KUNG PAO EGGPLANT TACOS

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Step 1

Pour enough oil into a wok to come halfway up the sides. Heat the oil over high heat to 350°F. (Throw in a grain of uncooked rice; if it pops up and starts sizzling right away, the oil is ready. Or use a thermometer.) Working in two batches, fry the eggplant chunks until golden colored and slightly wrinkled, 20 to 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel or wire rack.

Step 2

Transfer the frying oil to a heatproof container. Heat the empty wok over high heat until it begins to smoke, then swirl in 1½ teaspoons of the reserved frying oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the eggplant, sugar, garlic, and prik tum. Stir-fry until the garlic and prik tum are fragrant, a few seconds, then toss in the stir-fry sauce, chile powder, fried shallots, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Stir-fry until the eggplant is completely coated in sauce, then remove from the heat and toss in the Thai basil.

Step 3

To assemble the tacos: In a dry pan over medium heat, warm up the tortillas until they’re soft and pliable. Spoon a heaping ⅓ cup or so of the eggplant onto each tortilla and garnish each taco with equal portions of Cotija, sliced shallots, and a slice or two of avocado. Serve with lime wedges.

Step 4

Makes 2½ cups

Step 5

At Night + Market we make large batches of what I call stir-fry sauce, a stupidly simple sweet and salty mixture stashed next to the wok in squeeze bottles. We use it to season noodles, fried rice, vegetables, or anything else that goes into the wok. I recommend taking a minute to make it after you hit the supermarket so it’s ready once you start cooking—having everything prepped and ready is half the battle with wok recipes.

Step 6

Combine everything in a bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Keeps in an airtight container indefinitely.

Step 7

Makes about 1 cup

Step 8

You can’t talk about Thai flavors without mentioning the spicy punch of roasted chile powder. Its inclusion is nonnegotiable. And since the fresh stuff is far brighter and more fragrant than anything found in a bag, I consider this a situation where you’ll want to make it yourself. It’s that important.

Step 9

The key to roasting chiles is maintaining the correct heat level. The flame should be low enough so the chiles don’t burn, but high enough so that the chiles darken and develop flavor. The sweet spot is when you end up with a dark red color and a powerful fruity aroma. Once you’ve roasted the chiles but before you’ve pulverized them, you can set a portion aside to make a simple chile oil, which can be served with Thai Dim Sum → this page or used as a topping for khao soi (Chiang Mai Curry Noodles, → this page).

Step 10

In a dry wok, roast the chiles over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they turn a deep, dark crimson (almost brown) and give off a sweet and earthy smell (not burnt). The process shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, but it pays to be vigilant in making sure the chiles toast evenly and slowly.

Step 11

Remove the chiles from the heat and let them rest until cool enough to handle. Transfer to a food processor, blender, or spice grinder and grind until the mixture is slightly finer than the crushed red pepper you’d find at a pizza shop. Be careful not to breathe in any chile dust when you remove the lid. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Step 12

If you want to substitute dry-roasted peanuts any time this book calls for fried peanuts, no big deal. However, I’ve always found that fried skin-on peanuts offer a major upgrade in terms of crunch and flavor—plus they make for an addictive snack. You can season these peanuts with just salt, of course, or since you’re heating up the oil anyway, you can boost them with an array of fried aromatics. If you want to go all in, stir in 2 tablespoons each of Fried Garlic → this page and toasted shredded coconut → this page into the finished fried peanuts to create the most addictive nut mix of all time.

Step 13

Pour enough oil into a wok or deep saucepan to come halfway up the sides. Heat the oil over medium-high to 350°F. (Throw in a grain of uncooked rice; if it pops up and starts sizzling right away, the oil is ready. Or use a thermometer.) Add all the peanuts and fry until they turn golden-brown and become fragrant, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on paper towels, spacing out the nuts so they stay crisp. Sprinkle a teaspoon or so of salt over the nuts while warm.

Step 14

Repeat the frying process in the same oil with the lime leaves, lemongrass, and chiles, cooking each separately until fragrant and golden brown (less than a minute), then draining on paper towels. Transfer the peanuts to an airtight container and crush the fried aromatics over the top, tossing to mix. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month

Step 15

Makes about 2 cups

Step 16

Prik tum is a hot-garlicky paste made by mashing and cooking down chiles and garlic. The most essential application for prik tum is in spicy stir-fries such as Grapow Chicken → this page and Drunken Noodle Pastrami → this page. In a wider sense, it’s useful any time you want to impart the flavor of roasted garlic and chiles, and at Night + Market we use it like a shortcut: Instead of stir-frying fresh chiles and garlic for each order of noodles, we add a spoonful of prik tum. We cook this in large industrial-size batches, which require an hour or more of standing over a stove inhaling spicy fumes—it’s like preparing a hollandaise that can make you cry. Cooking small batches is less painful, but be forewarned that simmering raw chiles are very potent.

Step 17

If you don’t have prik tum on hand, you can always substitute equal amounts of minced garlic and bird’s eye chiles when starting off a stir-fry. But cooking everything together beforehand yields a deeper and more intense flavor, a combination of what Thai people call hom (fragrant) and choon (zesty).

Step 18

In a blender or food processor, puree both types of chile, the garlic, and salt until everything is finely minced. Transfer to a small saucepan and add the oil. Simmer over low heat, stirring often, until the liquid released by the chiles has evaporated and the mixture has transformed into a sticky paste, with the oil taking on the color of the chiles, 30 to 45 minutes.

Step 19

At this point your nose might itch and eyes water—this means you’re on the right track. If at any time the paste seems too viscous or dry, add more oil as needed. Remove from the heat, stir in the white pepper, and let cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month