Indonesian•indulgent

Terong Balado - Eggplants with Chili Sauce

Hot and spicy terong balado (eggplants with chili sauce) just like the one you get in a decent Padang restaurant.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

4 Chinese eggplants (about 750 gram)
8 tablespoon cooking oil
50 gram palm sugar (Indonesian: gula Jawa)
20 gram tamarind, dissolve with 2 cups of warm water
40 gram fresh red chilies (fresno, or bird-eye, or a mix of the two), seeded if you want less heat
100 gram shallots
5 cloves garlic
2 teaspoon salt

1
Quarter eggplants lengthwise and cut into bite size pieces. Soak in cold water that has been sprinkled with plenty of salt to prevent eggplant flesh from turning into brown color.
2
Heat cooking oil in a wok on high heat. Pat dry eggplants and fry for about 2 minutes to bring out the color. Drain over a wire rack to remove excess oil, and set aside.
3
Remove the oil from the wok and leave about 1 tablespoon of oil. Heat the oil and stir fry the spice paste until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
4
Pour the tamarind juice and add the palm sugar. Boil for about 2-3 minutes.
5
Toss in the fried eggplants and boil again for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with steamed white rice.