A Hearty & Spicy Eggplant Dinner & Snack Shot News

I need fibre! If there's one thing I miss about my hyperthyroidism, it's gotta be my used to be super high metabolism rate. After they removed most of my thyroid gland, the teeny tiny bit of the remaining gland, which had been under the influence of 3 year long medication, is now as highly effective as doing nothing in the office. So, my current metabolism rate is as high as that of a huge piece of rock, which is pretty much standstill. That explains why I desperately need fibre, and eggplant is my choice for a tasty answer.

I love how eggplant absorbs any seasonings we put.

I didn't want to do a classic Chinese spicy eggplant with minced pork, as my sous chef threatened to purchase 1 jar of instant seasoning, and I don't feel like sharing recipes which came from a jar :p So here comes my version of Hearty & Spicy Eggplants (recipe below).

The Snack Shot#2 News
THIS MADE MY DAY! Michelle of Greedy Gourmet told me that I won the overall photography part of Snack Shot #2: Leek! YAY! YAY! YAY! I've never won any contest since my junior high writing competition about Ibu Kartini (Indonesia's national hero for women's education), and that was a longgggggggggggg time ago! This calls for another major splurge on food ^_^...

Thank you, everybody, for giving me this super cute badge!

My post for Snack Shot#2: Leek> Licky Leek Spring Rolls

See you all at Snack Shot #3: Muffin! Can't wait to drool over and gobble down your yummy muffin posts!

A Hearty & Spicy Eggplant Dinner Recipe

(serves 4)
- 2 long eggplants, peel skin off, cut into long chunks
- 1.5-2 lbs ground beef (depends how meaty you want it to be, I like mine very meaty hehe)
- 4 red chilli, core and seed removed, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, 5 cloves of shallot, finely chopped
- a bunch of fresh corriander, finely chopped
- a bit of ginger, crushed
- 1 small tomato, chopped/smush
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tbsp palm sugar, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, pepper
- olive oil, a bit of corn starch dissolved in water for thickening

Saute aromatics, add beef, add pieces of eggplants, cook until eggplants a bit softened, add spices/seasonings, thicken sauce, cook until eggplant pieces are soft enough for your taste (ehm I like them a bit mushy hihhi), serve with steamed white rice.