Assyrian Pickled Eggplant

This is my attempt at recreating my mom's Middle Eastern Pickled Eggplant recipe. Small Eggplant are stuffed with a mixture of garlic, chilis, and parsly, and pickled in a delicious brine. The pickled eggplant absorbs the garlic and chili flavors like a sponge and end up so flavorful! The stuffed eggplant can be served with most Middle Eastern dishes, including Kabobs or Stews.

About This Recipe

My sister and I were recently discussing some of mom's old recipes. I mentioned that I had a vague memory of mom pickling eggplant when I was younger, but I didn't remember the details.

This was one of those times when having an older sister had its advantages. Beni was able to recall the procedure that mom used to make pickled eggplant.

Taking advantage of her memories, and my knowledge of pickling, we pieced this recipe together. I believe it's pretty close to mom's recipe, except maybe a little spicier. Give this pickled eggplant recipe a try, and let me know what you think!

This Middle Eastern Stuffed and Pickled Eggplant recipe is different than Italian Pickled Eggplant. One difference is olive oil is not added to the liquid or brine.

Another difference is in the spices or herbs used. Many Italian Pickled Eggplant recipes include fennel, crushed red pepper flakes, mint, or oregano. Either way, both are delicious and you should definitely make both if you get a chance.

How to Make Pickled Eggplant

STEP 1: Trim the eggplant stems and make a long slit down the center of each eggplant. Make sure it's deep enough to stuff, but don't go all the way through.

STEP 2: Place eggplant in a small pot, and cover with four cups of boiling water, mixed with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and allow to soften for 20-30 minutes. The goal is to get the eggplant soft enough to stuff, but still firm.

STEP 3: Meanwhile, peel and chop three cloves of garlic. Mince three of the serranos and add to the garlic. Chop the parsley, making sure to save some of the longest strands to tie the eggplant shut, after stuffing.

STEP 4: Mix ½ teaspoon of salt into the stuffing mixtures. Once the eggplant are ready, rinse with cold water and gently stuff.

STEP 5: Tie each eggplant closed with a few strands of parsley stems. Arrange the eggplant into the sterilized jar. Add the remaining cloves of garlic and serrano peppers.

STEP 6: Bring vinegar, water, sugar, and remaining salt to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour this mixture over the eggplant. Seal and refrigerate for two weeks to allow the eggplant to pickle.

Recipe Expert Tips

• If you find it hard to tie the eggplant with the parsley stems, you can use toothpicks.
• If you don't like spicy food, you can leave out the chili peppers, or replace them with less spicy peppers. Check out this hot pepper list for some ideas.
• Store the pickled eggplants in the fridge and consume within a few months.

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