Terong Balado (Indonesian Spicy Eggplant)
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Terong balado is an Indonesian spicy eggplant dish made with fried eggplant tossed in chili, garlic, sweet soy sauce, and aromatics like lime leaf and daun salam (Indonesian bay leaf). The eggplant stays soft inside while the outside absorbs the bold, sticky sauce. It’s a simple vegetable dish with big flavor.
Serve terong balado warm as part of an Indonesian-style meal with steamed rice. It pairs well with grilled chicken, fried tempeh or tofu, or a simple cucumber salad. This dish works well for both weekday dinners and rice table-style meals.
How to Make Terong Balado
Terong balado translates to eggplant with chili sauce. To make it, the eggplant is cut, lightly coated with cornstarch, and fried until golden. Garlic, shallots, chili, and aromatics are briefly cooked in oil, then sweet soy sauce and palm sugar are added to form the sauce. The eggplant is tossed back in and cooked just long enough to absorb the flavor.
You can adjust the heat level, and or use less sweet soy sauce for a drier finish.
Ingredients such as kecap manis, daun salam, and jeruk purut lime leaves are common in Indonesian cooking and are explained in more detail in my Indonesian ingredients guide.
Continue below for the full recipe with ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
Indonesian Sticky Spicy Eggplant (Terong Balado)
Fried eggplant tossed in sweet soy sauce with garlic and chili. Easy to make, plant-based, and a great spicy side dish for rice meals.
This recipe fits vegan, vegetarian, and dairy-free diets.
Ingredients
For the eggplant
- 2 medium eggplants, cut into large chunks
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- ½ red chili pepper, finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground ginger (laos)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (jeruk purut)
- 1 daun salam leaf (Indonesian Bay Leaf, if not available, skip)
- 5 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1–2 tbsp water, as needed
Instructions
- Toss the eggplant with salt and let it sit for 10–15 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- Toss the dried eggplant with cornstarch until lightly coated.
- Heat oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant in batches until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan. Add garlic, shallot, chili, ground
ginger, lime leaves, and daun salam. Cook briefly until fragrant. - Add the sweet soy sauce, palm sugar, and water. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Return the eggplant to the pan and toss to coat evenly. Cook 2–3 minutes.
- Remove the leaves before serving.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water or microwave until warm.
Freezing is not recommended, as the eggplant texture softens too
much.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 345Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 722mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 11gSugar: 29gProtein: 5g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated. These figures should be considered estimates.
