I had a slab of Paneer and two Chinese eggplants sitting in the fridge and I did not want to make another curry with either. I have never had paneer with eggplant before, but thought, why not? Let's see if we can cook up a fusion dish of some kind. I have not used Sambal for some time and was in the mood for something spicy. The Sambal paste I had in my fridge is Sambal Badjak. It's a pre-mixed paste. If you want to make the paste from scratch, here are some recipes - One, and Two.
Eggplant has this tendency to soak up a lot of oil when it is fried and then releases it after it is cooked. Most eggplant dishes therefore become a greasy mess. I love eggplant but am always worried about eating so much oil and then feeling sick at night. My solution is the steam the eggplant. That way it cooks with minimal oil and is tasty as ever.
Ingredients
2 long Chinese eggplants
1 lb paneer, cut into bit size pieces
White Oil
1/2 inch ginger, minced
1/2 head garlic, minced
2 Tbsp or more, Sambal Badjak
Salt
Preparation
Eggplant has this tendency to soak up a lot of oil when it is fried and then releases it after it is cooked. Most eggplant dishes therefore become a greasy mess. I love eggplant but am always worried about eating so much oil and then feeling sick at night. My solution is the steam the eggplant. That way it cooks with minimal oil and is tasty as ever.
 |
| Paneer and Eggplant with Sambal Badjak |
2 long Chinese eggplants
1 lb paneer, cut into bit size pieces
White Oil
1/2 inch ginger, minced
1/2 head garlic, minced
2 Tbsp or more, Sambal Badjak
Salt
Preparation
- Steam the eggplant: Cut the eggplant in half and then quarter. Then, cut sideways to make triangular pieces. Heat water in a heavy pan. Put the eggplant pieces in a small sieve and place on top of the steaming water. Cover and let steam till the eggplant is soft. This process also takes out any bitterness that the eggplant may have under it's skin.
- Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add the paneer pieces and fry till they turn golden brown.
- Add in the garlic and ginger. Let it mix and get fried with the paneer.
- Add the steamed eggplant, salt, and Sambal Badjak.
- Saute for few minutes to make sure the flavors get mixed.
This experiment was surprisingly delicious. As you know, we Indians LOVE the heat of chilies and in this dish there is plenty of it. The eggplant soak up the spices, but the paneer does not. So when you eat this dish, there is a yin-yang effect that makes your taste buds go crazy and your heart makes somersaults. At least mine does! Ha!
Comments
Post a Comment