1. Fill a large bowl or stockpot with water, then
add 2 tbsp salt. Add the eggplants and weigh them
down with a plate or other object; soak for 30
minutes to remove bitterness.
2. As the eggplants soak, let’s make your Sambal
Terasi. In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over
medium heat, then add the shrimp paste. Cook
until toasted, about 3 minutes, then add the
chiles, bell peppers, shallots, garlic, and half
of the tomatoes. Sauté until softened, about 5
minutes, then transfer to a food processor or
blender; add the remaining tomatoes and blend
into a paste. Return the paste to the skillet,
add the sugar, lime juice, and salt; continue to
cook until slightly darkened, 2 more minutes.
Season to taste then set aside.
3. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Remove the eggplants
from the salted water and pat dry. Season with
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Over a baking
sheet, spread 1 tbsp coconut oil. Place the
eggplants on the sheets, cut-side-down, and bake
for 5 minutes. Flip the eggplants over, spoon on
some Sambal Terasi onto each eggplant, then
return to the oven; bake until soft, about 20
more minutes.
There are many variations of shrimp paste
available at your local Asian market, from salty
Chinese shrimp sauce, to Thai shrimp paste, the
latter almost always containing soybean oil. I
prefer the shrimp paste that’s sold in blocks,
either labeled as Belacan (Malay) or Terasi
(Indonesian). The blocks are easy to work with
and usually only carry shrimp and salt as their
ingredients.
While traditional sambal is made with mostly
small, spicy Thai (or “Bird’s Eye”) chiles, you
can use larger chiles that are not as spicy.
These large red chiles are common in Maryland,
sold equally for Korean and Indian dishes. You
could really use any combination of fresh chiles
you have available to you, and offset their
spiciness with bell peppers.
Sambal is a very popular condiment in Southeast
Asia, and used in many dishes, from adding it to
soups to dipping it with vegetables or fried
foods. There are hundreds of different
variations; the one in this recipe, Sambal
Terasi, is a very standard version of the sauce.
Originally Submitted
7/13/2016
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