Sayur lodeh
Local name : Sayur lodeh
Javanese coconut milk vegetable stew with chayote, long beans and tempeh, thickened by a candlenut spice paste.
Photo : Midori · CC BY 3.0
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Method
- Pound the shallots, garlic, nuts, galangal and turmeric in a mortar to a smooth paste. A blender works with a spoonful of water.
- Heat the coconut oil in a large pan and fry the paste for 6 minutes over medium heat, until the oil separates and rises.
- Add the lime leaves and 200 ml of the coconut milk. Let it reduce for 4 minutes, stirring.
- Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, add the chayote and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, never letting it boil.
- Add the long beans, tempeh, salt and palm sugar, then cook for another 8 minutes.
- Taste, adjust the salt and serve with white rice.
Frying the paste until the oil separates, a step Javanese cooks call tumis, cooks out the raw shallot and garlic. Skip it and the stew keeps a harsh edge. Boiled coconut milk splits, so hold it at a bare simmer.
