Wambatu Moju or Sri Lankan Eggplant Relish

Photo by:

Melati Citrawireja

While gathering recipes for our cookbook, we discovered and tested more dishes than we could possibly include. These bonus recipes are straight from the home kitchens of our farm partners: seasonal staples, and heirloom favorites you won’t find anywhere else. For more such recipes, order The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook here!

Everyone on the Eko Land Estate, where we source our Peni Miris Cinnamon and Kandyan Cloves, loves their Wambatu Moju—a meaty, sour relish that can be traced back to Portuguese colonization of Sri Lanka in the 16th century. The tender bites of fried eggplant and peppers dressed in a spicy, mustardy vinaigrette is a full palate experience that’s absolutely mouthwatering. Serve with coconut dal (recipe in the cookbook), fresh coconut-chili sambol, and rice. Adapted by Asha Loupy.

Ingredients

1½ pounds (680 grams) Chinese or Japanese eggplant
1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon Pragati Turmeric
1 red onion
2 Anaheim peppers
2 serrano peppers
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for frying
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
4 Baraka Cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1½ teaspoons Bindu Black Mustard
2 teaspoons Byadgi Chilli
¼ teaspoon Peni Miris Cinnamon
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
36 fresh curry leaves

Methods

To prepare the eggplant, cut into 2x½-inch batons and toss with 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, then transfer the salted eggplant to a clean kitchen towel and dry well. Discard the liquid (there will be quite a bit!), wipe out the bowl, and add the eggplant back in the bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon ground turmeric.
While the eggplant is salting, thinly slice the onion, seed and thinly slice the Anaheim peppers, and cut the serrano peppers into matchsticks (if you want a little less heat, you can remove the seeds and ribs before cutting the pepper). Set aside.
To make the dressing, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a tadka spoon or small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, green cardamom, and mustard seeds, and cook until the garlic starts to turn golden, 2 to 4 minutes.1. Combine the Byadgi chilli powder and ground cinnamon in a large bowl, and pour over the hot garlic-ginger mixture, stirring to bloom the chilies in the residual heat of the oil. Add theapple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, Dijon mustard, and the remaining ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
To fry the vegetables, heat ½ inch of canola oil to 375°F in a large, high-rimmed skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the eggplant until cooked through, tender, and golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and drain on a wire-lined baking sheet. Repeat the frying process with the remaining peppers and onions, separately, frying the peppers until their skin is blistered, 1 to 3 minutes, and frying the onions until they are light golden around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Lastly, fry the curry leaves—be careful, these will crackle and pop!—until bright green and translucent, 5 to 15 seconds.
To finish, transfer the fried vegetables, reserving the curry leaves for later, to the bowl with the dressing, and toss to combine. Add the fried curry leaves, gently toss, being careful not to break them up too much, and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours (if serving any later, transfer to the refrigerator), to let the flavors marry. Serve at room temperature as a side dish or condiment with pol roti, hot rice, and Sri Lankan dal or cucumber curry.