This is a recent favorite of the Missus. One day a couple of weeks ago I bought some of those golf ball sized green Thai eggplant. I thought we'd eat them raw with maybe a Thai Style Beef Salad, or something like that. The Missus on the other hand had a different idea….She wanted me to try and stir fry them with some shrimp, Thai style, in a sweet garlic type "sauce"….actually more of a coating as She didn't want these too wet. After making it a few times, I've finally got it down to the way the Missus enjoys it. It actually reminds me of those multi-part Chinese style stir-fries, which means it's the prep that really matters.
I found that this type of eggplant isn't the "oil sponge" that I'm used too. It really doesn't need much oil. It also stays fairly firm.
I use palm sugar for these, which, unless you know how to handle can be a pain. I first microwave the hard discs for about 20 seconds then grate it.
This looks like a lot of steps, but it is not.
Thai Garlic Shrimp and Eggplant:
For the Garlic – Palm Sugar mixture
4 Tb Palm Sugar
7-8 Cloves of Garlic minced (equal the amount of sugar)
1 Tb Fish sauce
– Combine grated palm sugar, garlic, and fish sauce – I actually grind up in a small food processor
For the eggplant
5-6 Thai EggplantSliced
2-3 Tb grapeseed oil
2 Tb Chili Paste
1 Tb Fish Sauce
1 Tb White Sugar
1 Tb Shaoxing
White Pepper
For the Shrimp
1/2 Pound Shrimp shelled and deveined
2 Tb grapeseed oil
4-8 Thai Chilies chopped
1 medium shallot minced
1 Tb Fish Sauce
3 kaffir lime leaves sliced in a thin chiffonade
1/3 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
3 Tb scallions sliced – green parts only
– Heat wok until smoking
– Add grapeseed oil for eggplant, quickly add chili paste, and stir till fragrant
– Add eggplant and stir fry
– Add Shaoxing, white pepper, sugar, and stir fry until eggplant is well coated
– When eggplant softens slightly add fish sauce.
– When eggplant is heated through remove to a plate and wipe down wok and bring back to temp
– Add grapeseed oil for shrimp.
– When the oil starts to shimmer add Thai Chilies, shallot, and kaffir lime leaf.
– Stir fry until fragrant
– Add shrimp and stir fry
– Add fish sauce.
– When shrimp starts turning translucent add the Garlic-Palm Sugar mixture and stir fry until it bubbles. Add eggplant back ot the wok.
– When shrimp is cooked through remove from heat and add all but 1-2 Tb of cilantro and all of the scallions and combine
– Top with the rest of the cilantro when serving
We served the shrimp on some lettuce from our garden.
And lots of rice of course