Sambal Terong - Spicy Eggplant delicacy

Although I like to call it sambal terong, this is not a traditional recipe. I varied the ingredients for the sauce a bit as I don't like shrimp paste or fish paste.

I love eggplant and we have a ton of yield from our garden this year - 4 varieties - calliopes, ichiban, black beauty and kamo. I used 2 ichiban, 1 kamo and 1 calliope but, i think sticking to just one variety, say, ichiban would be good too.

I prefer to bake the eggplant, rather than frying. Brush with oil and bake in a 425°F oven for about 8 minutes, then top with sauce and finish baking for another 2 or 3 minutes.

This dish is wonderful served at rom temperature as well.

Ingredients
2-3 ichiban eggplant, about 7"-8" long
oil for frying (optional)

for the sauce
1 medium tomato, seeded, diced
4 Tbsp sambal oelek (or any chili paste)*
2 Tbsp kecap manis
1Tbsp sushi vinegar
1 Tbsp tamarind pulp
1 Tbsp plain white vinegar
4-5 cloves of garlic
salt to taste (optional if using sambal oelek)

*basic chili paste can be made as follows:
soak about 10-12 dry red chilies in hot water for about 10 mins, then drain and pound it in a mortar and pestle or blend it in a blender, adding oil if needed.

Preparation

1. slit the ichiban in half lengthwise, and then half cross-wise again to make 4" slices and set aside; you may salt it and drain it if you want to remove the bitterness. I find the ichiban pretty tasty even if i omit this step.
2. blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender and bring it to a simmer in a sauce pan, turn off heat,adjust taste as desired, and set aside
3. heat oil for frying, and fry the eggplant slices in batches till they are golden brown and cooked through; alternately, bake in 425°F oven for about 8 minutes
4. drain the eggplant slices, and set aside till all the slices are fried
5. arrange the fried eggplant slices in a serving dish and spoon the sauce over it as desired
6. serve warm or cold, with jasmine rice or sweet rice; sauce can be served on the side if desired.