It is that time of year when we make New Year’s resolutions like exercising more and eating healthy food. What is healthy food? It is not easy to answer. Food is getting more personal than ever for many of us. For some, nuts, seafood, wheat, milk and cheese are great, but for others, these foods can wreak havoc. There are people who have food allergies; some only eat meat raised under certain conditions; others only eat raw foods; and there are those who are completely vegan or vegetarian.
It is very interesting that Indonesian cuisine is not well known for its vegetables dishes. In fact, we have so many varieties of regional vegetarian dishes, ranging from stir-fried vegetables to various vegetable curry.
I like sayur asem , or tamarind soup, which originally comes from Java. There is something magical about it. It has many different indigenous vegetables. There are green papayas, young jackfruit, string beans, pumpkin, corn, chayote, melinjo leaves, fresh peanuts and melinjo nuts. Melinjo nuts are the main ingredients to make the more familiar kerupuk , or crackers. The skin of the melinjo nut is very delicious when cooked. The broth of sayur asem has a sour taste with a hint of tamarind and umami from a touch of shrimp paste. Traditionally, young tamarind in a pod is used, not tamarind paste. You can buy easily a pack of sayur asem ingredients at most supermarkets.
There are two methods to make sayur asem: by grinding the spices, or simply chopping them. Chopping all the spices and herbs produces a clear broth as opposed to a cloudy one. Sayur asem is typically served with rice and salted fish, but for me, it is a perfect first course or starter for a formal or informal lunch or dinner. Sayur asem can be served in a very elegant fashion.
For this week’s recipe I have a classic sayur asem recipe with a modern twist, with the vegetables cut into small cubes rather than chunky pieces, and the shell of the melinjo nuts removed.
Sayur asem, or tamarind soup with mixed vegetables
It is easy to make and delicious. Cook the broth for 40 minutes to infuse the tamarind and other spices and herbs. Serves 4
Ingredients
For the broth: Three young tamarind pods, broken into halves; 100g shallots, peeled and thinly sliced; two cloves of garlic (optional), peeled and sliced thinly; three red chili peppers, 5cm fresh galangal, thinly sliced; half a teaspoon of shrimp paste (roasted) or one tablespoon of fish sauce; three candlenuts (macadamia nuts are a good substitute), one liter of water; one tablespoon palm sugar, salt.
Vegetables: 50gr fresh melinjo nuts and peanuts; fresh corn kernels sliced from the cob; one medium chayote, peeled under running water; 150gr each of young jackfruit, pumpkin and green raw papaya, peeled and chopped into cubes; small bunch of melinjo leaves; two string beans; two red chili peppers, thinly sliced (for the garnish).
Directions
1. Put one liter water into a large pan and add fresh melinjo nuts. Then add a ground mixture of chilies, candlenuts, shrimp paste. Add sliced galangal, shallots, garlic and young tamarind pods and bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes to infuse the flavors and to soften the melinjo nuts. Season with salt and add palm sugar.
2. In the mean time, boil the string beans for two to three minutes then place in ice water to stop the cooking process. Tie batches of beans together and slice into segments, giving a decorative look to an otherwise ordinary vegetable. I usually cut them into one-centimeter pieces, but you can do what you like.
3. Strain the broth into a different pan and add jackfruit first and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables except the melinjo leaves and corn and cook for another 10 minutes or until soft.
4. In the mean time, remove the skins from the melinjo nuts and set aside. Also remove the shell and thin skin from the melinjo nuts.
5. Before serving, check seasoning and add the corn, melinjo skins, nuts and melinjo leaves and cook for 30 seconds.
6. Ladle the soup into four individual soup bowls, garnish with sliced red chilies and serve hot immediately.
The post Food for Thought: Sayur Asem appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.