Whether you call it brinjal, eggplant or aubergine; this beautiful vegetable is bound to be a hit when dosed with a deliciously sticky and spicy sambal.

‘Sambal Terung’ is a well-loved staple at any Malaysian family table and for good reason. It works well as a simple lunch treat, pairs perfectly with whatever happens to be on the table that day and it’s incredibly easy to rustle up in just 20 minutes.

Flavours and pairings

The creamy sweetness of eggplant offsets the heat of chilli, while the taucu in this recipe brings an added note of umami (perfect for vegetarians looking for a bit of oomph).

If you prefer your sambal with a little less heat, just leave out the bird’s eye chillies.

Ingredients

To blend:

• 6 garlic cloves
• 5 cm piece galangal (lengkuas), finely sliced
• 5 large red chillies, roughly chopped
• 2 small white onions, roughly chopped
• 1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
• 3 red bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped (optional)

To cook:

• 3-5 long eggplants, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 3-4 teaspoons taucu
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

Method

• Blend garlic, galangal, red chillies, white onions, tomato and bird’s eye chillies (optional) in short sharp pulses until a rough paste is achieved. The sambal should have a coarse texture, it should not be a fine paste.
• Prepare a pot for deep frying with two cups of oil. Bring the fire up to medium-high.
• Then fry the eggplant for one to two minutes until they’re three-quarters cooked through (cook the eggplant in batches to ensure that it cooks evenly).
• Remove from the oil, drain and set aside on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
• Remove most of the oil from the pot, leaving about five tablespoons of oil remaining. Bring the fire to a low-medium heat.
• Then add the blended sambal ingredients. Also add the sugar, taucu and a little salt and cook on a gentle heat for 10-12 minutes to allow the ingredients to slowly caramelise, stirring throughout to ensure the sambal does not burn.
• Allow the oil to split and the sambal to gain a jam-like sticky texture.
• Add the eggplant to the sambal.
• Gently spoon the sambal over the eggplant and ensure that every piece is well coated.
• Add two tablespoons of water and combine everything gently (be careful not to overwork the eggplant so it doesn’t become mushy).
• Cook for two minutes on a low fire and it’s ready.
• Plate and top with finely sliced kaffir lime leaves to serve.

@theorangesieve serves up recipes from the heart, inspired by travels near and far. It’s all about food that humbly invites you to discover the truth about flavour, that is: the people, the culture and the stories behind them. The kind of food that leaves you with a smile for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on.