This chutney tastes smokey, tangy, and refreshing. It could be enjoyed with mixed rice, salad dressings, as a dip, along with different proteins, and so much more! As you may have noticed, it’s much more chunkier than the average chutney so it falls in between a chutney and a salad, but one thing is for sure, it’s an incredible side to any dish. The flavors used are inspired by a Persian side called Naz Khatoon. Every family has their own variation and it typically calls for verjuice which is an acidic juice made from unripe grapes. Since this is not a common household ingredient, I’ve made my version with ingredients that can be found easily. Plus, it only calls for 9 ingredients, takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, and is vegan and gluten-free.
Charred Eggplant and Pomegranate Chutney
Prep time: less than 10 minutes
Cook time: 8-10 minutes
Serving: 2-3 portions
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized eggplants
- 1 medium-sized pomegranate
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Small handful of fresh mint
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 spicy green chilly pepper (optional)
Instructions:
1. Char the eggplants on the stovetop for 8-9 minutes or until the skin is completely burnt and it’s soft to the touch. Rotate them every 2-3 minutes, so they roast evenly. Remove and place in a heatproof bowl, cover with a plate and let it steam for 2-3 minutes. This helps the skin come off easier. The stovetop method is preferred over the oven method, as the stovetop gives the eggplants a more intense, smokey flavor.
2. Meanwhile, prepare your pomegranate. Cut the top and bottom. Create 4-5 cuts along the sides and open the pomegranate in a bowl of water. This prevents the juice from splashing everywhere. Separate the arils and place half of them in a blender, reserving some for garnish. Blend for 30-40 seconds. Alternatively, you could use an immersion blender. Sieve the puree and you are left with pomegranate juice. To save time, you could use store-bought pomegranate juice.
3. Wash your mint leaves, and roughly chop them.
4. Peel the eggplants gently. Wet your hands and run it over the eggplant, this removes all the small charcoaled skin bits. Place the eggplants on the board and chop the top and bottom. Now chop the roasted eggplants finely. This will create a mash on the board. Do this quickly for 20-30 seconds, be careful with your hands. Toss in the roughly chopped mint leaves with the eggplant mash and quickly chop for another 10 seconds.
5. Put the eggplant and mint mash in a container, along with ¼ cup of strained pomegranate juice, 2 tbsp of olive oil, ½ tsp salt, black pepper, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, and 2 tsp of pomegranate molasses. Stir until well combined. Taste the mixture, and adjust the salt and sourness.
6. If you want to spice it up, roast 1 green chili pepper for 5-6 minutes. Peel and chop it with the eggplants. Additionally, you can add 1 finely chopped garlic clove to the chutney and stir.
Plate the chutney and drizzle more olive oil on top, along with the saved pomegranate arils, and fresh mint leaves.
This delicious side pairs well with hearty mixed rice such as my vegan Persian-inspired Green Bean Rice with Crispy Potatoes (Loobia Polo).
