Dayrecipe Food Community

Gaeng Pah Muu

Most curries from southern Thailand use coconut milk. This one, from the mountainous north, doesn’t, because the climate is too temperate for coconut palms to survive.
Don’t be intimidated by the start-to-finish time; the curry paste and chicken stock can be made days ahead. Once you have those components at hand, the recipe only takes about 1 hour to put together. If you prefer your food less spicy, use the smaller amounts of curry paste and vegetable oil.

Active time: 3 1/4 hr Start to finish: 7 1/4 hr (includes making curry paste and stock)

Makes 8 servings (as part of larger meal).

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb thai apple eggplants (see cooks’ note, below)
• 2tablespoons to 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4to 1/2 cup thai red curry paste
• 1 1/2lb pork tenderloin, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 1/3cup julienne strips peeled fresh or frozen grachai (lesser galangal or wild ginger; thawed if frozen) or drained bottled grachai, rinsed, or ginger
• 3oz chinese long beans or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8canned baby corn, rinsed, drained, and halved lengthwise
• 1 1/2cups thai chicken stock
• 3tablespoons nam pla (asian fish sauce; preferably thai)
• 5(4-inch-long) fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot)
• 1fresh chee fah chile or 2 red jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise and seeds discarded
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 1cup loosely packed bai grapao (holy basil leaves) special equipment:a large (6-qt) wok
• accompaniment:thai pickled garlic (gratiam dong)

DIRECTIONS Trim eggplants and cut into 1-inch wedges (do this just before heating oil to avoid discoloration).

Heat oil (see above) in wok over moderate heat until warm, about 30 seconds. Add curry paste (to taste) and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and a shade darker, 2 to 3 minutes. Add pork and stir-fry over high heat until no longer pink on outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggplant, grachai, beans, baby corn, and stock and simmer, stirring, until eggplant is crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add fish sauce, lime leaves, chile, and salt and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in half of basil.

Serve topped with remaining basil.

Cooks’ note:
Long slender Asian eggplant can be substituted for Thai apple eggplant. Thai apple eggplant is traditionally eaten raw or crisp-tender, but Asian eggplant needs to be precooked. Cut Asian eggplant into 1-inch cubes and toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, then bake in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan in a preheated 400°F oven until crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Proceed with recipe.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 hr

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 7 1/2cups water
• 3cups packed light brown sugar (from two 1-lb boxes)
• 1 1/2cups kosher salt
• 1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1cup chopped fresh dill
• 8(6- to 8-oz) pieces salmon fillet with skin
• 2lb small eggplants, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 2tablespoons olive oilaccompaniment: fennel cucumber relish
• special equipment:a 1-lb weight such as a soup can

DIRECTIONS Bring water, brown sugar, salt, and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar to a boil in a 5-quart pot, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Transfer 6 cups brine to a 13- by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, then stir in dill and cool. Transfer remaining 4 cups brine to a large bowl and add remaining 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, stirring until dissolved, then cool completely.

Marinate salmon, skin sides up, in brine in baking dish, chilled, 1 hour. (Do not turn salmon.) Put eggplant in brine in bowl, then invert a small plate over eggplant and weight it with soup can (to keep eggplant immersed). Marinate eggplant at room temperature 30 minutes. (Do not brine salmon or eggplant longer than indicated or they will be too salty.)

Prepare charcoal or gas grill for cooking.

Remove salmon from brine and pat dry, discarding brine. Remove eggplant from brine, then rinse and pat dry, discarding brine. Toss eggplant with oil and pepper to taste in a bowl.

When fire is moderate (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds), grill eggplant on lightly oiled grill rack, turning once, until golden, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter with tongs and keep warm, covered.

When fire is moderately low (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 5 to 6 seconds), grill salmon, starting with skin sides up and turning once, until just cooked through and skin is crisp, about 8 minutes total.

Serve salmon over eggplant.

Cooks’ note:
° Brine (without dill) can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Makedonitiki Melitzanosalata

Editor’s note: The recipe below is excerpted from Diane Kochilas’s book The Greek Vegetarian. Kochilas also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we’ve added at the bottom of the page.

To read more about Kochilas and Greek cuisine, click here.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggplants
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt to taste
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash the eggplants and pat dry. Puncture the skin in several places with a fork. Place on an ungreased pan and bake for about 25 minutes, turning, until the skin is blistered and shriveled. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes, until easy to handle.

2. While the eggplants are roasting, pulse the garlic, walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together in a food processor until ground and pastelike.

3. Cut off the stem and cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the pulp, discarding as many of the seeds as possible. Add the eggplant, a little at a time, to the bowl of the food processor and pulse on and off. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and remaining olive oil and pulse until well combined. The eggplant puree does not have to be perfectly smooth. Season with salt and add a bit of sugar if necessary, as eggplants sometimes impart a trace of bitterness.

Diane Kochilas shares her tips with Epicurious:
• This version of the traditional eggplant spread melitzanosalata is from the north of Greece. Its similarity to the Middle Eastern dip baba ghanoush is due to the Turkish influence in Greek cuisine.
• In Greece, hunks of country bread are traditionally dipped into this spread. Toasted pita is not as traditional but makes an equally delicious accompaniment.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

“Even people who aren’t enthusiastic about vegetables enjoy my steamed eggplant with what I call ‘Sesame Sauce à la Reddy,’” writes Guvvala Reddy of Madison, Wisconsin. “I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite Indian dishes, and it proves that the right mix of spices can change otherwise bland vegetables into something really special.”

Also nice as a side dish for chicken or lamb.

Makes 8 (appetizer) servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 4tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2white onions, finely chopped
• 2teaspoons chili powder
• 2teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4garlic cloves, chopped
• 4whole cloves
• 4cardamom pods
• 2bay leaves1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1tablespoon water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger8small japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise, cut side scored2cups canned vegetable broth
• chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 12 minutes. Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients. Cook until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in garlic, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves. Set aside.
Cook sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat until golden, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Transfer to processor; grind to coarse powder. Add 3 tablespoons oil, onion mixture, 1 tablespoon water and ginger; blend until mixture forms paste. Season with salt.
Spread 1/3 cup paste over scored side of eggplants (reserve remaining paste in processor). Steam eggplants, paste side up, until tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, add broth to remaining sesame paste in processor; blend well. Transfer to small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Transfer eggplants to plate. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with cilantro.