Vesak Day Table: Vegetarian Sambal Goreng
a hearty Malay dish, made ENTIRELY plant-based!
our recent experience of volunteering at The Buddhist Union @ Jalan Senyum, Singapore was a fruitful one. we got to learn so much, from formulating vegetarian versions of local Malay dishes to planning meals for a larger crowd.
on that day, Aunty Geraldine, a Peranakan mother who volunteers as a head chef at the temple invited us over to the temple kitchen to assist with the tasks of preparing food for 70 people, including congregants, monks, nuns & volunteers. as part of kitchen team, we got to learn Geraldine’s recipes for the vegetarian dishes she often serves at the temple.
we were amazed to learn how Geraldine was able to tweak recipes for the Malay dishes that she made, to not include any forms of meat and seafood and also onion & garlic. take for example, her delicious Sambal Goreng which we ended up serving with Nasi Lemak.
this recipe shows Aunty’s resourcefulness & creative thinking, using the base of serunding for the Sambal Goreng for a toasty flavour and substantial body. we were also collectively inspired by her team’s spirit of volunteerism and community service by selflessly coming together to make food the temple.
Aunty Geraldine’s Sambal Goreng
(serves 4)
200g tempeh (homemade or store-bought)
1 block firm tofu (tau kwa), cubed
1 cup soya nuggets (optional, for added protein)
250g french beans, cut on a bias
2 green chillies, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1 cup coconut cream
1 tbsp mushroom seasoning
salt, to taste
oil, for frying
serunding (coconut floss):
6 dried chillies, soaked to soften
10 red chillies, sliced
3 lemongrass, cut
40g galangal, sliced
30g ginger, sliced
5 candlenuts, soaked to soften
1 thumb-sized vegetarian belachan
250g grated coconut
1/4 cup oil
salt, to taste
directions
blend all the serunding ingredients (except for grated coconut, oil and salt) until smooth, using just enough water to help with the processing.
heat 1/4 cup oil in a wok/pan on medium heat. add the blended spice paste and sauté well until the oil splits from the paste. add the grated coconut and toss evenly. fry the coconut mixture, for 20 minutes, stirring well to avoid burning. season with salt, to taste. set aside.
in a pan/wok, heat just enough oil to shallow fry the soya nuggets, tempeh and tau kwa. season both the tempeh and tau kwa with some salt and mix well. once the oil is hot, fry all 3 items separately until golden and crisp. drain on paper towel and set aside.
in a large wok, heat 3 tbsp oil on high heat. toss in the French beans, greens chilli and red chilli slices. stir-fry for about 1 minute. lower the heat and add in the fried tofu, tempeh and soya chunks, together with the prepared serunding. mix them all evenly.
fold in the coconut cream, alongside some salt and mushroom seasoning. mix well and let it cook for another 5 minutes. serve warm with aside of rice.
check out our other vegetarian recipes to try out this Vesak Day weekend!:
Vegetarian Abacus Seeds (算盘子)
taking up big challenges of making dish requests has always been fun for me - I guess it kinda pushes me into exploring as many different cuisines as possible while exploring the food heritage and dishes centred around communities outside of my own.