Torshi Bademjan - Quick Pickled Eggplant

I grew up eating torshi with my meal. I make pickles all the time and I have several jars of torshi stored away in a cool place. I adore pickled eggplant as well. My mother was an avid torshi maker. Every time she came here to visit making ترشی بادمجان pickled eggplant was one of the very first things she did. She believed eating torshi with your meal enhance the flavor of food and health benefits. My mother's pickled eggplant recipe is one of my favorite torshi recipes. It's an easy and quick way to make torshi-e bademjan. This torshi does not require a long time to ferment. In fact it is ready to be served in a couple of days.

Torshi Bademjan - Quick Pickled Eggplant

Ingredients:

5 small eggplant, rinse and dry (you don't need to peel them, just make a long cut on the side of each eggplant)
5-7 garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon turmeric *optional
2-3 tablespoons salt
2-3 small dried red hot peppers
1 teaspoon angelica powder (golpar)
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (siah-daneh)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (tokhm-e geshneez)
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
White vinegar
Water

Method:

1. Mix all the dried ingredients together in a small bowl. 
2. Place 2-3 garlic clove halves in each eggplant with some of the dried herb and spice mixture. 
3. In a large heavy bottomed pot, combine 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of water over a medium-low heat.
4. Place the eggplant in the pot, sprinkle the remaining spices over the eggplant, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the eggplant is fully cooked. 
5. Let it completely cool before transferring them into clean glass jars. Add more vinegar and salt if needed. 
6. Store in a cool place. This pickled eggplant will be ready to eat after 2-3 days.

Enjoy!