Aubergine with Sambal

Try this mouth-watering vegetarian dish with a spicy kick for your Meatless Mondays!

Hello and happy Monday to you.

How was your weekend? I went for an epic bike ride and can say that I am quite thoroughly in love with cycling now. One thing I really like about where I am living in Newcastle is that it is near the River Tyne and about 13 miles from the beach. So, last Saturday we decided to cycle to the beach in South Shields and back. The weather was sunny and we even managed to have a pit stop for fish and chips in South Shields. The fish and chips in Colmans is just mind blowing and a must try if you are ever in South Shields. From South Shields, we took a 5 minute ferry ride to North Shields, which is just stunning - as seen in the photo below.

Purple Minion mode "on" at Colmans

I am really new to the cycling game so after that bike ride I decided to buy some cycling gear. While we are on the subject of cycling gear, I just need to say that padded cycling trousers are such a god sent! Why have I not tried them before?!? Anyway, I managed to spend more on cycling gear than I did on my bike, which I bought second hand for £40. Well, you need to look stylish on the bike right??

Coming back to food this Meatless Monday, I made aubergine with sambal. Sambal is a Malaysian spicy chilli paste which tastes great with just about anything. I have previously shared my recipe for sambal in my post on okra with sambal.

In that version, I steamed the okra and just ladled the sambal on top. Today’s recipe however is more of a stir fry.

The aubergine is stir fried with the sambal and some lemongrass. So simple and absolutely delicious. Just serve with some piping hot steamed rice and you have a meal ready.

Traditionally, the aubergine slices are deep fried first so you can include this extra step if you like.

Recipe for Aubergine with Sambal

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cooking Time: 10 minutes / Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Aubergine

1 Red Onion (chopped into chunks)

1 Tomato (chopped into rough chunks)

1 stalk of Lemongrass (quartered)

3 Tbsp Sambal

1 Tbsp Fish Sauce

1 tsp Salt

¼ tsp Sugar

1½ Tbsp Vegetable Oil

4 Tbsp Water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok. Once hot, sauté the red onion for 2 minutes on high heat until it has softened.

2. Add in the sambal and continue to sauté, next add in the aubergine and sauté everything together. Add in the tomato chunks, lemongrass, fish sauce, salt and sugar and mix.

3. Add some water if it gets too dry. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 8 minutes or until the aubergine has softened and is thoroughly cooked. Dish out and serve with steamed rice.

A few more spicy vegetarian recipes you might like:

Okra with Sambal	Vegetarian Curry