Torshi liteh

Ingredients

Aubergine

• 1 kgaubergines
• 2 tbspsalt

Herbs and aromatics

• 1large bunch fresh mint
• 1large bunch coriander
• 1 bunchtarragon
• 1 bunchbasil
• 1 headgarlic, cloves peeled
• 2 tbspnigella seed
• 1 tbspground golpar (Persian hogweed), if you have it
• 2 tspsalt

Vinegar

• about 500 ml white wine or grape vinegar, enough to cover

Directions

1. Prick the aubergines and roast or grill them whole until completely collapsed and soft — about 40 minutes at 200°C (400°F), or over a flame until the skins char.
2. Cool, peel off the skins, and put the flesh in a colander with the 2 tablespoons of salt. Leave it to drain for at least four hours, pressing occasionally.
3. Squeeze the drained flesh hard in a cloth to force out as much liquid as you possibly can. This is the whole difficulty of torshi liteh: aubergine holds an enormous amount of water, and any left behind dilutes the vinegar and lets the jar spoil.
4. Chop all the herbs very fine, or pound them in a mortar with the garlic, and mix them into the squeezed aubergine with the nigella, golpar and remaining salt.
5. Pack the paste into a clean dry jar, pressing down hard to drive out air pockets.
6. Pour over vinegar until it stands 2 cm above the paste. Everything must stay submerged; the acid is the only thing preserving it.
7. Seal and leave somewhere cool and dark for two to three months. It will darken steadily from green-brown to nearly black, which is how you know it is ready.
8. Serve a spoonful alongside rice and kabab. It keeps a year and improves throughout.

Technique

• Squeeze the aubergine until you cannot get another drop out. Every failed jar of torshi liteh is a watery one.
• Keep it under the vinegar and top up if the level drops. Use a dry spoon.
• Two months minimum. Eaten early it tastes raw and grassy; the darkening is the maturing.

Substitutions

• Dried mint if fresh herbs are scarce, using about a third of the volume.
• Cider vinegar for grape vinegar.
• Skip the golpar if you cannot find it — it is distinctive but not essential.

Variations

• Some Gilani households add pomegranate paste, which deepens the colour and adds sweetness.
• A quicker version, eaten within weeks, uses more vinegar and less maturing.

History

A northern Iranian pickle from Gilan and Mazandaran, matured for months until it turns almost black.

Frequently asked questions

What is Torshi liteh?

Torshi liteh is a fermented & pickled from Iran: dark aubergine pickle pounded with herbs, garlic and vinegar into a rough paste. A northern Iranian pickle from Gilan and Mazandaran, matured for months until it turns almost black.

How long does Torshi liteh take to make?

Torshi liteh takes 1 hour plus 2 to 3 months maturing of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 1-litre jar. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Torshi liteh?

Yes, within limits. Dried mint if fresh herbs are scarce, using about a third of the volume. Cider vinegar for grape vinegar. Skip the golpar if you cannot find it — it is distinctive but not essential.

What is the most important thing to get right in Torshi liteh?

Squeeze the drained flesh hard in a cloth to force out as much liquid as you possibly can. This is the whole difficulty of torshi liteh: aubergine holds an enormous amount of water, and any left behind dilutes the vinegar and lets the jar spoil.