Roti King’s Aubergine And Sardine Stew Recipe

Sugen Gopal, the brain behind beloved Malaysian-Singaporean street food restaurant Roti King, shares a spicy weeknight stew, taken from his latest cookbook.

Recipe: Sugen Gopal’s Aubergine And Sardine Stew

Aubergine and sardines are an unusual combination in Malaysian cooking, and I’ve only come across it once, at a roadside stall in Buntong, Ipoh. This delicious stew is created from my memory of eating there. It’s a quick-to-prep one-pan dish, which relies mostly on store-cupboard ingredients – perfect for a weeknight dinner. I use canned sardines in tomato sauce, which you can find in most supermarkets, though it would also work well with canned mackerel. Serve it with rice or warmed roti.

• Serves 4 
• Prep time: 5–10 minutes 
• Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 1 tsp Ginger Paste
• 3 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 large aubergine, cut into 2cm chunks
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Sambal
• 1 tsp tamarind mixed with 2 tbsp warm water, strained
• 2 x 95g cans sardines in tomato sauce
• 15g coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add the onion and fry for five minutes, stirring often, before adding the dried chillies and the ginger paste. Fry for one minute, stirring continuously, then add the garlic, aubergine, tomatoes and 150ml (5fl oz) of just-boiled water.
2. Turn the heat down to medium and leave to cook with the lid on for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the sambal and tamarind, place the lid back on and cook for another 15 minutes.
3. Check the stew – the aubergine should be soft and starting to lose its shape – and add a splash more water if it’s sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the sardines and their sauce into the pan, mix to combine and cook for a further five minutes. Serve with the coriander stirred through, alongside roti or rice.

The Roti King cookbook, £18.99. bookshop.org