Dinner Lately…

OK, I cheated. I should really learn to make the curry paste on my own, but due to limited ingredient availability in the region, I was forced to use a pack of green curry paste to make this dish. Nonetheless, it turned out really good. One 50g pack of the paste uses 500ml of coconut milk. I added okra, mushrooms and tau foo pok (fried tofu balls) to the curry, seasoned with a little more salt and sugar and VOILA it was done. Pour the curry on top of cooked ho fun (thick rice noodles) softened with hot water. For garnish, I used fresh beansprouts, cilantro, tomatoes and fried vegetarian ham. The ham can be substituted with shredded chicken for non-vege option.

This is not how I normally BBQ my eggplant/brinjal, cuz my marinade is usually leaning towards Italian, but I would like to try this someday in the oven, it should cook the same way, minus the grill marks.

I know most ppl only think of BBQ = chicken wings/meat, but you can get very creative with vegetables and tofu.

Anyway, here’s Easy Grilled Eggplant/Brinjal — Asian Style

Ingredients
SERVES 3-4 (as a Vegetable Side Dish)
1 Chinese eggplant (other types of eggplant will work too)
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce, available at most Chinese/Asian food stores)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce, OR vegetarian fish sauce (available at Vietnamese food stores)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar + 1-2 more tsp.
7-8 cloves garlic, minced, OR 1 1/2 Tbsp. prepared pureed garlic
Optional: 1 fresh minced red chili, OR 1-2 tsp. chili sauce
2 Tbsp. white wine or cooking wine (or sherry)
Squeeze of lime juice

Preparation
1. In a bowl or cup, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, garlic, and chili (if using). Stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Wash and dry the eggplant. Slicing lengthwise, thinly cut the eggplant (about 1/4 inch thick is good).
You can then cut these slices into smaller sections, if you wish, but I like to keep mine whole, so that they look like eggplant “cellos”. Also, they will stay on the grill easier if they remain wide and flat (see photo).
3. Place the eggplant slices in a long, flat dish (like a glass lasagna casserole dish). Pour the garlic sauce you made earlier over the slices, turning them to cover with sauce (You will have to pile the slices on top of each other).
4. Allow eggplant to marinate at least 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours ahead of grilling time (cover and refrigerate for longer periods).
5. Barbecuing eggplant is very easy. Simply place the eggplant slices on a hot grill, allowing 5-10 minutes each side (this depends on how thick the slices are), or until the eggplant has turned golden-brown and is soft when tested with a fork.
6. While the eggplant is cooking, pour the remaining sauce from the bottom of the casserole dish into a sauce pan. Place over medium heat, adding a few Tbsp. wine plus a squeeze of lime juice and 1 tsp. brown sugar.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to minimum. Taste-test the sauce - it should be garlicky and slightly sweet. Adjust the sweetness according to your taste, adding up to 1 more tsp. sugar. If you’d like it more garlicky, add a little more fresh or pureed garlic. If it’s too salty for your taste, add another squeeze of lime juice. Note that the sauce should be quite strong - this will complement the mild taste of the eggplant.
8. To serve, place eggplant on a platter, and either pour the sauce over, or serve it on the side. This eggplant goes well with rice, or any other dishes you might be cooking up. ENJOY!

Source

I’ve always bought my peanut Sauce from the store, so I thought I’d try this one eventually. Most Western versions of peanut sauce are made with peanut butter, this Thai peanut sauce recipe starts with real peanuts.

This peanut sauce can be used for a variety of purposes, from a dip for veggies to a sauce for chicken, beef or tofu satay or kebabs. I’m saving this sauce for my Thai Summer Noodle Roll that I am planning on making when I have the time

Source: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/thaipeanutsauce.htm

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 clove garlic, minced — I might ommit this
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce (If vegetarian, use vegetarian fish sauce or regular soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste
• 1 tsp. red chilli sauce (more or less to taste)
• squeeze of fresh lime juice (about 1 tsp.)

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water.

Do a taste test for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, and more chilli sauce if not spicy enough.

If too salty, add another squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Serve as a dip with fresh veggies, chicken or beef sate, fresh spring rolls, or mix with noodles to create a Thai-style noodle dish or cold noodle salad. Enjoy!!!

If anyone gets to try this before me, do leave me comments about it

A sweet and sour, Thai influenced Malaysian dish. I used a special marinade made from diced serai / lemongrass that I bought in Sabah, Malaysia but I don’t recall the name of it. The marinade gives the regular tomyum paste a special mellow kick to the dish.

Sautee the serai marinade or fresh serai (lemongrass) in some oil and then add in tomyum paste into the oil. Ginger and garlic may be used if desired. Fry until fragrant before adding in the okra / ladies finger.

Mix a few teaspoons of tomyum paste with hot water in a bowl and add them into the wok to help with the okra’s cooking process. Lemon juice can be used if the tomyum paste is not sour enough, or simply squeeze fresh lemons on the okra just prior to serving.

Season with sugar and salt.

I made this up on the go, and brought it to Andy’s coworker’s pool party. Needless to say, it was a great HIT!!  I forgot to take a picture of the equally good Guacamole though

Ingredients 
Cubed ripe sweet/semi sweet mangoes
Chopped hot peppers (I use serrano, jalapeno, cili padi)
Chopped red bell pepper (for colour)
Chopped red onions (can be omitted)
Chopped green onions (can be omitted)
Chopped cilantro
Lots of lime juice
Brown sugar
Roasted coconut flakes (roast on stove top in a pan or in the oven)

Directions 
Marinate the chopped hot peppers, red bell pepper and onions in lime juice and brown sugar overnight.
Mix the marinated mixture with the cubed mangoes, chopped cilantro.
Sprinkle roasted coconut flakes on the salsa prior to serving.

Voila!!! You’re ready to PAR-TAYHHH!!

You can eat this with tortilla (corn) chips or serve the salsa with seafood or chicken. In fact my hb tells me that it’s good with everything!! It’s like the ultimate summer food cuz it’s refreshing and exciting at the same time. Make sure you have a few ice cold beer or coronas when you do this.