spicy – The Louisville Chef

Baingan “Eggplant” Bharta

November 10, 2025Leave a comment

This is a very comforting Northern Indian dish and very tasty, with so many layers of flavor. It’s a popular dish in many Indian homes. The charring of the eggplant before being baking is really key to getting that smoky flavor. If it’s more convenient, the charring and roasting can be done the day before.

Ingredients:

2- Eggplants, prepared as described below, see note.

3 – 4 Tbsp of Oil or ghee.

1- Onion

4-5 cloves Garlic, minced

3-4 inch piece Ginger, peeled and minced.

1-2 cups chopped Tomatoes, I like cherry tomatoes sliced in half.

1 tsp Coriander Seeds, freshly ground. If you don’t have a spice grinder then substitute 1/2 tsp of pre ground.

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Cumin Seeds, freshly ground. If you don’t have a spice grinder then substitute 1/2 tsp of pre ground.

1 tsp Garam Masala

1-2 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder, or sub with 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper Powder.

1 Tbsp Fenugreek Leaves

1 tsp Sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. While the oven is heating, take the eggplants and prick them all over. This is essential so they will not explode when you cook them. Turn on a gas flame and brown the eggplant skin on all sides, turning them frequently. A pair of tongs makes this very easy. This will take about 5-8 minutes, but keep a close watch on them.

After they are well browned, put them onto an aluminum foil or parchment lined baking sheet and into the preheated oven for approx 45 minutes or until they are wrinkly and soft. Allow to cool and scrape out the flesh and set aside.

Two charred eggplants resting on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, showcasing their smoky exterior.

Make your paste by adding the onion, garlic and ginger into a mini blender/ food processor. Grind it in stages until it’s a smooth paste. You can also finely chop them if you don’t have a mini blender.

Sauté your onion, ginger garlic paste in 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil. Cook it until the harsh smell is gone.

Then add your ground spices and cook them gently until they smell fragrant. Add your tomatoes and cook until the mixture thickens slightly.

Adding your chopped eggplant, sugar and fenugreek and simmer until the eggplant is fully cooked. If the mixture seems too thick, just add some water. A good sign that the dish is ready is when the oil separates from the sauce.

Serve over basmati rice.

Note: If you don’t have a gas range, you can approximate the charring under a broiler by turning the eggplant until well charred and then finish baking in the oven.

Cajun Gumbo

June 10, 2025October 9, 2025Leave a comment

Gumbo can be made so many different ways and books have been written about the different combinations. However, this is one of my favorite versions as it is smoky and dark. The flavor needs time to develop, so don’t try and rush it. The slower it cooks the better it will be.

A pot filled with a smoky, dark gumbo featuring chunks of sausage, chicken, and various vegetables, simmering on a stove.

The key to a great gumbo is the roux. Making a good roux is easy, if you follow the steps exactly and again don’t rush. Check back to the previous post on making a roux.

Always serve with freshly steamed white rice. I like to medium grain, as it gets nice and sticky. It seems to hold up better with gumbos and jambalayas.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of Vegetable Oil

3/4 cup of All Purpose Flour

2 large Onions, chopped

1 large Green Pepper, chopped

1 cup of Celery, chopped with the leaves included

1 lb. of Andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces.

1 lb. Chicken, boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch cubes.

6 cups of hot Water or broth

1 Tbsp Salt, or to taste.

½ tsp. Cayenne pepper

3 Bay leaves

1 tsp. Thyme, or 3-4 sprigs of fresh Thyme

Lots of freshly ground Black Pepper

1 cup finely chopped Green Onions

1 Tbsp File Powder

Preparation:

Make a medium or dark roux, then add all the vegetables and spices and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. When the smell starts to fill the kitchen it’s ready.

Then add the sausage, and cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the hot water and bring it to a boil and then turn it down to medium low for 30 minutes.

Add the chicken and bring it back to a gentle boil and cook for an additional 1-3 hours. When the fat comes to the surface skim it off, otherwise your gumbo will be greasy.

Here’s a simple trick. Use a paper towel folded in half and then again and gently lay it on the surface and let it absorb the excess oil. Use tongs to take it out. Do as often as needed.

When you’re ready to serve it, take it off the heat and add the file powder and green onions. Let it sit for a few minutes and rest, then spoon into bowls on top of your white rice.

Tom Yum Koong, Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

March 30, 2025Leave a comment

This is a traditional Thai soup. To make it properly, you need to layer the flavors, rather than throwing everything into the pot at one time.

I have heard from a few people that some of the ingredients are somewhat hard to find. If you have a local Asian market, they often keep the galangal and kaffir lime leaves in the freezer section. Both freeze very well.

Barring that, here is a great Thai produce site to find everything you need. Use what you need of the lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves and freeze the rest. https://importfood.com

Ingredients:

6 cups low sodium Vegetable Broth
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 – 3/4 lb Shrimp, shelled and deveined with shells, heads and tails retained.
3 pieces of sliced Galangal, softened with back of your knife.
2 stalks Lemon Grass, peeled and tough ends cut off and softened with back of your knife.
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and mashed.
3-5 fresh Thai Chilies, sliced in half.
8 Kaffir Lime leaves
1 Tbsp Chili Paste with Soya Bean Oil, see picture and note below.
1 cup Fresh Oyster Mushrooms, chopped into bite size pieces.

2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
3-4 fresh Limes, juiced
Fresh Cilantro for garnish.

Preparation:

Begin by heating up your oil in a medium to large stock pot. Then add in your galangal, garlic, chilies and lemon grass and retained shrimp shells and sauté them briefly until the aroma starts to release.

Add in your vegetable broth and kaffir lime leaves bring it up to a soft simmer. Allow this to gently simmer for about 20 minutes.

Then strain the broth and return to your pan. Add your chili paste and oyster mushrooms. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and then add your fish sauce and shrimp. Cook just until the shrimp turn pink. This will take only a minute or so.

Add your lime juice, adjust to taste, top with fresh cilantro and remove from the heat and serve.

Note: Sugar is often added to Tom Yum Koong, but I found the chili paste I used was quite sweet, so I omitted any additional sugar. If you can find Thai Nam Prik Pao (Roasted Chili Paste) then you might need the sugar. If so, 1 tsp would be suffcient.

Pancetta Green Beans

March 17, 2025Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of southern style green beans . I like the flavor and texture of “snaps” as we used to call them. This is a little more fancy than my grandma made, but the same smoky, meaty flavor is all there.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup diced Pancetta or Bacon

1/2 sliced Onion

4-5 Garlic cloves, whole

1/4 cup White wine, optional

1/4 cup Vegetable/Chicken broth

1 bag of trimmed Green Beans, rinsed.

1 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Chili Flakes

Few grinds of black pepper

Preparation:

Sear your pancetta until golden brown and add your onions and garlic to soften. Deglaze with the wine and then add green beans and rest of ingredients.

Stir and cover and cook gently for as long as desired. I like them very soft, so it’s a more southern style. That’s about 1 1/2 hours. Serve with slotted spoon as is or spoon over mashed potatoes with the “pot likker”.

Note: You can also add potatoes and let them cook along with the green beans.

Note: If you like a sweet and sour flavor, add 1 Tbsp Vinegar and a tsp of Sugar.