Anaïs Ca Dao is the type of friend who will come over, sniff around in your fridge and make you lunch; while eating it, she will then want to discuss in detail what’s for dinner. Today’s dish was that dinner, born out of our mutual love for the sweet-and-sour tamarind dishes of Thailand. Cooking it involves the meditative turning of aubergines until they bronze and soften, and sweating down onions until they glisten like ruby slices. It’s the perfect thing to cook when you have a friend in the background to chat to – especially when there are more meals to be discussed.
Tamarind aubergines with Thai basil
Don’t skimp on the cooking times for the aubergines and onions – it’s what takes this recipe from good to great. You’ll need a wide frying pan for the aubergines.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 2
2 large aubergines (600g)
Rapeseed oil
2 red onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced
1 tsp fine sea salt
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
3 tbsp tamarind paste
½ tbsp light soy sauce
15g Thai basil, leaves picked
Cooked jasmine rice, to serve
Cut off and discard the aubergine stalks, cut the bulbs in half lengthways, then cut each half into long wedges about 4-5cm at their widest part.
Put four tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on a medium to high heat and have a plate ready. When the oil is hot, lay in some of the aubergine wedges on one of their cut sides and in a single layer, and leave to cook for three minutes. Turn the aubergine wedges on to their other cut side, cook for another three minutes, then transfer to the plate. Add an extra tablespoon or two of oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining aubergine wedges.
In the same pan, turn down the heat to medium, add three more tablespoons of oil and, when hot, add the sliced onion and a teaspoon of salt. Stirring infrequently, sweat down the onions for about 12 minutes, until browning nicely; if they at any stage threaten to stick and burn, add a little water (up to a couple of tablespoons). Stir in the garlic and cook for three minutes more, or until the onions are caramelised and soft.
Add the chilli flakes, sugar, tamarind paste, soy sauce and 175ml water to the pan, then stir in the aubergine wedges. Turn down the heat to medium-low, simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the aubergines and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the aubergines are tender.
Lift out the aubergine wedges one by one on to a platter, layering them up neatly. Add the Thai basil leaves to the tamarind and onion sauce left in the pan, stir until it wilts into the mixture, then pour all over the aubergines. Serve with jasmine rice.
