Sayur asem — vegetables in tamarind soup
A sour, hot soup with cabbage, chayote, corn and peanuts.
Active time40 min
Cooking1 h 45 min
Total2 h
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Ingredients
- 500 g white cabbage
- 100 g kale
- 75 g shallots
- 8 Indonesian bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 piece of fresh ginger
- 10 hot red chillies
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 2 tomatoes
- half a cup of raw dried skinless peanuts
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 6 and a half cups of water
- 1 fresh ear of corn
- 100 g fresh yardlong beans
- 5 candlenuts
- 10 g terasi shrimp paste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
- 60 g palm sugar
- 500 g chayotes
- 1 piece of fresh galangal
- 20 g tamarind pulp
Preparation
Heat the water portion for soaking the tamarind. Cover the peanuts with water in a saucepan. Simmer for about 60 min, until tender, then drain and discard that water. Meanwhile, soak the tamarind pulp in 0.5 cup of the measured water, warmed. Mash, strain and keep the juice.
half a cup of raw dried skinless peanuts6 and a half cups of water20 g tamarind pulp- saucepan
- strainer
- mixing bowl
- spoon
- small saucepan
Wash the vegetables and chillies. Peel and core the chayote; remove the corn husks and silk. While the peanuts cook, cut the cabbage, peeled chayote, beans and corn into bite-size pieces. Remove the kale stalks and chop the leaves. Quarter the tomatoes. Dry-toast the shrimp paste in a frying pan until fragrant. Blend it with the stemmed chillies, peeled shallots and garlic, candlenuts, and peeled 2.5 cm pieces of ginger and 2.5 cm pieces of galangal. Bruise the lemongrass.
500 g white cabbage100 g kale75 g shallots3 garlic cloves1 piece of fresh ginger10 hot red chillies2 lemongrass stalks2 tomatoes1 fresh ear of corn100 g fresh yardlong beans5 candlenuts10 g terasi shrimp paste500 g chayotes1 piece of fresh galangal- knife
- chopping board
- peeler
- large frying pan
- food processor
Bring 6 cups of the measured water to the boil in a stockpot. Add the spice paste, tamarind juice, lemongrass, Indonesian bay leaves, palm sugar, turmeric, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 min. Add the cooked peanuts and cook for 10 min. Add the cabbage, chayote, beans and corn. Cook for 15 min. Finally add the kale and tomatoes for 5 min. The vegetables should be tender. Remove the lemongrass and bay leaves, then serve hot.
8 Indonesian bay leaves1 tsp ground turmeric½ tsp ground black pepper1 tbsp salt60 g palm sugar- stockpot
- spoon
- ladle
Allergens
- Crustaceans
- Peanuts
Composition to check for: Celery, Eggs, Fish, Gluten, Lupin, Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Tree nuts, Sesame, Soy, Sulphites.
Sources and credits
Photo: Au Menu — created with ImageGen at Roch’s request · Editorial permission from Roch for Au Menu; OpenAI terms
Au Menu · AI-generated illustration