Semur of Eggplant

Semur of Eggplant

This is a simple vegetable stir-fry made with eggplant (aubergines). It is called a semur terong in Indonesian.

I cut the eggplant in 1,5 centimeter slices. It will be simmering soon in a tangy broth. Enak! I do not make the slices too thin, otherwise, they will fall apart in the end.

Semur of eggplant

This dish is enough for 2-3 people as a side dish and is ready in 20 minutes.

Semur of eggplant #457 translated from Beb Vuyks Groot Indonesisch kookboek, page 368.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant/ aubergine
• 1 cup of broth or gravy
• lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of oil

Herbs

• 1 tablespoon of chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon of sambal ulek (Indonesian chili salsa)
• soy sauce
• salt

Cut the aubergine into thick slices and sprinkle with salt. Fry the onions with the sambal in the oil. Fry the eggplant slices. Add the broth, soy sauce and the lemon juice and let the dish simmer for a while.

This semur is slightly acidic in flavor because of the lemon juice. It’s probably also nice with lime juice.

I use two eggplants by the way. The ingredients in Beb’s recipe are the amount for one eggplant. For my dish I double the number of ingredients to adjust it to two aubergines.

I make the broth with half a bouillon cube diluted in warm water. You can also opt for a vegetable broth when you like to keep this semur vegetarian.

I cut the aubergine into 1,5 cm slices and sprinkle them with salt. For one aubergine I use about half a teaspoon of salt.

I sauté the onions in two tablespoons of oil (for two eggplants). I also add my sambal ulek (chili salsa). I’ve made my own sambal and I’ve freezed it in a ice cube mold.

I sauté the slices in a large wok until they start to turn darker in color. They do not need to be cooked completely yet.

Now the stock can go in. I let it simmer for a minute or two.

I use sweet soy sauce (kecap manis).  Two tablespoons are enough for two aubergines.

As the final ingredient, I sprinkle the juice of half a lemon over it. I let the dish simmer now for about 3 to 4 minutes until the slices aubergine are done. I do not wait until the slices are overcooked and slimy. 😉

This is a perfect side dish of healthy, slightly acidic and slightly spicy eggplant. So simple and delicious. We eat it with white rice and a meat dish.

Beb Vuyk, best known for her Groot Indonesisch Kookboek (Great Indonesian Cook Book), was much more than a great cook. She belongs to the most important Dutch-Indonesian (Indo) writers and journalists of her time. Check this out.