepper, ground
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, raw or white
- 250ml apple cider vinegar
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
- Heat oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan and add grated ginger and garlic and chopped onion. Stir for a few minutes then add mustard seeds and other spices (seeds and ground) to the saucepan, continuing to stir.
- Add the chopped eggplant and tomatoes to the pan and stir. Place the lid on and leave to cook down for several minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the eggplant has completely softened, add the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and stir. Continue to cook without the lid for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour until the kasundi has thickened and reduced.
- Pour the hot mixture into sterilised jars. For more on sterilising options, follow this link and see my notes at the bottom of the post – it’s easy!
Eggplant kasundi stirred through dal with some pappad…yes. perfect.
And as I’m working from home today, it’s my lunch.
Oh, I love eggplant and am definitely going to give this a whirl. I love Francesca’s idea of it stirred through dahl. Lots of juices flowing here.
I can tell you didn’t read all the way to the bottom as I actually mention that in my post! ; )
Love all the spices in this recipe. I must see if my Curry book has more information on this dish 😀
Yes, I’d be interested in knowing more if you do find something. I’d love you to share it.
yay to eggplant. i love it! this looks great. i will have to give it a go.
This is good if your eggplants aren’t in perfect condition.
Just a few questions: do you take the skin off the eggplant? And why do you have cling wrap on your jars? I haven’t done much “jarring” so forgive me if it’s an ignorant question… 🙂
Hi Sonja – no need to remove the skins (well, I never have). It’s not plastic wrap but actually squares of cellophane – when you buy some preserving packs, they come with these squares of cellophane and tiny rubber bands. While the jars are still hot, you wet a square of cellophane, stretch it over the opening and secure it with a rubber band. At the jar cools and the cellophane dries, it shrinks and stretches tight, forming an extra barrier between the chutney and the lid.
You can make the squares yourself by cutting up cellophane. It has to be real cellophane (that dissolves if left in water too long), not the plastic acetate imitation.