Sayur Lodeh - Indonesian Vegetable Stew in Coconut Milk
You will eat more vegetables when you cook lodeh (Indonesian vegetable stew in coconut milk). Perfect for festive events with lontong, opor, and sambal.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 Indonesian bay leaf (Indonesian: daun salam), omit if you don't have this
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk (Indonesian: santan)
- 800 ml water/chicken stock
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoon palm sugar (Indonesian: gula Jawa), or to taste
- 1 Chinese eggplant (Indonesian: terong ungu), cut into wedges
- 6 Thai eggplant (Indonesian: terong hijau), quartered
- 10 snake/long bean (Indonesian: kacang panjang), cut into 2-inch pieces
- 250 gram (1/2 lb.) soybean tempeh, diced
- 1 tomato, quartered
- 6-8 (100 gram / 4 oz.) shallots (Indonesian: bawang merah)
- 4 cloves garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
- 2 teaspoon terasi/belacan/shrimp paste, toasted (or 2 tablespoon dried shrimps (Indonesian: ebi), soaked and drained, lightly toasted)
- 1/2 inch galangal (Indonesian: lengkuas)
- 1/2 inch ginger (Indonesian: jahe)
- 3 candlenuts (Indonesian: kemiri)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (Indonesian: bubuk ketumbar)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (Indonesian: bubuk kunyit) (*)
- 5 red chilies (Indonesian: cabe merah) (*)
Instructions
- 1
Heat oil in a soup pot/wok over a medium-high heat. Fry the spice paste until fragrant. This should take about 5 minutes.
- 2
Add daun salam (if using) and thinly sliced chilies (if not included in the spice paste). Stir for another minute.
- 3
Add coconut milk, water/chicken stock, season with salt and palm sugar. Bring to a boil.
- 4
Add long/snake beans, eggplants, soybean tempeh, and tomato. Once it boils again, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fully cooked and tender. Adjust the amount of salt/palm sugar as needed.
- 5
Turn off the heat, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately with steamed white rice.