Quick Malaysian Styled Vegetable Curry

If there is any restaurant that I missed going to is, in Hoboken's Satay Malaysian one, We saw it from construction to finish phase and visited so many times when we used to lived there that owner used to know us and get hot sauce before we ordered anything since he knew that I love spicy food. He make sure that whatever we order it comes out vegetarian. 

Its been a almost  one and half decades we moved from there and visited , but that taste is still on my tongue and wanted to make same thing for me without stepping out of my home and finally did it. This is as simple as it is but flavor is there and oh so delicious. Eggplant and okra , tomato is a staple ingredients in this dish, instead of Tofu you can add other protein. and just make curry with few chicken in it and it will becomes another dish, I will make that soon and will share it but of course without chicken though.

This dish is very common to find in Malaysia at street hawker stalls that sells this. The colorful vegetables and not so spicy curry always make my wanting more. 

The sauce is from fresh red jalapenos, shallot, garlic and ginger, make a paste and mix it with coconut milk and vegetables. You just need plain rice to soak up the goodness of the curry. 

Ingredients : 

4 tbsp. oil

2 small eggplants, cut into 2 inch long matchsticks

6 okra, removed tips and sliced

1/2 cup chopped cabbage

2 tomatoes cut in to wedges

1 onion cut in to slices

1 cup red jalapenos (depend upon your spice level)

1 shallot roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves

2 slices of ginger

2 tsp.  cumin powder

2 tsp.  coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup tofu cut

3 curry leaves

salt as per taste

1 cup coconut milk

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

Method : 

Heat a pan, add 2 tbsp. oil and cook eggplant and okra, you just need to cook eggplant and okra so its raw taste will go away. Once its done, take it out. 

To make the paste, add jalapenos, shallot, garlic , ginger and 1 tbsp. oil in blender. Make a fine paste.

Heat the same pan again. Add the remaining oil and sauté the chili paste, stirring often, cook till extra water evaporates and paste is cooked. 

Add cumin, coriander , turmeric and sauté for few more seconds until nice aroma comes. 

Add the vegetable stock, and bring it to boil. Once its gets boiled, add the cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, curry leaves .

Cook the vegetables for 2-3 minutes then add coconut milk and check for seasoning , add salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

When its done, add lime juice, taste and adjust the seasoning again if needed. 

Serve warm with plain Jasmin rice or any white rice. 

For me I have to have this curry with hot sambal on side , without that my meal is not complete. 

 

Korean Spicy Garlic Eggplant

If you follow my blog, by now you should have known that I love eggplant, round, long , thick, thin, any shape eggplant I can eat it. This is my new favorite way to eat eggplant, its so flavorful and its goes perfect with steamed rice. You don't need any fancy rice with this since eggplant has so much flavor you need to enjoy that with plain rice. You can make this as per your taste, mild or spicy since it has gochujang and Korean red pepper powder. 

I made this for my diner and leftover I enjoyed it for my lunch next day and it was tasted even better. 

so lets start making it. You need long purple eggplant for this.

Ingredients : 

2 purple eggplant

2 to 3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 green onion chopped

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. agave syrup, honey or sugar or maple syrup

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 or 2 tsp. gochujang sauce 

1 tsp. Korean red pepper powder or flakes

2 tsp. sesame seeds

Method : 

Remove caps of eggplant. Depend upon the eggplant size, cut it in 3 inches long then cut into halves lengthwise.

Bring water to boil in a steamer pot. 

Put all the cut eggplants skin side down on steamer. 

Cover and steam for 5 minutes. 

While its cooking combine, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, agave, sesame oil, gochujang , red pepper powder in a serving bowl. 

When eggplant is done cooking, remove from steamer and cool it down for 5 minutes or till you can handle. 

Once its cold cut eggplant in three pieces lengthwise. 

Add it to the sauce mixture and mix gently with spoon not to break it. if you can handle the heat in your hand , use hand to mix it otherwise wear gloves and mix it. 

Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with warm white rice.