Smoky spiced tomato and aubergine chutney

1. Tip the aubergines into a colander, sprinkle with the salt and set aside over a bowl for 2 hours to allow any excess moisture to drain. Tip onto kitchen paper and pat dry. Meanwhile, in a dry frying pan toast the cumin, coriander, peppercorns and fenugreek until aromatic; grind in a pestle and mortar. Toast the mustard seeds in the same pan, add to the ground spices and set aside.

2. Put the tomatoes in a large bowl, cover with just-boiled water and leave to soak for 5 minutes (you may need to do this in batches). Drain, then set aside until cool enough to handle. Rub off the skins from each tomato, peeling any stubborn bits, then roughly chop and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a preserving pan or large pan, add the aubergines and cook over a high heat until light golden and tender – about 10 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomato purée. Cook for a minute or so until lightly caramelised.

4. Tip the onions, chilli, garlic and ginger into the pan and stir to coat in the spices. Add the chopped tomatoes, vinegar and sugar; stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat slightly and cook for 30-40 minutes at a steady bubble until the mixture has thickened, the vegetables are tender and most of the moisture has been cooked off. Add the lime juice and stir well to combine. Meanwhile, sterilise the jars according to the instructions below. Spoon the chutney into the warm jars, screw on the lids and leave to cool before labelling and storing for at least 2 weeks (and a maximum of 6 weeks) before eating.

HOW TO STERILISE JARS

Heat the oven to 160˚C, gas mark 3. Wash the jars and their lids in hot, soapy water, rinse and drain. Put the jars on a baking tray and heat in the oven for 15 minutes to sterilise. You want them to be warm when filling, so don’t do this too far ahead. If your jars or lids have rubber seals, remove these and simmer them in a pan of water for 10 minutes instead (the dry heat of an oven will crack rubber seals). Turn off the heat, cover and leave until ready to use.