Vegetables Stewed in Coconut Milk

– SAYUR LODEH –

INDONESIA / MALAYSIA

I hesitate to call sayur lodeh a mixed vegetable curry, because it is much more than that. For one, this is not a random combination of the last bits of vegetables sitting sadly in your fridge at the end of the week; each element is there for a reason. The cabbage and carrots sweeten the broth, the green beans give bite and texture, the aubergine acts as a sponge for soaking up all the lovely broth (which then gets squirted all over the inside of your mouth when you bite into it). Also, unlike the curry you might be used to down at your local Indian curry house, sayur lodeh is not heavy on spice. In fact it might seem rather wimpish for a curry, which is why I like to think of it instead as a light, fragrant vegetable stew that’s laced with creamy coconut milk. The best time to make this is late summer/early autumn, when, weirdly, all the vegetables for a traditional Malay stew are in season.

Serves 4–6

The vegetables

• 2 large handfuls of green beans
• ½ a sweetheart or small white cabbage
• 1 large carrot or 4 new carrots
• 1 aubergine

For the rempah (spice paste)

• 10 dried chillies
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimps
• a 1cm piece of belachan (shrimp paste)
• 100g shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• a 5cm piece of ginger
• a 5cm piece of galangal
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons coconut or groundnut oil, for frying

For the curry

• 250ml coconut milk
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• stock or water
• salt and sugar, to taste

To finish (optional)

• tofu puffs
• pressed rice cakes (lontong)
• sambal tumis belachan (see here)
• fresh coriander leaves

1. First prepare the vegetables. Trim the beans and chop into finger-length pieces, and cut the other vegetables into roughly similar-sized chunks.
2. Soak the dried chillies and dried shrimps separately in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain, reserving the shrimp-soaking liquid. Dry-toast the belachan over a medium heat, breaking it up with your spatula, until it becomes powdery and (arguably) aromatic. Combine all the ingredients for the rempah apart from the oil, pounding with a mortar and pestle, or blending till you get a fine paste.
3. In a large heavy-based pot, fry the rempah in the oil over a medium-low heat, stirring to prevent it from burning. Cook until the oil separates, about 30 minutes.
4. Add the coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves, and enough stock or water (including the shrimp-soaking liquid) to cover. Bring everything to the boil, then add the carrots, cabbage and aubergine. Let simmer till cooked and very tender, but not mushy. Add the green beans 10 minutes before the end. You may need to top up with more water while it is cooking, or to thin the broth to your desired consistency; I like my broth to be slightly thick. Taste and check for seasoning.
5. Stir in the tofu puffs and lontong, if using, and the sambal, if you’re a spice fiend, and simmer for a minute more. Finish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: To make this dish suitable for vegetarians, leave out the fermented shrimp paste and dried shrimps. It’s not going to taste exactly the same, but it will be delicious.