Preparing Torshi Liteh | kind of Pickled eggplant in 3 diffrent ways

By Fatemeh Baniali On Oct 30, 2023 Last updated Nov 3, 2023

5/5 - (2 votes)

Torshi Liteh, or Pickled eggplant, is one of the most popular Iranian pickles, which is both very tasty and easy and quick to make.

This pickle is served with all kinds of food. Torshi Liteh is very famous in Tabriz, Shiraz, and northern and southern cities, It is a very suitable seasoning to be served with other dishes, especially in autumn and winter.

Stay tuned to Cookery Magazine to make the best homemade pickles.

Ingredients for making Torshi Liteh

Eggplant	4 pcs
Carrot	4 pcs
Garlic	1 bush
Chili pepper	3 pcs
Colored bell pepper (preferably red)	1-2 pcs
Cauliflower	¼ a medium Cauliflower
Mint, basil and savory vegetables	½ a kg
⭐Torshi liteh spice	1 tablespoon
White or red vinegar	As much as needed (2 cups is common usage)
Salt & Turmeric	As much as needed

⭐ Torshi liteh spice: Torshi liteh spices, like other pickled spices, are prepared by grinding and combining several different types of spices.

Pickling spices can be changed depending on the taste of people. If you use homemade spices, you can apply changes freely.

If you are among the people who are interested in preparing and using different types of pickles, you must know very well that the main taste of pickles depends on their spices and creates its unique taste.

Spices are used not only for flavoring but also for increasing the properties of pickles and balancing the flavor of foods and pickles.

Ingredients for making Torshi liteh spice:

Coriander seed powder	5 teaspoons
Cumin powder	2 teaspoons
Powdered Angelica	10 teaspoons
Cinnamon	1 teaspoon
Powdered Nutmeg	1 teaspoon
Powdered Red pepper	1 teaspoon
Powdered Black pepper	1 teaspoon
powdered Fennel	2 teaspoons
Savory	2 teaspoons
tarragon	2 teaspoons
Coriander (not in the form of powdered)	2 teaspoons
dried mint	2 teaspoons

⚠️If you want, you can add some salt depending on your taste.

Recipe for making Torshi Liteh

Step 1

To make the pickled eggplant (Torshi Liteh), first, we clean the aromatic vegetables for the pickle, wash them well in a bowl with cold water, and set them aside until the water dries.

Step 2

Next, we peel the eggplant, carrot, and garlic, wash them well with cold water, and put them in a colander until they are completely dry.

We also separate the stems of the peppers and wash them.

Step 3

After the vegetables are completely dry, we chop them all into large pieces and puree them completely. You can also use a meat grinder.

Step 4

Be careful; if you don’t want your Torshi Liteh to be crushed or pureed too much, you can dice the vegetables, especially the eggplant.

Step 5

After pureeing the pickled ingredients, pour it into a large container and add salt and pickled spices to it and stir the ingredients well until they are completely mixed and uniform.

Step 6

Now, we add vinegar little by little to the pickled ingredients and stir the pickle at the same time.

Be careful that the amount of vinegar should be enough so that your pickle is not too watery and loose, and not too hard; And we let the pickle rest for an hour to determine its consistency.

After an hour, we test the pickle; If the salt and vinegar are enough, we can pour it into the container.

But if the vinegar and salt were not enough, we add a little salt and vinegar again and let it rest for another hour to determine its consistency.

Step 7

After the pickle is uniform, pour it into completely dry jars and close the lid tightly. After 1 week to 10 days, your pickle is ready.

Store and consume the pickle in a cool place. If you want to use the pickle immediately, you must boil the ingredients in vinegar for a few minutes.

The second recipe for making Torshi Liteh

Step 1

First, clean and wash the vegetable, then pour it into a colander to remove excess water.

Chop the dried vegetables and spread them on a cloth to dry completely because the juicy nature of the vegetables will cause the pickle to mold.

Step 2

In the meantime, wash the eggplants and cut them into rings or, better to say, circle shape, and if you like, cook them first and then chop them; it depends on your taste.

Put the chopped eggplants in a pot and heat them with salt, pickled spices, and some vinegar until the eggplants are cooked.

Step 3

In the meantime, chop the cauliflower and, after washing, spread it on a cloth to dry its water.

In the next step, peel and finely chop or grate the garlic. Next, peel the carrot and grate it; after washing it, wash the cucumber, and after drying it, cut its top and bottom and grate it.

Now chop the green pepper and mix all the chopped vegetables together.

Step 4

In the last step, take the cooked eggplant out of the vinegar, chop it with a sator, and mix it with the previous ingredients.

Pour the ingredients into a clean and dry glass container, add vinegar to it, and keep it in the refrigerator for 48 hours, and then serve.

If desired, if you would like your Torshi Liteh to have the sharper taste of vinegar, you can pour some vinegar into the jars. Note that because the pickled ingredients are cooked, we can use them after a day.

The third recipe for making Torshi Liteh

This type of Torshi Liteh is for the northern part of Iran, and its preparation and ingredients are different.

In this type of recipe, in addition to the necessary ingredients in the tables above, add these ingredients to it:

Tomatoe	5 pcs
Verjuice	2 cups
Grated onion	2 tablespoons

The first step

First, grill the eggplants and tomatoes on gas flame or fire; put the grilled eggplants aside to cool and then peel them.

Then, put them in a blender and beat until they are completely crushed. You can also cut eggplants with a sator to remove the excess juice.

If you don’t like the taste of grilled eggplant, you can grill the eggplants in the oven, and it won’t taste smoky under the grilled eggplant in the oven.

The second step

At this stage, peel the garlic and wash it, then dry it with a towel. Next, we put the grilled eggplants together with the garlic into a food processor and turn them into a puree, then put them aside. Now, finely chop the pepper.

The third step

In the third step of how to prepare northern Torshi Liteh, combine all the ingredients, in addition to the grated onion, and stir well until they are mixed together. Then, add salt, pepper, and pickled spices to the mixture.

The fourth step

At this stage, we put the cleaned vegetables in a suitable bowl, then we pour water up to a knuckle above the surface of the vegetables so that they are soaked for 10 minutes. Then, we wash the vegetables and put them in a colander to remove excess water.

The fifth step

Next, to dry the vegetables completely, we spread a clean cloth on the work surface and spread the vegetables on it until they are completely dry. Next, wash the carrots and, remove their excess skin, and chop them into small pieces.

The sixth step

The last step is the step of adding Verjuice.
This type of northern liteh, which is known as Nazkhatun, is prepared in about 30 minutes, and you can serve it right away. However, it is better to keep it in a closed jar for 2 days to set.

Golden tips for having the best Torshi Liteh

Place the pickle in a sterilized and dry glass container.

To make your pickle better, use completely fresh vegetables and herbs.

Northern Torshi Liteh can be used for about 2 weeks due to the presence of Verjuice.

The amount of pepper depends on your taste, and you can increase or decrease its amount.

If you want, you can add pomegranate paste to the basic ingredients of the northern pickle recipe.

If you want, you can pour all the ingredients into the meat grinder after washing and drying and then mix.

Dry the vegetables well after washing them because the wetness of the ingredients will cause the pickle to mold.

The amount of salt depends on your taste, but if it is less than usual, it will cause the pickle to mold; 15 grams of salt is enough for this amount of ingredients.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy making this delicious homemade appetizer. If you have any questions, it’s my honor to answer. Enjoy your exploration of Persian cuisine!

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Preparing Torshi Liteh

Recipe by Fatemeh BanialiCourse: AppetizersCuisine: Persian FoodDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

u002du002d-

kcal

Liteh Pickled or Eggplant Liteh or Liteh for short is an eggplant pickle that has been pounded and crushed. This pickle is made from cooked and pounded eggplant and vinegar.
Aromatic vegetables, green pepper, white cabbage, Nigella sativa, pickled spices, vinegar, eggplant, garlic, and turmeric are the most important ingredients for preparing lite pickle.

Ingredients

Eggplant, 4 pcs
Carrot, 4 pcs
Garlic, 1 bush
Chili pepper, 3 pcs
Colored bell pepper (preferably red), 1-2 pcs
Cauliflower, ¼ a medium Cauliflower
Mint, basil and savory vegetables, ½ a kg
⭐Torshi liteh spice, 1 tablespoon
White or red vinegar, As much as needed (2 cups is common usage)
Salt & Turmeric, As much as needed
Ingredients for making Torshi liteh spice:
Coriander seed powder, 5 teaspoons
Cumin powder, 2 teaspoons
Powdered Angelica, 10 teaspoons
Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
Powdered Nutmeg, 1 teaspoon
Powdered Red pepper, 1 teaspoon
Powdered Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
powdered Fennel, 2 teaspoons
Savory, 2 teaspoons
tarragon, 2 teaspoons
Coriander (not in the form of powdered), 2 teaspoons
dried mint, 2 teaspoons
⚠️If you want, you can add some salt depending on your taste.

Directions

Step 1
To make the pickled eggplant (Torshi Liteh), first, we clean the aromatic vegetables for the pickle, wash them well in a bowl with cold water, and set them aside until the water dries.
Step 2
Next, we peel the eggplant, carrot, and garlic, wash them well with cold water, and put them in a colander until they are completely dry. We also separate the stems of the peppers and wash them.
Step 3
After the vegetables are completely dry, we chop them all into large pieces and puree them completely. You can also use a meat grinder.
Step 4
Be careful; if you don’t want your Torshi Liteh to be crushed or pureed too much, you can dice the vegetables, especially the eggplant.
Step 5
After pureeing the pickled ingredients, pour it into a large container and add salt and pickled spices to it and stir the ingredients well until they are completely mixed and uniform.
Step 6
Now, we add vinegar little by little to the pickled ingredients and stir the pickle at the same time.
Be careful that the amount of vinegar should be enough so that your pickle is not too watery and loose, and not too hard; And we let the pickle rest for an hour to determine its consistency.
After an hour, we test the pickle; If the salt and vinegar are enough, we can pour it into the container.
But if the vinegar and salt were not enough, we add a little salt and vinegar again and let it rest for another hour to determine its consistency.
Step 7
After the pickle is uniform, pour it into completely dry jars and close the lid tightly. After 1 week to 10 days, your pickle is ready.
Store and consume the pickle in a cool place. If you want to use the pickle immediately, you must boil the ingredients in vinegar for a few minutes.

Notes

Place the pickle in a sterilized and dry glass container.
To make your pickle better, use completely fresh vegetables and herbs.
Northern Torshi Liteh can be used for about 2 weeks due to the presence of Verjuice.
The amount of pepper depends on your taste, and you can increase or decrease its amount.
If you want, you can add pomegranate paste to the basic ingredients of the northern pickle recipe.
If you want, you can pour all the ingredients into the meat grinder after washing and drying and then mix.
The amount of salt depends on your taste, but if it is less than usual, it will cause the pickle to mold; 15 grams of salt is enough for this amount of ingredients.
Dry the vegetables well after washing them because the wetness of the ingredients will cause the pickle to mold.

Frequently Asked Questions about Torshi Liteh

Why do we rest the pickle for 1 hour after adding vinegar and salt?

The reason for this is that the eggplant absorbs salt and vinegar, and if we don’t wait an hour when we pour the pickle into the container, we will realize that the vinegar and salt of the pickle were not enough.