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I was not even planning on sharing this recipe on my blog, as this delicious vegan Eggplant Relish is a typical (must-have) Russian canning meal. I was not sure whether it can be something that Canadians/Westerners would even like. However, after I took it to work for my day of the 12 Days of Christmas Baking, I had so many people asking for the recipe!
They told me that it was so good and I got so many compliments on its flavour. So, all concerns aside, this Canadians-Approved recipe has made it an honourable place on this blog! 🙂 Originally, it was posted on my Russian blog.
At home, we love this relish. We actually now regret that we’ve only canned a few cans of it. We will definitely be making more next summer 😉
So, I won’t make you wait for too much longer.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Eggplant Relish Recipe – Vegan and Delicious!
This recipe was an experiment in terms of proportions. We’d tried it for a couple of times after and it always turned out great! The spice (a mix of coriander and cumin) is what adds lots of flavour but doesn’t overwhelm it.
You can make this with zucchini and patty pans as well. I will be sharing a recipe with them later as well. But for now you will need:
Eggplant relish ingredients
eggplants, onions, carrots, red bell peppers, tomatoes or tomato sauce, garlic, ground coriander and cumin blend, salt-pepper, vinegar**, and vegetable oil**.
Instructions
Chop* the vegetables. Puree tomatoes with garlic (add hot peppers if you want it spicy) in a blender.
We did not skin tomatoes but you can do that if you are not afraid of this additional step.
Add oil** to the cooking pot, add the vegetables, and pureed tomatoes. Turn the heat to the medium-high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the vegetables for an hour stirring occasionally.
Add vinegar and sugar right before you add relish to the jars.
Here is a comment from one of our readers:
“I made this relish to can, tested the ph before canning, and found it to be at 4.6. Though that is technically safe, it is too close for my comfort. I added a whole extra cup of vinegar to bring it down to 4.1 before canning.”
Feel free to add more vinegar if your test results come back similar to hers. While we have never had issues with this relish, and we have been making it for years, your safety is your priority!
Sterilize the jars as you do it usually (I usually fill a 1/4 of a jar with water and let it run in the microwave for 4 – 5 minutes) and boil the jar covers in the pot for a couple of minutes.
Updated September 21, 2020: We found sterilizing in the oven to be an easier and safer option. We place washed and still wet jars into a cold oven and turn it on to 380F and set the timer to 20-30 min. Because many ovens are different in their settings, another indicator is that the jars will have to be all dry by the time you take them out.
Fill the sterilized jars with the relish and seal. Turn them upside down and cover with a towel. Let them completely cool down like so before you turn them upright.
Notes
* You can either chop the ingredients as shown in the pictures or cut them into bigger pieces and puree them with an immersing blender. It will be as delicious as the chopped eggplant relish but will look like a dip 😉 We do it both ways 🙂
** If you are making the relish to eat it within a week or so, you can reduce the amount of both oil and vinegar or completely eliminate either of them. However, if you are planning on canning it, this is the amount you will need to ensure the relish lasts for months of storage. Please remember – safety first!
This eggplant relish is even better with our homemade sourdough bread!
Enjoy!
- 1 cup vegetable oil (we use sunflower oil)
- 3 large eggplants ~2 kg or 4.4 lbs
- 2 large onions
- 1-2 carrots
- 1 lbs tomatoes ~0.5 kg
- 3-4 garlic cloves (we love garlic)
- 1 tbsp coarse salt (start with 1/2 tbsp and add more if needed)
- 1 tsp ground coriander and cumin mix
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3-4 tbsp vinegar or 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice.
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1-2 hot peppers of your choice
-
Chop the vegetables. Puree tomatoes with garlic and hot peppers (optional)
Add oil and veggies to the cooking pot and cook them on medium heat for an hour.
-
Fill the sterilized jars with relish and seal.
Enjoy!
How long do you process the product once put in jars to seal. Water Bath, PC, Steam Can? What are times. I live in a 10psi area. How long is the shelf-life? Beck
Hello Beck! Thank you for your questions. Once we cook the relish, we don’t process it anymore. We can it in the sterilized jars, seal them and done. Vinegar and oil play the role of preservatives.
We usually make 5-6 jars so we can eat them all until the next season. But we have had some that we opened 2 and 3 years later and they were still good. I wouldn’t recommend storing them for that long though as there might be so many other factors involved. Your storage conditions might be different from ours, and it is hard to make recommendations without knowing much about them. Even the two different batches of the same recipe might come out a little different and there could be anything that could go wrong.
Here is a quote from Bernardin website for your reference too 🙂
“Jars of food that have been properly heat processed and have an an intact vacuum seal will keep indefinitely. However, changes do occur during shelf storage. These changes may affect the flavour, colour, texture and nutritional value of the product. Therefore, for best results, we recommend using home canned food within one year.”
I don’t mind. Thanks for the response!
Thank you Porscha! Very much appreciated!
Hello! I made this relish to can, tested the ph before canning, and found it to be at 4.6. Though that is technically safe, it is too close for my comfort. I added a whole extra cup of vinegar to bring it down to 4.1 before canning. I assume you haven’t had any problems with eating previously canned batches of this?
Hello Porscha! Thank you for your comment! Yes, we haven’t had any problems with this recipe and we have been making it for years. Of course, you should do what makes you comfortable! I, myself, am always on the cautious side when it comes to canning. Safety first! But here I am alive and healthy 🙂 I will add your note to the recipe though if you don’t mind 🙂
I read the comment about the lemon but it doesn’t say how much?
Hi Janette! Thank you for pointing at that. I have now updated the recipe. Lemon juice is, in general, more acidic than vinegar (5% vinegar), so you can use a little less lemon juice. Hope you like the recipe!
I don’t eat oil and am wondering if I have to include the oil in the recipe. I’m thinking it’s just for taste as I don’t see how how it would come into play for safety.
Hi Michelle! Thank you for your question!
If you are making the recipe to eat it right away or within a couple of days (stored in the fridge), you don’t have to use oil. I’ve made it with no oil and I like it that way as well. However, if you want to can it, oil plays a role of a preservative. It helps “sealing” the product and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Do you have to include lemon juice because of the tomatoes? Thx.
Yes, and also to ensure no bacteria growth. We found vinegar works a bit better as it doesn’t add lemon flavour to the final product.
Hope you like the relish! 🙂
Every year I grow eggplant in my garden, then I’m always challenged to come up with new ways to use it. So this relish is getting bookmarked. It looks delicious!
That is awesome you can grow your own produce, Colleen! I hope you will like this recipe if you decide to give it a try 🙂 It is one of our favourite ways to utilize the eggplants harvest!
I’ve never made a relish myself (only eaten them whenever I got my hands on them!) and now I can’t wait to try your recipe. Perfect with freshly baked bread, I imagine. And anything that can be kept in jars for a long time is my kind of recipe. Thank you!
You are welcome, Evelyne! It is a great canning recipe and it tastes even better after a while. I guess all the juices just mix up and it is mmmmm soooo good! 🙂 Let me know if you try it and like it.
My family loves eggplant! Will definitely be saving this one for later. Thank you!!
You are welcome Bri! If your family loves eggplant, I am sure they will like this salad! Let me know if you try and make it 🙂
Nat, This looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Miranda! It is sooo good! 🙂