I've been longing for a decent lodeh terong recently ( lodeh = vegetable stew, terong = eggplant) and I couldn't help myself not to cook it at 5.00 AM, yes, the world's gone mad! since when do I normally wake up at such an early hour anyway? mind you, I take pride in being a midnight owl, so turning into a morning lark is a huge leap... ^_~
Anyways, lodeh holds a special place in my heart for when I was little, I was very much eating lodeh at least once every 2-3 days, well, variations of it, since it's quite a versatile dish. Really, you can throw in *almost* any type of veggie and be done with it. Now, what's not to like about that? Though I feel lodeh does require an 'acquired taste', it doesn't mean one should avoid it.. In my home country, we even put in tempe bosok (lit. rotten soybean/tempe, produced by further fermenting the soybean), or ikan pe (I don't know the English word for it, but this is a type of fish that has a distinctively smokey flavour with similar aftertaste to the tempe bosok).
This time I'm making lodeh terong, because I've been wanting to eat eggplant for a while.. oh, and originally, all types of lodeh use coconut milk because it is meant to have a thick, coconut-ey sauce that tastes delightfully rich, but I'm deviating from the original and use milk instead, for a healthier version. (evaporated milk/ full cream)
Lodeh terong - serves 2
Ingredients:
5 lebanese eggplants, cut into 2 cm thickness
10 pcs deep fried tofu (I used topok tofu, because it absorbs the soup better)
2 pcs cabbage leaves, slice thickly
2 tbsp dried prawns
2 bay leaves
1/4 shallot, chop finely
3 garlic cloves, chop finely
2 chilies, red & green, de-seeded & chop thickly
1 litre chicken stock
250 ml coconut milk/ cream (if you like it rich) - substitute with evaporated milk
1 cm piece galangal
a 50-cent size palm sugar
Salt & chicken powder to taste
How to:
- Pour chicken stock & milk into a medium sized pan, and cook it on low-medium heat setting.
- Add sliced garlic, shallot, chilies, prawns, galangal & bay leaf until it bubbles.
- Throw in the cabbage, eggplant & tofu.
- Once the vegetables are tender, season with sugar, salt & chicken powder to taste.
Because I use 'soft' veggies, this dish could be whipped up in 10 minutes flat.. so convenient when one is starving... :D. Selamat makan!
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| Lodeh terong - my style |
