Squid with eggplant

Originally a recipe from Alistair Hendy, but as it didn't work well for me, I adapted it somewhat.

• 500g prepared squid, bodies cut in rings
  
• juice and grated zest of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam, nam pla)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tsp chilli flakes or sambal oelek
• cornflour
• 12 small asian eggplants, halved or quartered
  
• piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• oil for frying
• sweet soy sauce (Kecap manis)
• salad leaves
• crushed peanuts, toasted in a dry pan
  

Prepare a marinade of the lime, zest, sugar, garlic, fish sauce and chilli flakes. Marinate the squid for 1/2 hour. Remove and dry the squid. Put the eggplant and ginger in the same marinade for 15 minutes.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a wok and stir-fry eggplant and ginger until almost done. Add the soy sauce about half way. Remove and keep warm.

Dust the squid with cornflour. Clean the wok, or take another one. Add a shallow pool of oil and deep-fry the squid in small batches, just 30-40 seconds per batch will turn them nice and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

To serve, divide the eggplants among the paltes, top with the crispy squid and sprinkle some crushed some crushed peanuts over it. Serve some salad leaves on the side.

Meanwhile I have been looking at the designs of Bathsheba Grossmann, have a look!