Sambal Terong Balado

I grew up eating spicy food, in a family who eats chilli padi with tahu goreng (fried tofu) as tea-time snack. So it was with dismay I found myself becoming allergic to all things spicy. My lips will swell and become dry & itchy at the rim. I sworn chilli goodbye for a good 6 months or so. Not religiously, no.

But! That was yesterday.

This morning, I sent H off at 5.30am. And since red chilli is in season I decided to swing my way back to my beloved condiment. Starting with sambal terong balado (spicy egg plant).

Original recipe is from here. And I modify with what I have in the fridge.

n.b. I edited my photos using photovisi.com

Spicy Egg plant (4 pax as side dish)


Ingredients:
(A) The chilli spice
* 5 small chilli, 2 large chilli
* 5 cloves garlic
* 6 cloves shallots
* 1 medium tomato
* 1 tsp terasi (dried shrimp paste)
* 1 tbsp light brown sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 50ml water
* 5 tbsp oil


(B) The eggplant
* 1 large eggplant, washed & cut into strips, about 5 cm long. You can cut into smaller pieces if desired. Just note that eggplant acts like sponges when fried in oil.
* 5 tbsp oil
* 1/4 cup of water


How to:
* Using food processor, finely grind all ingredients in (A) except the oil till smooth.

* Heat the soy oil, then dump the processed ingredients. Cook till all water has dried up then set aside.

* (Work in batches) Heat up 2-3 tbsp oil, and pan fry the eggplant till soft. To reduce the quantity of oil used, I add some water to help it soften. I'm watching out my waist, you see. Once it's soft, set aside over paper towel and work on the next batch.

* Then add back the chilli paste and mix with eggplant. Taste and season to your liking. C'est tout! 

Best served over plain rice as a side dish. You can substitute the eggplant with eggs, fried fish or anything you like. Or just as a sambal - a chilli sauce to dip or to muck ;) Selamat Makan!