Aubergine moju
- Side
- 4
- 1 hour 10 minutes
This aubergine moju, or wambatu moju, is a Sri Lankan dish made from tangy spiced aubergines and topped with a pandan-infused onion pickle. It’s a delicious side dish to any Sri Lankan main. In Sri Lanka the aubergine is often fried, but here Cynthia Shanmugalingam roasts it instead.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Spice mix
- 2 inch piece ginger, peeled
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tbsp of black mustard seeds
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1 clove
- 5g of curry leaves
- 5g of pandan leaves
- 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
Pickle
- 100ml of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp of cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50ml of water
- pandan leaves, 1 large strip
- 1 garlic clove, cut into eighths
- 1 Bombay onion, roughly chopped
- 2 bird's eye chillies, cut into thick rounds
Aubergines
- 2 medium aubergines, sliced into 2cm-thick wedges
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 large red onion, approx. 300g, sliced
- 1/2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- 3/4 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp chilli powder
- 3 banana peppers, approx. 250g, sliced
- 40g of cane sugar
- 50ml of apple cider vinegar
Method
Combine all the ingredients for the spice mix in a spice grinder, and blend until smooth. Loosen with a drop of water if needed
- 2 inch piece ginger, peeled
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tbsp of black mustard seeds
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1 clove
- 5g of curry leaves
- 5g of pandan leaves
- 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
Next, make the pickle. Heat up the vinegar, sugar, salt and water, stirring continually so the sugar dissolves. When bubbles appear and the mixture is simmering, remove from the heat
- 100ml of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp of cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50ml of water
Drop in the pandan and garlic, then set aside to cool. Once cold, add the Bombay onion and chilli and stir through. This is best served cold, so refrigerate until needed
- pandan leaves, 1 large strip
- 1 garlic clove, cut into eighths
- 1 Bombay onion, roughly chopped
- 2 bird's eye chillies, cut into thick rounds
To roast the aubergines, preheat the oven to 240°C/fan 220°C/gas mark 9. In a large bowl, using your fingers, mix the aubergine slices with ½ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of neutral oil
- 2 medium aubergines, sliced into 2cm-thick wedges
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
Lay out the slices on a baking tray so they are flat next to each other, and bake for 30–45 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside to cool
Fry off the onion in 2 tablespoons of oil until almost browned at the corners, then add the spice paste and mix thoroughly. Next stir through the remaining salt and the dry spices. Be careful not to burn them and cook for 2 minutes
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 large red onion, approx. 300g, sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- 3/4 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp chilli powder
In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil till hot and then fry off the sliced banana pepper until the edges are slightly charred
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 3 banana peppers, approx. 250g, sliced
In a large mixing bowl combine the banana pepper, sugar and cider vinegar and stir through then add the cooked onion spice mix. Once the aubergines are cooked, add them to the bowl, stirring gently through. Taste and adjust salt if you think it needs it
- 40g of cane sugar
- 50ml of apple cider vinegar
Serve warm or at room temperature on a large platter, drizzling a few generous spoons of the pickle on top
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