by Chef Timothy Luym

Ingredients
1 Can (14 oz.) Coconut Milk
2 Teaspoons Green Tea
2 Ounces Yellow Curry Paste (available at Asian supermarkets) 3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
3 Indian Purple Eggplants (substitute with 1 Japanese Eggplant) 5 Thai Green Eggplants
5 Thai Basil Leaves
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Stock or Water
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Roti Dough (available at Asian supermarkets)

Directions
Cut purple eggplants crosswise into 1/2” disks. Remove stem from green eggplants, section into wedges, and discard seeds. Set aside.

In a small pot, bring the coconut milk and green tea to a simmer but do not boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 2-3 minutes. Strain and reserve coconut milk. In a separate pot, saute curry paste with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil under medium heat until golden and fragrant. Add the infused coconut milk and 1 tablespoon fish sauce to the paste mixture and whisk until combined. Turn heat to low and simmer, taking care not to boil the coconut milk to prevent curdling.

Heat a pan or wok on high. Add remaining vegetable oil and garlic and stir until the garlic is golden brown. Add eggplants and stir briefly. Add stock or water and sugar and cover with a lid until eggplants are cooked through and water has evaporated, approximately 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce and Thai basil. Remove from heat.

For the roti, heat a pan on medium high and pan fry roti until golden brown on each side. Transfer to a plate with the eggplants and serve with the curry dipping sauce.

Chef’s Note: When cooking with tea, over steeping may result in bitterness. In addition, boiling temperatures can “burn” the leaves, leaching flavor out as well as destroying some of the tea oil’s healthful properties.

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Chef Timothy Luym of Poleng Restaurant and Tea Lounge in San Francisco’s North of the Panhandle (NOPA) District acquired his love and passion for food and cooking in the home kitchen with his mother and grandmother. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Luym trained and worked as a cook in both the savory and pastry kitchens of The Charles Nob Hill and the Fifth Floor. Now at Poleng, he revisits his roots, bringing a simple yet modern twist in taste and technique to the ingredients and street foods of Asia.

Poleng Restaurant & Tea Lounge
1751 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Tel: 415.441.1751