Easy Sambal Terong Balado (Eggplants with Sambal) - Healthier version
Servings: 4 servings
Eggplants are pressured cooked or steamed until soft and then smothered in addictingly spicy sambal chili. A much healthier, delicious take than deep-fried eggplants.
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Ingredients
- 500 gr long purple eggplants or you can use dark purple kind
Sambal balado:
- 100 gr red chiles see notes
- 100 gr shallots peeled
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 large tomato quartered
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
Aromatics:
- 3 kaffir lime leaves tear edges to release flavor
Seasonings:
- 1 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1 Tbsp sugar or more as needed
- 1 lime
Instructions
Prepare eggplants:
- Rinse the skin of the eggplants clean with water. Pat dry. Trim off the stem. Halve and then cut into about 3-inch pieces. Make sure you cut them into roughly equal in size so they cook evenly. If you don't cook the eggplant right away, place the cut eggplants into the pot of water to prevent them from turning black while you are cutting the rest
Pressure cooking the eggplants:
- Pour 1 cup of water inside the inner pot of the instant pot. Arrange the eggplant in a collapsible veggie steamer that you can fit inside the inner pot. Cover the lid and turn the steam release valve to seal. Press pressure cooker, high pressure, and set timer to 3 minutes
- When the timer is up, wait 5 minutes and then release pressure completely
You can steam the eggplants if you don't have pressure cooker:
- Bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Place the eggplant pieces on a steaming rack or a plate and steam on high heat for 20 minutes or until the eggplants are fork-tender
If you choose to bake/roast the eggplants in the oven:
- Preheat oven at 400 F (210 C). Line a baking sheet with an aluminum foil. Place the eggplant pieces on the baking sheet. You may need to rub with a bit of oil for a better result. Bake for about 15 minutes or until tender and proceed to "put everything together" step
Prepare sambal balado while the eggplants are cooking:
- Place all the sambal balado ingredients in a food processor or use immersion blender. You can either roughly chop them for that rustic look or process them into finer texture
- Preheat a large skillet and pour in the sambal mixture along with the aromatics. Stir fry for about 5 minutes and then add the seasonings. Keep stirring to prevent sambal from scorching. Have a taste. It should be savory, lightly sweet, with a hint of tang. Add more salt and/or sugar if needed
Put everything together:
- When the eggplants are done cooking, add the eggplants pieces onto the skillet and stir to mix everything. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately
Video
Notes
If you can't find fresh cayenne pepper (cabe keriting), you can substitute with dried Chile de Arbol or Guajillo. Just soak them in water until soft and then proceed with recipe
