Indonesian Recipe: Sayur Asem
Sayur Asem was one of my favorite Indonesian traditional delicacies. It was the cheapest, most hearty and nutritious soup in Indonesian cuisine. In every restaurants I go to, if they got Sayur Asem in their menu, I'd go straight ordering it. It was so tasty that I decided to whip it off at home, myself, and it turned out amazing!
As it is rich in flavor, it's richer history wise. Many believes that the whereabouts of Sayur Asem dates back to colonialism era in Indonesia where there happened to be an event of food scarcity but tamarind trees otherwise, grew ever so prosperously.
Sayur Asem itself has 3 different styles, determined based on the cooking process. However, I've so far tasted only the Javanese and the Batavian Sayur Asem. What I've listed down below was the recipe of the Javanese version which in comparison to the Batavian version, contains more spices thus making the broth red. This is is also VEGAN FRIENDLY if you choose to get rid of several ingredients I've listed as optional. So without further ado let's get started!
INGREDIENTS:
4cm part Red Galangal, crushed (substitute with regular Galangal)
2 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Asam Jawa)
1 pod Tamarind fruit
8 Gnetum seeds*
2 branches of Gnetum leaves*
3 leaves Indonesian Bayleaf (daun Salam)
1 whole cob of Corn, divide into 3 equal parts
1 Courgette (eggplant), quartered
4 Long Green Beans (a.ka snake beans), cut into smaller pieces
3 pods of undried Kidney Beans
2 big Chayotes (Chokos), cleaned and cut into 2 cm cubes
1/4 fruit of Young Jackfruit, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 fruit of Young Papaya, cut into 2 cm cubes
2 blocks of high quality Palm Sugar, shaved
Salt to taste
SOUP PASTE INGREDIENTS:
5 big red chilies + 1 birds eye chili
6 Shallots
4 cloves of Garlic
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Candlenuts
1/2 tbsp of Chicken Powder (optional)
2 tbsp of Fermented Shrimp Paste (it is important to use the pungent, Asian Fermented SP, as none other will yield in a nice Sayur Asem)
2 blocks of high quality Palm Sugar
Salt to taste
1. Blend all the Soup Paste ingredients in a food processor (use pestle and mortar if possible, results in a better tasting Sayur Asem) while blending, throw in 2 liters of water into a pot, bringing it to a rolling boil.
2. When the water boils, add Corn and Gnetum Seeds, boil for 5 more minutes.
3. Add the blended paste into the boiling water, stirring until fragrant
4. Just as it becomes fragrant, add in Young Jackfruit, Young Papaya and Chokos, along with all the Bayleaf and Gnetum leaves listed above. Leave it to boil for another 5 minutes
5. When the Chokos are almost cooked through, add in shaved palm sugar and salt, adjust to your liking. A nice bowl of Sayur Asem should be strongly a mix of sweet, sour, and salty as derived from it's name, Sayur Asem (Sayur translates to 'Sour')
6. Add in the quartered courgette as it cooks very quickly on heat.
7. When the Chokos and Jackfruits are cooked through and fork-tender, remove the heat, serve with warm rice and other side dishes. I shower mine over the warm rice and have it with deep-fried Tempe.
Fair warning, this Indonesian dish may not be everyone's favorite, especially for picky eaters who hadn't been familiar with foreign flavorings. I'm learning a lot from my trip to Italy, where I was forced to eat a bowl of dried Rendang inside a train out of starvation and most people in the compartment fled off because of the sharp spicy odor.
As it is rich in flavor, it's richer history wise. Many believes that the whereabouts of Sayur Asem dates back to colonialism era in Indonesia where there happened to be an event of food scarcity but tamarind trees otherwise, grew ever so prosperously.
Sayur Asem itself has 3 different styles, determined based on the cooking process. However, I've so far tasted only the Javanese and the Batavian Sayur Asem. What I've listed down below was the recipe of the Javanese version which in comparison to the Batavian version, contains more spices thus making the broth red. This is is also VEGAN FRIENDLY if you choose to get rid of several ingredients I've listed as optional. So without further ado let's get started!
INGREDIENTS:
4cm part Red Galangal, crushed (substitute with regular Galangal)
2 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Asam Jawa)
1 pod Tamarind fruit
8 Gnetum seeds*
2 branches of Gnetum leaves*
3 leaves Indonesian Bayleaf (daun Salam)
1 whole cob of Corn, divide into 3 equal parts
1 Courgette (eggplant), quartered
4 Long Green Beans (a.ka snake beans), cut into smaller pieces
3 pods of undried Kidney Beans
2 big Chayotes (Chokos), cleaned and cut into 2 cm cubes
1/4 fruit of Young Jackfruit, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 fruit of Young Papaya, cut into 2 cm cubes
2 blocks of high quality Palm Sugar, shaved
Salt to taste
SOUP PASTE INGREDIENTS:
5 big red chilies + 1 birds eye chili
6 Shallots
4 cloves of Garlic
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Candlenuts
1/2 tbsp of Chicken Powder (optional)
2 tbsp of Fermented Shrimp Paste (it is important to use the pungent, Asian Fermented SP, as none other will yield in a nice Sayur Asem)
2 blocks of high quality Palm Sugar
Salt to taste
1. Blend all the Soup Paste ingredients in a food processor (use pestle and mortar if possible, results in a better tasting Sayur Asem) while blending, throw in 2 liters of water into a pot, bringing it to a rolling boil.
2. When the water boils, add Corn and Gnetum Seeds, boil for 5 more minutes.
3. Add the blended paste into the boiling water, stirring until fragrant
4. Just as it becomes fragrant, add in Young Jackfruit, Young Papaya and Chokos, along with all the Bayleaf and Gnetum leaves listed above. Leave it to boil for another 5 minutes
5. When the Chokos are almost cooked through, add in shaved palm sugar and salt, adjust to your liking. A nice bowl of Sayur Asem should be strongly a mix of sweet, sour, and salty as derived from it's name, Sayur Asem (Sayur translates to 'Sour')
6. Add in the quartered courgette as it cooks very quickly on heat.
7. When the Chokos and Jackfruits are cooked through and fork-tender, remove the heat, serve with warm rice and other side dishes. I shower mine over the warm rice and have it with deep-fried Tempe.
Fair warning, this Indonesian dish may not be everyone's favorite, especially for picky eaters who hadn't been familiar with foreign flavorings. I'm learning a lot from my trip to Italy, where I was forced to eat a bowl of dried Rendang inside a train out of starvation and most people in the compartment fled off because of the sharp spicy odor.
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