Eggplant and Red Sweet Peppers in Roasted Chili Paste

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Eggplant and Red Sweet Peppers in Roasted Chili Paste

 

1 1/4 pounds Japanese eggplants

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic, 4 to 6 cloves

1 purple onion, cut lengthwise into thin strips

2 tablespoons Roasted Chili Paste (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 red sweet pepper, cut into long, thin strips

 

Trim off the stems from the eggplants. If using Japanese eggplants, cut each

one in half lengthwise and then cut each half crosswise into 1-inch pieces. If

using Thai eggplants, quarter lengthwise. If using one or more globe eggplants,

cut into 1-inch chunks.

Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl

to coat the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook, tossing often, until the

onion is shiny and softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggplant pieces and cook,

tossing often, until they are tender but still hold their shape, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the chili paste, sugar, water, soy sauce, and salt and toss well. Add the

red pepper and cook, tossing often, until it is shiny and beginning to wilt,

about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or warm.

Serves 4 to 6.

 

Roasted Chili Paste:

1/2 cup small dried red chilies such as chiles de Arbol or chiles japones (about

32), stemmed, halved crosswise and loosely packed, about 1/2 ounce

A generous 1/2 cup unpeeled shallots, cut lengthwise into chunks, about 3 ounces

1/4 cup unpeeled garlic cloves (8 to 10 large cloves), about 1 1/2 ounces

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar

3 tablespoons Tamarind Liquid (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

 

In a wok or a small, heavy skillet, dry-fry the chilies over medium-low heat

until they darken and become fragrant and brittle, 3 to 5 minutes. Shake the pan

and stir frequently as they roast. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate

to cool.

Increase the heat to medium and dry-fry the shallots and garlic, turning them

occasionally, until they are softened, wilted, and blistered, about 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and transfer to the plate to cool.

Stem the chilies and shake out and discard most of the seeds. Crumble the

chilies into small pieces. Trim the shallots and garlic, discarding the peel and

root ends, and chop coarsely. Combine the chilies, shallots, and garlic in a

mini processor or blender and pulse to a coarse paste, stopping to scrape down

the sides as needed. Add 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil and grind to a fairly

smooth paste. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Pour the remaining 1/4 cup oil into the wok or a skillet. Place over medium heat

until a bit of the paste added to the pan sizzles at once, about 1 minute. Add

the ground chili paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste

gradually darkens and releases a rich fragrance, about 5 minutes. Remove from

the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the sugar, tamarind, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl and stir well.

Add this mixture to the cooled chili paste and stir to combine. The paste will

be quite oily, and must be well stirred before each use. Transfer to a jar, cap

tightly, and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Use at room temperature in recipes

or as a condiment.

Makes about 1-1/4 cups.

 

Note: If you have a heavy mortar and pestle, you can bring this sauce together

in the traditional way. Coarsely chop the roasted chilies, shallots, and garlic

and place in tile mortar Using the pestle, grind and pound them to a coarse

mush, using a spoon to scrape down the sides of the mortar, as you work. Add a

little of the oil and continue pounding and grinding to smooth out the mixture

until you have a fairly smooth paste. Continue as directed, frying the paste in

the oil and then seasoning it with the sugar, tamarind, soy sauce, and salt.

This sauce has two incarnations, one as a pure chili-shallot-garlic paste

roasted in oil, and the other as a rich, tangy chili-tamarind paste softened by

palm sugar's voluptuous kiss. You can stop after frying the paste and have the

former, or complete the recipe and have the latter. Either will work in recipes

in which nahm prik pao is used. You can purchase this condiment in Southeast

Asian grocery stores, but check the ingredients list. In its traditional form,

the seasonings added after frying include fish sauce and dried shrimp. If you

adore fiery food, add more chilies up to 1/2 cup. If you want to cut the heat,

you can reduce the amount of chilies to about 2 tablespoons coursely chopped

chilies, about 1/4 ounce. Handle tile chilies with care, avoiding touching your

eyes and other tender areas for a few hours after handling them. When you are

roasting the chilies, the fragrant smoke from file pan may make you cough a

little.

 

Tamarind Liquid;

1/2 cup tamarind pulp

1 cup warm water

 

Place the sticky, gooey tamarind pulp in a small bowl and add the warm water.

Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes, poking and mashing occasionally with your

fingers or a spoon to break the sticky lump into pieces and help it dissolve.

Pour the tamarind pulp and water through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl.

Use your fingers or the back of a spoon to work the tamarind pulp well, pressing

the softened pulp against the sieve to extract as much thick brown liquid as you

can. Scrape the outside of the sieve often to capture the thick purée that

accumulates there. Discard the pulp, fibers, and seeds that have collected in

the sieve and thin the tamarind liquid with water as needed until it is about

the consistency of pea soup or softly whipped cream.

Use as directed in recipes, or seal airtight and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

It sours and sharpens as it stands, so if it has stood for several days, taste

it and adjust the flavor with some sugar.

Makes about 1 cup.

 

 

 

 

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