BEST! Batu Moju (Sri Lankan Eggplant Pickle)

Discover How to Make Batu Moju (Sri Lankan Eggplant Pickle)! Batu Moju (aka Wambatu Moju) is a sweet, sour, and spicy Sri Lankan-style eggplant pickle. It’s one of the most loved Sri Lankan dishes and commonly served on festive menus.

Batu Moju (aka Wambatu Moju)
(Sri Lankan Eggplant Pickle)

Nowadays, you can easily buy a bottle of ‘Batu Moju’ online, but it may contain artificial preservatives, coloring, or something not-so-good for your health. In this post, I’ll show you how to make ‘Batu Moju’ an easy way at home from scratch. Here you’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step instructions, helpful info plus top tips. I hope you will try the recipe and enjoy ‘Batu Moju’ as much as I do!!

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What is Batu Moju?

Batu Moju (aka Wambatu Moju), also known as Aubergine Pickle, Brinjal Pickle, or Eggplant Pickle, is one of the most popular Sri Lankan dishes. Any special occasion meal is not complete without it on the menu, especially served with yellow butter rice, fried rice, or a famous rice dish known as Lamprais.

Aubergine, Brinjal, and Eggplant – all refer to the same vegetable
In Sri Lanka, this vegetable is called “Wambatu” or ‘Batu’ in Sinhalese

Batu or Wambatu = Eggplant
Moju = Pickle
Batu Moju (Wambatu Moju) = Eggplant Pickle

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. For the quantities of each ingredient, check the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Eggplants – Preferably the skinny type of eggplant.
• Onion – Preferably small shallots. Sub with red or white onion.
• Green chilies – Preferably fresh green chilies (with mild heat)
• Red chilies (Optional)- Preferably fresh red chilies.
• Ginger – Preferably fresh ginger paste.
• Garlic – Preferably fresh garlic paste.
• Turmeric – Powder form.
• Chili – Chili powder and/or chili flakes.
• Mustard – Mustard paste or ground mustard.
• Vinegar – Coconut, rice, or apple cider vinegar.
• Salt – Season the eggplant and the pickle.
• Oil – Coconut oil, rice oil, or neutral cooking oil.
• Curry Leaves (Optional)- To flavor the pickle, Fresh or frozen.
• Pandan Leaves (Optional)- To flavor the pickle, Fresh or frozen.
• Umbalakada (Maldives fish) (Optional) – Some use Umbalakada (Maldives fish)*, or fried dried sprats. If you can’t find it or for making a vegan/vegetarian version, just leave it out.
• Cinnamon stick (Optional) – To flavor the pickle

More About Ingredients

• To make the mustard paste – Soak the mustard seeds in a bowl with vinegar for about 30 minutes and then grind them in a mortar pestle or a spice grinder into a paste.
• To make the ground mustard – Grind the mustard seeds in a mortar pestle or a spice grinder until coarsely ground powder.
• You can also pound the garlic, ginger, and mustard seeds after soaking the mustard seeds in vinegar to make a paste.

How do I make ‘Batu Moju’?

Like any traditional food, you’ll also find countless recipes for ‘Batu Moju’. So, in this post, I will show you how I make the best Batu Moju in my way.

Traditionally, this pickle is prepared in a clay pot, and I highly recommend using a clay pot whenever you make this kind of pickles that use vinegar.

The dish comes together in two stages; deep frying the vegetables and then making the sauce.

First, you need to deep fry the sliced eggplants until nicely browned and crispy, and then fry the shallots, and green chilies shortly to remove the raw smell. it is very important to mix the sliced eggplants with salt and turmeric and then squeeze the liquid as much as possible before frying them.

Next, you make the sauce with ginger, garlic, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and chili powder. I like to use some fresh curry leaves and pandan leaves to flavor the pickle. If you can’t find them, just leave them out.

Fried vegetables are then mixed with the sauce while it is still hot until all the flavors mingle resulting in a scrumptious pickle with a combo of sweet, sour, and heat.

About Vegetables

Eggplants

Fresh skinny eggplants with a bright purple color are preferable as they will add vibrant color to your pickle.

Shallots

Batu Moju is traditionally made with whole small red onions (shallots) but if you cannot find shallots, use whole red or yellow onions and cut them into small cubes.

Green Chilies

In Sri Lanka, green chilies are widely used as a cooking ingredient. They add a milder heat and enhance the flavor of the curries beyond just pure heat. You can also use fresh red chilies together with green chilies.

Serving Suggestions

Any special occasion meal is not complete without it on the menu, especially served with Yellow rice, Ghee rice, or a famous rice dish known as Lamprais.

It’s also a great accompaniment to have with Sri Lankan-style rice and curries but it’s also really delicious on its own with Appa (hoppers), Indiappa (String Hoppers), Biththara Appa (Egg Hoppers), Pol Roti (Coconut flatbread), Dosa, Those (Sri Lankan-style Dosa), Roast Paan (Coconut Oil Bread) or even as a sandwich filling with or without meat.

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Sri Lankan Rice and Curry

Storing Suggestion

This pickle keeps well for a week or two in the refrigerator in an airtight container as it is made with vinegar which helps with the shelf life. It is also freezable.

Useful Tips

Make Ahead

As with any pickle, it gets better with time, I like to make mine one day before because it tastes so much better the next day. But I also cook it on the same day and eat it, it tastes delicious either way.

How to cut eggplant for Batu Moju?

I usually cut them into thin slices around 5 to 10 mm. Cutting them to the same size will help all the eggplant slices to fry evenly.

How to Fry the eggplants

• Mix the eggplants with turmeric powder and salt as it avoids the browning while giving a nice flavor.
• Squeeze any water and then dry them with kitchen paper before frying them.
• Deep fry the eggplants until cooked through; fluffy inside and crispy outside.
• Make sure to adjust the oil heat throughout the cooking process.
• Fry them in smaller batches or else they take longer to cook and absorb too much oil as a result make them soggy.

Bake the eggplant

Baking the eggplants after mixing them with a little oil is a healthy alternative.

Preparation of the shallots and chili

Split the chilies almost along their length, don’t slice them up. If you use big onions, cut them into small blocks. You just need to fry them shortly for about one minute to remove the raw smell.

How to get the flavor balance just right?

When it comes to this pickle, it’s all about the balance of sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and spiciness. None should overpower the other but getting the right balance is somewhat tricky, so always taste and add more or less, according to your taste. Make sure to start with a little.

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Batu Moju (Sri Lankan Eggplant Pickle)
Step-by-Step Recipe

(Check out the printable recipe card at the end of the post)

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 5

Ingredients

For Frying Vegetables
500g eggplant cut into thin slices (5 to 10mm)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
8 to 10 shallots or 1 large onion cut into big chunks
5 to 10 green chilies slit in the middle
Cooking oil, for frying

For the Sauce
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
5 curry leaves
2-inch piece of pandan leaf
1 tbsp mustard paste or powder
1 tbsp chilli powder or chili flakes
2 tbsp sugar or to taste
4 tbsp white vinegar

Instructions

Cut the eggplant into thin slices (5 to 10mm).

Place the eggplants in a bowl. Season with salt and turmeric, and leave aside for 10 to 20 minutes, until water comes out of the eggplant.

Gently squeeze out any extra liquid from the eggplants. Dry them on the kitchen towel before frying.

Heat a pot of oil on medium heat and fry the eggplant in batches until cooked through and golden.

Let the fried eggplant drain on a paper towel until needed.

Peel the shallots, slit the green chilies in the middle. Fry them for 1 minute or so and let drain on a paper towel until needed.

Gather the ingredients for making Batu Moju.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a clay pot (or frying pan). First, add garlic and ginger paste and saute. Then add curry leaves and pandan leaves and saute. Add chili powder/flakes, mustard powder or paste, sugar, and vinegar. Cook the mixture thickens on a low flame for about 3 minutes, stirring.

Taste the sauce and adjust accordingly until all the flavors (sour, sweet, salt, and heat) are well-balanced. Once the sauce has come to its correct consistency, add the fried eggplant, shallots, and green chilies and combine well.

Remove from the heat, and set aside for at least 1-2 hours before serving for a better tasting.

Serve with hot yellow rice and the curries of your choice.

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