SAYUR ASEM - Indonesian sour soup

 Sayur asem is a popular Indonesian sour soup made with a variety of vegetables and flavored with tamarind and other aromatic spices. Here's a recipe to make sayur asem:


Ingredients:

  • 4 cups water
  • 200g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 100g chayote (labu siam), peeled and cut into chunks
  • 100g snake beans (or green beans), cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 100g corn kernels
  • 100g yardlong beans (or green beans), cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 red chilies, sliced (adjust according to your spice preference)
  • 2 tablespoons tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup water (strained)
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar to taste

Spice Paste (Bumbu):

  • 3 shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 red chilies (adjust according to your spice preference)
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (terasi), roasted
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Spice Paste: Blend or grind all the spice paste ingredients into a smooth paste.

  2. Cook the Vegetables: In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the pumpkin, chayote, snake beans, corn kernels, and yardlong beans. Let them simmer until they are partially cooked, about 5-7 minutes.

  3. Add Spice Paste and Aromatics: Add the spice paste, sliced red chilies, kaffir lime leaves, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir well to incorporate the flavors.

  4. Add Tamarind Liquid: Pour in the tamarind liquid (dissolved tamarind paste) into the pot. Stir well to combine.

  5. Simmer: Let the soup simmer gently, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through.

  6. Adjust Seasoning: Taste the sayur asem and season with salt and sugar according to your preference. Adjust the seasoning as needed to achieve the desired balance of sourness and sweetness.

  7. Serve: Once the vegetables are cooked and the flavors have melded together, remove the pot from the heat. Serve the sayur asem hot with steamed rice.

Tips:

  • You can adjust the variety and quantity of vegetables according to your preference and what's available. Other common additions include tamarind leaves, melinjo (gnetum gnemon), and bilimbi fruit.
  • If you prefer a spicier soup, you can increase the amount of red chilies or add bird's eye chilies (cabe rawit) to the spice paste.
  • Sayur asem is often served with steamed rice and accompanied by side dishes such as fried tempeh or tofu, and sambal.

Enjoy your homemade sayur asem!

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