This recipe of Sayur Asem is authentic and traditional, as native housewives and cooks from West Java locally curate it. Don’t miss out on this one!
Things to know about Sayur Asem Recipe
The local soup known as the Sayur Asem is a unique dish that translates into “sour vegetables.” It originated from West Java, but the dish has many variants throughout the country. This dish utilizes a plant unique to Southeast Asia, tamarind or locally known as asam jawa.
They infused the tamarind’s essence into the soup broth, giving a distinctive sour taste you can’t find anywhere else. Then, various vegetables are added to the soup. The options are limitless here, but the mainstay vegetables used are corn, chayotes, long beans, and melinjo.
Historically, the dish was a peasant dish that existed long before Indonesia’s Independence, since the Dutch era. The harsh economic condition forced the locals to be creative with their food. Back then, the tamarind fruit was thriving in the Javanese lands, especially in Western Java. So, the locals experimented with putting the tamarind to good use, and thus, the Sayur Asem was born.
This dish is also culturally significant, as it served as a foundation for another traditional dish, the Sayur Lodeh. Philosophically, the Sayur Asem represents the diversity of the Indonesian people and life in general, as seen from the various vegetables used that come together cohesively in this dish. Through this dish, the local Sundanese people want to teach that there is unity in diversity, which happens to be the motto of Indonesia, Bhinneka tunggal ika.
Refreshing Indonesian Traditional Tamarind Vegetable Soup from West Java. Authentic Recipe of Sayur Asem.
— General Atributes of This Recipe:
— ADAPT THE SERVINGS OR PORTIONS BY ENTERING YOUR DESIRED VALUE —
Ingredients
- 1 pc Chayote – Mirliton – Güisquil – Pimpinela – Choko – Labu Siam – Chow Chow Large
- 5 pcs Long Bean – Yardlong Bean – Asparagus Bean – Pea Bean – Long-Podded Cowpea – Chinese Long Bean – Snake Bean – Bodi – Bora
- 2 cobs Sweet Corn – Sugar Corn – Pole Corn
- 50 grams (1.76 oz) Melinjo Fruit – Gnetum Gnemon Fruit – Gnetum Fruit Fruit – Joint Fir Fruit – Two Leaf – Belinjo Fruit – Bago Fruit
- 25 grams (0.88 oz) Melinjo Leaf – Gnetum Gnemon Leaf – Gnetum Leaf – Joint Fir Leaf – Two Leaf – Belinjo Leaf – Bago Leaf
- 50 grams (1.76 oz) Peanut
- 4 tbsp Tamarind Juice
- 2 pcs Bay Leaf
- 1 thumb Greater Galangal – Alpinia Galanga – Lengkuas – Laos
- 2 L (67.63 floz) Water
- Salt To taste
- Palm Sugar – Palm Jaggery To taste
Blended Spices
- 5 cloves Shallot Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 3 pcs Red Bird’s Eye Chili Pepper
- 1 tsp Shrimp Paste – Terasi Variety – Indonesian Fermented Shrimp Paste
- 3 pcs Roasted Candlenut
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash the vegetables thoroughly.
- Dice the chayote into 1 to 2 inches (2.5 – 5 cm) sized chunks.
- Slice the Green long beans into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces in length.
- Break the corn cob into 2 – 3 pieces, you can use your hands or knife.
- Prepare a small saucepan, add water and boil the peanuts until soft.
- Peel and crush the galangal.
- Into a food processor, add all the ingredients for the blended spices and mix into a smooth paste.
Cooking
- Add water into a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the blended spices, bay leaves, and galangal. Mix well and bring it to a boil.
- Add the corn and melinjo. Let it simmer until the corn is cooked.
- Next, add the peanuts along with the chayote. Continue simmering until the chayote is cooked and soft.
- Lastly, add the long beans, melinjo leaves, and tamarind juice. Season to taste with salt and sugar. Mix well.
- Let it simmer until everything is fully cooked, and turn off the heat.
- Into a serving bowl, take a ladle of the soup and vegetables, and the dish is ready to be served!
— Specific Atributes of This Recipe:
Nutrition
Cooking tip for making Sayur Asem
- For the best taste, use young sweet corn instead of the old ones.
- You can adjust the heat of the dish by altering the number of chili used in the blended spice mix.
What to serve with Sayur Asem?
This dish is best served as a side dish with warm rice and your protein of choice, like tempeh goreng, ayam goreng,or tahu goreng.
Variations of Sayur Asem
Another variety of this dish is Sayur Lodeh, in which coconut milk is used instead of tamarind.
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