Pushpesh Pant
There was a time when Indians treated Burma, now Myanmar, as a province of this land. Much has changed since but affinities in food remain. Curry or kari in Burma and Thailand are redolent with aromas and flavours that bear testimony to our shared cultural heritage. This one is for our readers who love to experiment but like to play it safe with vegetarian ingredients. The purists may insist that Thai or Burmese dishes don’t taste the same without the dried fish paste but we are absolutely certain that you can dispense with that tamasik ingredient and still experience bliss. Just ensure that you use fresh ingredients.
Eggplant Tofu Burmese Curry
Ingredients
Eggplants........................................................................500g
Tofu...................................................................................200g
Beans................................................................................100g
Fresh ginger..........................................................2-inch piece
Turmeric paste..................................................................1 tsp
Green onions...................................................................100g
Thai chillies.......................................................................A few
Lemongrass...................................................................1 stalk
Tomatoes (medium sized)..........................................................2
Palm sugar......................................................................1 tbsp
Coconut milk................................................................400 ml
Soya sauce (dark)..........................................................2tbsp
Vegetable oil.................................................................2tbsp
Method
Cut eggplant into small cubes, retaining the skin. String and cut the beans into three-inch pieces. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Chop tomatoes after dry roasting them for two minutes on griddle. Prepare the curry paste by grinding together the tomatoes with turmeric paste, green onions, ginger and lemongrass. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the paste till it loses it’s raw aroma. Add eggplants and tofu along with the beans. Stir fry for a minute and slowly pour the coconut milk. Keep stirring briskly to avoid curdling. Pour in the soya sauce and add palm sugar. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat and simmer till the desired consistency is obtained.
Enjoy with steamed rice or roti.