Batu moju, also known as Eggplant/Wambatu/Brinjol/Aubergine/Fried eggplant salad is a delicious addition to any rice. Usually this dish is made for special occasions.
Ingredients
500 g eggplant cut into thick strips
½ tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
2-3 cups of oil for frying the eggplant.
Preparing Eggplant
Cut the eggplant to the required size (thick strips) place it in a bowl add salt and turmeric and combine all together and leave it for 10 min. Place a frying pan over medium heat and pour in the oil, gradually increase heat for the oil to reach the frying temperature. (350°F/180°C)
Gently squeeze out any extra liquid off the eggplant strips and fry them until they turn golden brown. Place the fried eggplant in paper towels to absorb the oil.
200 g of deep fried dried sprats/anchovy or Maldive fish strips
100g fried or dry roasted cashews
250 g shallots
100 g of medium-sized green chilies split in halves
4-5 garlic cloves crushed/chopped
½ piece of ginger chopped
1 tsp of chili powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of sugar
½ cup of vinegar (prefer Coconut vinegar)
1 tsp of mustard paste
Method
Have all the ingredients ready for the batu moju ready.
In a medium saucepan on a medium heat add mustard paste, garlic cloves, ginger, chili powder, turmeric powder,black pepper, salt and sugar and vinegar and combine well until sugar is dissolved. Taste the pickle sauce and see if there is a balance of taste between sour, sweet and heat. Adjust accordingly. Bring it to boil once and take off the heat. Add the fried eggplant, cashews, fried sprats, shallots, split green chilli, combine all together well. Set aside for at least 1-3 hours before serving for better-tasting wambatu moju. If you can leave it for a day, even better. In some recipes they deep fry the shallots and green chilies. I like a crunch in mine, so I don't fry them.
Enjoy with rice.
Rasa bojun
If you decide to make this recipe, I would love to hear from you!
Please feel free to share your outcomes with a picture or by a comment below.
Also i‘m open for suggestions and your ideas on which recipes I should put on next.
Comments