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Indonesian Spicy Eggplants - Sambal Terong Balado

Sambal Terong Balado is a dish from West Sumatra, Indonesia, where tender, pan-fried eggplants meet a bold chili paste of shallots, tomatoes, garlic, and hot red chilies. This dish strikes the perfect balance of heat, sweetness, and savoury depth—one bite, and you’ll be hooked!

Servings

Total

25 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Free from

Soy symbol

soy

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Gluten symbol

gluten

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Mi - Oct. 7, 2026, 12:22 p.m.

Paired them up with some fava beans to add protein, really good!


Filippa Andersson - Sept. 24, 2026, 1:22 p.m.

Hi! Do you have any tpis on a protein sores to par whit this?

Bjarn Rothert - Sept. 24, 2026, 9:42 p.m.

I'd add some crispy tempeh chunks. Maybe toss them in a ketjap manis based glaze

PUL small logo PUL Team - Sept. 24, 2026, 10:01 p.m.

Thanks for the question, Filippa, and ooh yes, crispy tempeh would be such a yummy pairing, Bjarn! Our "Sambal Goreng Tempeh" or "Tempeh Bacem" are two ideas 🤤 Alternatively, you could serve it with some edamame or crispy tofu. In case it helps for more inspiration, our “Taste of Indonesia” recipe collection also has more recipe ideas ☺️

Filippa Andersson - Sept. 24, 2026, 10:02 p.m.

Thank you!


Jonathan - Sept. 23, 2026, 7:24 a.m.

This dish looks absolutely delicious. I have a question: in the description of says to use dried Kaffir lime leaves but on the image the fresh frozen ones seem to be used. I never tried the dry leaves but I understood that the fresh frozen leaves have much more flavor as well.

PUL small logo PUL Team - Sept. 23, 2026, 5 p.m.

Oohh, great question, Jonathan, and great eye! Indeed, the leaves shown in the photo are fresh kaffir lime leaves. I've updated the recipe accordingly, though worth mentioning that dried works too (I'd just add a little more if dried is what you have on hand, as the flavour is a tiny bit less aromatic than fresh). Thanks so much for pointing this out and helping us improve our recipes ☺️🌿