Indonesia / Soup
Sayur Asem (Indonesian Tamarind Vegetable Soup)
This vegetable soup is a must-have item on the menu of every West Java (Sundanese) restaurant in Indonesia. This soup has some kind of appetizing effect because of the use of tamarind or (dried) sour starfuit as one of the ingredients. Sayur asem is a compliment to main dish such as ayam Ayam Goreng Kuning, Pepes Ikan or fried salty fish.
Ingredients
- red chilli, fresh1
- shallots2
- shrimp paste, terasi2 g
- salt1/2 tbsp
- tamarind or tamarind paste or dried bilimbi, fresh tamarind or asam jawa tamarind paste; alternatively 5 dried bilimbi fruits20 g
- galangal105 g
- salam leaf2
- chinese long beans100 g
- chayote1
- sweetcorn50 g
- young jackfruit100 g
- gnetum leaves and fruits, melinjo/belinjau50 g
- peanuts, raw50 g
- salt
- sugar
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 5 steps
Grind together all the ingredients for the spice paste until smooth.
Clean the vegetables, and cut into bite-size pieces.
Bring 1.2 liters of water to a boil in a pot. Stir in the spice paste, tamarind, galangal, and salam leaves.
Gradually add the vegetables, starting with those that require a longer cooking time.
Season with salt and sugar to taste.
