Chargrilled Aubergines with Saffron Yogurt, Parsley & Pickled Chillies from Persiana

One of my most favourite vegetables of all time are Aubergines (Eggplant for those in the U.S. of A.).. And if you do not like them than I feel so sad cause this vegetable, when cooked correctly, is awesome. When I receive a new recipe book I scavenge for the Aubergine recipes first, read them like beautiful love stories and get super excited to try them. So you will see a lot of Aubergine recipes on my blog and hopefully you too will dig deep and give this gorgeous vegetable a second chance.

But enough about my obsession and more about THIS recipe. Holy moly! It is all about that sunshine of saffron yogurt. Make sure you get grade 1 saffron, anything less will spoil this recipe, leaving it flat and uninteresting. I use imported saffron from Bulgaria. It is the best saffron I have ever tasted, and believe me I have tried my fare share. You can order some from here: http://www.saffron.bg. The most time consuming element is grilling the aubergine on a griddle pan. Six minutes on either side cook these babies to perfection, but I had to do 7 batches which only tells me one thing: "Girl, you need a bigger griddle pan." Noted and added to my wishlist.

Another important thing about this recipe that should not be ignored is the pickled chillies. Don't use fresh ones, they will overpower the entire dish and lack in the zingy punch the pickled ones add to the plate. It balances the whole dish to perfection. I pickle my own chillies - recipe can be found below, and only takes a few minutes: while the liquid heats you wash, pierce and pack the chillies. Honestly, such little effort which produces a magnificent end result.

One small change I made to the dish was that I used white aubergine, instead of the traditional dark purple aubergine. The only reason for that is because I just could not find the purple one - weird, but hello! I am not complaining. Also, make sure you keep the Aubergine warm while you grill the remainder, otherwise they become cold which is just gross.

Overall, this dish is easy to make, incredible to eat, and stays with you all day long. Depending on the amount of batches you need to griddle it can take you 20 minutes or 40 minutes to make. It is an Aubergenius dish!!

Equipment used:

• Griddle Pan (https://www.lecreuset.co.uk/2121)
• Pestle & Mortar (you want a marble one, don't even consider anything else, trust me)

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My Pickled Chilli Recipe

500g whole chillies
750ml water
750ml white vinegar
3 tsp sugar
3 tbsp salt
3 tsp coriander seeds
3 tsp black peppercorns
6 dried bayleaves

1. Thoroughly wash the chillies in lukewarm saltwater and pierce each one a few times with a toothpick.
2. Heat the remaining ingredients in a saucepin until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Do not let it boil.
3. Pack the washed chillies tightly into sterilised glass jars. I used two 750ml jars.
4. Pour the hot liquid mixture over the chillies, and seal the jars.

As time progress, even the same day you will see the liquid levels will drop, just top the jars up with water and a few pinches of salt. This will ensure no air get to the chillies. You can start using these after a day, but from a week onwards they will be amazing.!