Sambal Terung
Malaysian stir-fried aubergine in sambal: charred, deep-fried aubergine wedges glazed with a sweet-spicy chilli paste of shallots, garlic, dried chillies and tamarind. The aubergine collapses to silky; the sambal coats every piece. Better than the sum of its parts.
Overview
Aubergines are deep-fried in batches until soft and lightly charred. The sambal is built fresh: shallot-garlic-chilli paste fried slowly in oil until darker and aromatic, then balanced with tamarind, sugar and salt. The aubergine returns to the wok and tosses through.
Ingredients
- 3 aubergines (medium, around 750 g; cut into 4 cm wedges)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus more for deep-frying)
- 1 onion (small, sliced; for the finish)
- Salt to taste
Sambal paste
- 6 shallots
- 5 garlic cloves
- 6 dried red chillies (soaked in hot water 15 min, deseeded; reduce for milder)
- 2 long red chillies (deseeded)
- 1 cm fresh ginger
Sambal seasoning
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (or salt to taste)
- 100 ml water
Method
Stage 1 - Aubergines
- Heat 4 cm of oil in a wok or deep pan to 180°C.
- Fry the aubergine wedges in 2-3 batches for 3-4 minutes until soft, golden and lightly blistered. Drain on kitchen paper.
Stage 2 - Paste
- Blend the sambal-paste ingredients to a smooth red paste.
Stage 3 - Cook the sambal
- Heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a wide pan or wok over medium heat.
- Add the paste; cook 6-8 minutes, stirring often, until much darker, the oil separates and it smells deeply aromatic - not raw.
- Stir in the tamarind, sugar, soy and water; cook 2-3 minutes more to a glossy thick sauce.
Stage 4 - Combine
- Add the fried aubergines and the sliced onion; toss gently to coat - try not to break the aubergines apart.
- Cook 2 minutes more so the aubergines absorb the sambal.
- Taste; adjust salt or sugar.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
- Cook the paste long enough: Underdone sambal tastes raw and one-dimensional. The paste must darken; the oil must split out around the edges.
- Tamarind concentrate vs paste: If using concentrate, halve the quantity. Authentic Malaysian asam jawa (block tamarind) gives the truest flavour.
- Heat is adjustable: Six dried chillies give moderate heat. Cut to three for mild; add more bird's-eye chillies for a fierier version.
Storage
- Keeps 4 days refrigerated; reheats well.
- Freezes 2 months.
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