The kingly eggplant is actually a fruit — part of the nightshade family, along with tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum and tobacco. Here I use Japanese eggplants as they are skinny, long and have thin skin, making them perfect for chargrilling. The cooked flesh becomes moist and creamy and takes on a lovely deep smokiness, which is my favourite character of this dish. When I cooked this recipe on the streets of Yangon, all the local food-stall owners offered to give up their chargrill barbecue for me. I couldn’t accept, as it meant they couldn’t operate their own stall. But they were adamant on helping, so off they went and brought back their family barbecue from home! The people of Myanmar would have to be among the most generous in the world.