Egyptian pickled eggplant – Betingan mekhelil
Pickled eggplant- the tangy, spicy, fiercely garlicky side to accompany so many Egyptian meals. Perfect as a side dish with any meal, on its own in pita bread, or tucked into a sandwich to provide a spicy, juicy and acidic burst of flavor.
What is Egyptian pickled eggplant?
Pickled eggplant, or betingan mekhelil, is an Egyptian dish made of quickly pickled, you guessed it, eggplant.
It can be made in several ways. Often, tiny finger sized eggplants are used- they are either boiled or fried, then stuffed with a mixture of pounded garlic, chili pepper, spices and vinegar.
Betingan mekhelil can also be made with larger eggplants, as I’ve done here. By slicing then roasting or frying the eggplant, and tossing in the pickling paste.
This pickled eggplant dish is commonly served as a side dish. It often accompanies seafood meals, Egyptian breakfast dishes like ful medames, and provides an incredible burst of spice and garlic when tucked into a falafel or other sandwich.
What’s in Egyptian pickled eggplant
Making pickled eggplant requires only a few simple ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh green or red chili pepper
- Parsley or cilantro
- Salt
- White vinegar
- Spices- here I use ground cumin
- and a splash of water
Choosing your eggplant
When choosing your eggplants for this dish, you will want to look for some small-medium sized eggplants, such as Italian eggplants or graffiti eggplants. If globe eggplants are the only ones available, choose the smallest you can find.
In general when choosing eggplants, their skin should be shiny and taut, and they should feel heavy for their size.
How do you make Egyptian pickled eggplant?
There are three main steps to making Egyptian pickled eggplant using my method: making your pickling paste, frying (or roasting) your eggplant, and combining the two.
Make your pickling paste
If you have a mortar and pestle, I recommend you pull that out for this step. If not, you can finely chop the garlic and chili, or use a small food processor.
The first step is to pound your garlic and chili pepper in the mortar and pestle. Add your salt at this step as well, as it helps break things down.
Again, you can use a food process or mince these finely with a knife if you need to, but do you best to crush the garlic and chili to reach a paste-like consistency.
Next, add cumin, vinegar, warm water, and minced parsley.
Set this mixture aside for the flavors to meld while you tackle the next step- frying your eggplant.
Frying the eggplant
wash your eggplant and trip the ends. Slice into rounds. I usually slice them around 2 cm or 1/2 inch thick. You don’t want to slice them any thinner, or they will likely fall apart during the frying or marinating.
Fry your eggplant in neutral oil over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until they are a deep golden color on both sides.
Transfer eggplant to a container with an airtight lid, like a glass Pyrex container. Do not drain the oil from the eggplant.
Put it all together
Immediately spoon the pickling mixture over the hot eggplant.
Arrange and tuck as necessary to make sure they are all covered in the mix, which they will soak up as they cool.
While the pickled eggplant can be served hot at this stage, my favorite way to eat these is to transfer to the fridge and eat once cooled, or preferably the following day.
Storing and serving Egyptian pickled eggplant
This pickled eggplant will last in the fridge for about a week in an airtight container.
Love eggplant? Eat these
Egyptian pickled eggplant – Betingan mekhelil
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant approximately 1 graffiti or globe eggplant, or 2 Italian eggplants, etc
- 4 large cloves garlic fresh
- 1 green or red chili pepper eg serrano chili
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil or other neutral oil for frying
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 TBS warm water
Instructions
- In a mortar and pestle or food processor, combine garlic, chili pepper and salt and pound or process into a paste. If you don't have these tools, mince garlic and chili as finely as possible, top with salt and crush with the side of a knife to reach a pasty consistency.
- Add cumin, vinegar, water and minced parsley to garlic and chili paste. Set aside.
- Wash eggplant and trim the ends. Slice into 2 cm/ 1/2 inch rounds.
- Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat until shimmering. Fry eggplant, flipping carefully, until deep golden brown on both sides and cooked through- about 10 minutes.
- Transfer eggplant to storage container with airtight lid, without draining oil. Spoon pickling mix all over eggplant, making sure to tuck eggplant in so its all covered.
- Serve hot or transfer to fridge until cool, preferably overnight
