Balado is an Indonesian type of sambal originated from West Sumatra, Padang cuisine to be exact. It is basically a ground red chili stir-fried with shallots, garlic, herbs like bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, tomatoes in a generous amount of oil that makes the balado looks shiny and appetizing.
Tip to make this dish: choose 'longer' looking eggplants for a firmer eggplant in the final dish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

For the Sambal Balado:

• 300-500 gr shredded chicken
• 500 gr long purple eggplants
• 100 gr red chiles
• 100 gr shallots peeled
• 2 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 large tomato quartered
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil

For the Aromatics:

• 3 kaffir lime leaves tear edges to release flavor

Seasonings:

• 1 tsp salt or more to taste
• 1 Tbsp sugar or more as needed
• 1 lime

Preparation

Prepare Eggplants:

• Rinse the skin of the eggplants clean with water. Pat dry.
• Trim off the stem. Halve and then cut into about 3-inch pieces.
• Make sure you cut them into roughly equal in size so they cook evenly.
• If you don't cook the eggplant right away, place the cut eggplants into the pot of water to prevent them from turning black while you are cutting the rest.

You can either pressure cook, steam or roast the eggplants.

Pressure Cooking the Eggplants:

• Pour 1 cup of water inside the inner pot of the instant pot.
• Arrange the eggplant in a collapsible veggie steamer that you can fit inside the inner pot.
• Cover the lid and turn the steam release valve to seal.
• Press pressure cooker, high pressure, and set timer to 3 minutes
• When the timer is up, wait 5 minutes and then release pressure completely

Steaming the Eggplants:

• Bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil.
• Place the eggplant pieces on a steaming rack or a plate and steam on high heat for 20 minutes or until the eggplants are fork-tender.

Baking the Eggplants:

• Preheat oven at 400 F (210 C).
• Line a baking sheet with an aluminum foil.
• Place the eggplant pieces on the baking sheet. You may need to rub with a bit of oil for a better result.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until tender and proceed to "put everything together" step.

Prepare Sambal Balado while the eggplants are cooking:

• Place all the sambal balado ingredients in a food processor or use immersion blender.
• You can either roughly chop them for that rustic look or process them into finer texture.
• Preheat a large skillet and pour in the sambal mixture along with the aromatics.
• Stir fry for about 5 minutes and then add the seasonings.
• Keep stirring to prevent sambal from scorching.
• Have a taste. It should be savory, lightly sweet, with a hint of tang. Add more salt and/or sugar if needed.

Put Everything Together:

• When the eggplants are done cooking, add the eggplants pieces onto the skillet and stir to mix everything.
• Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.