During our time in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, I tried a wonderful new dish called ซุปมะเขือ, or sup ma khuea. In Northern Thai cuisine, sup is a culinary term for a dip made by boiling a vegetable and then pounding it in a mortar and pestle, while ma khuea simply means eggplant.

The result is a flavorful and aromatic dip that incorporates charred aromatics and fish meat, making it a great way to use up leftover steamed fish. It is traditionally enjoyed alongside crunchy vegetables and sticky rice.

The eggplant has to be Thai, preferably the bright green, round variety that is about the size of a golf ball. The fish to use for this is steamed short mackerel, known as Pla Thu (ปลาทู). You might recognize them by their traditional crooked necks, a shape designed to make it easier to fit the fish into their round steaming baskets. At the Asian market I can buy them frozen and already steamed.

The original recipe calls for fermented fish sauce, but I used regular as I couldn’t find the fermented type.

Ingredients

• 220 grams Thai round eggplants
• 1 sliced shallot
• 3-4 sliced garlic cloves
• 2 Thai red bird chilli
• 50 grams steamed mackerel
• 2 Tbsp fermented fish sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp minced cilantro
• 1/2 Tbsp minced green onion
• 1/2 Tbsp minced mint leaves

Instructions

Remove the stem of the eggplants, quarter them, boil them until soft, then drain them.

Thickly slice a shallot and 3-4 garlic cloves. Remove the stems and seeds from 2 Thai red bird chillies. Char these aromatics in a dry skillet until nicely charred on both sides.

Take the fish meat off the bones.

Place the boiled eggplant, charred aromatics, and fish meat in a mortar.

Pound with the pestle to obtain a coarse puree. Season with 2 tablespoons of fermented fish sauce.

Fold in a tablespoon each of mint, cilantro, and green onions.

Serve with sticky rice and steamed vegetables such as long beans, pumpkin, and cabbage.