'Sayur Asem' for the longing soul

if 'home' had a flavour, what would it be?

growing up in a Baweanese family, the dining table was often dotted with simple dishes which were recurs throughout the week that thankfully, I never got sick of eating.

there’s a simple vegetable soup dish that we have a lot of, aptly name in Baweanese as 'Kuah Chelok' or 'sour soup'. as the name might suggest, it's light, refreshing and tangy with tamarind as it's main acidic component, alongside vegetables which sweeten the soup naturally and a bit of chillies for piquancy. if there is a dish which could instantly remind me of my late grandmother, it’s exactly that.

recently, we sat down with our office building’s cleaning assistant on her lunch break. when we asked what we could cook for her for lunch, Ibu Ram, who hails from Purwakarta in West Java, politely requested for a Sayur Asem, a simple yet much acquired dish from her Sundanese culinary heritage. this instantly reminded me of my grandma's Kuah Chelok which is essentially almost similar of a dish (me same but maybe abit different lah). much like how Kuah Chelok has become a gateway to reminiscing sweet memories of family, Sayur Asem reminds her of her mother and growing up in her village, before migrating to Singapore at the age of 18.

below is the recipe for Sayur Asem, as how we cooked for Ibu Ram. with Sayur Asem, the choice of vegetables is entirely up to you, however, the key to a good soup is keeping in mind of the balance of sour, sweetness and spice - which would result in a simple & hearty, yet vibrant soup dish which is perfect for any time of the day,

@nomies.coif 'home' had a flavour, what would it be? 🥹🏡 link in bio for the recipe! #fyp #sg #sgfood #recipe #sgfoodie

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Sayur Asem Sunda (Mixed Vegetables in Tamarind Soup)

bumbu:

7 shallots, peeled

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4 red chillies, sliced

1 chilli padi, optional

2 candlenuts, soaked in hot water

1 tbsp belachan, lightly charred

other stuff:

2 litres water

1 cup tamarind pulp, extract the juice with 1 cup water

20g galangal, bruised

5 salam leaves

50g palm sugar

1 tsp mushroom stock granules, optional

salt, to taste

vegetables:

1/4 cup peanuts, raw

10 pcs melinjo fruit (optional)

3 long beans, cut to 2 inch pcs

2 whole corn, cut 2 inch thick

1 chayote, peeled and cubed

1 eggplant, cubed

300g young jackfruit pith, cubed

directions

1. prepare the young jackfruit by boiling it in 1 litre of water + 1 tbsp salt until it's softened but not disintegrated. discard water, rinse it a couple of times to remove the sap and set aside.

2. using a pestle and mortar or a blender, pulverise all bumbu ingredients into a paste.

3. combine the paste with 2 litres water in a pot and bring it to a boil. add the bruised galangal, salam leaves and stock granules. let it bubble for 5 minutes to cook out the raw flavours.

4. pour in tamarind juice and palm sugar and simmer for another minute.

5. add in the melinjo fruit and peanuts. cover and cook for 10 minutes. subsequently, add the chayote, sweetcorn, eggplant & precooked jackfruit. cover and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the vegetables is become tender.

6. lastly, add the long beans and simmer for a minute. season sayur asem to taste and serve alongside steamed rice.

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need a soupy fix today to cure the perpetual blues? try out our other soup recipes!