Sayur Asem (Easy Cooking: Tamarind Soup)

God morning, lovelies!

We had rain for 2 days straight, sunny today, and so crossing fingers sunny for tomorrow as well. I made a new friend in town and she’s Indonesian. 2 weeks ago I invited her for lunch at home but my son was sick. We rescheduled last week, and I got sick ? So tomorrow, hopefully, we will have her at our house at last ?

Snow finally melted from any ground as far as the eyes can see, and the rain brought out the tulips. I think they are the tulips ? You know me, I planted various bulbs always, and don’t remember which area of the garden are what ?

So yeah, Spring hopefully really is here.

Today’s recipe is a nice refreshing tamarind soup ?

1/4 of a large cabbage
1 bunch of Chinese long beans
Half tin of sweet corn kernels
Tofu pow (optional)
500-700 g beef cubes

1 large shallots (2-3 if you are in Indonesia our shallots are hardly giant there ? Spanish shallots can get way larger here, in Canada)
1 bird eye chili
2 1/2 candlenut
2-3 garlic

Coffee spoon tip of hard shrimp paste (terasi)
A thumb of tamarind, more for stronger sour flavor – watch the vlog
Mushroom granules
Sugar, salt, seasoning to taste

Cooked warm rice for serving, super recommended but also optional

Details in the vlog ?

Print Recipe

Sayur Asem

Servings: 0

Ingredients

• 1/4 of a large cabbage
• 1 bunch of Chinese long beans
• Half tin of sweet corn kernels
• Tofu pow optional
• 500-700 g beef cubes
• 1 large shallots 2-3 if you are in Indonesia our shallots are hardly giant there ? Spanish shallots can get way larger here, in Canada
• 1 bird eye chili
• 2 1/2 candlenut
• 2-3 garlic
• Coffee spoon tip of hard shrimp paste terasi
• A thumb of tamarind more for stronger sour flavor – watch the vlog
• Mushroom granules
• Sugar salt, seasoning to taste
• Cooked warm rice for serving super recommended but also optional

Instructions

• Soak a large thumb of tamarind in hot water, set aside
• Rinse sliced cabbage and long beans
• In a pot, boil beef cubes in plenty water, skim away the scum, cook until tender
• Meanwhile, using food processor or mortar and pestle, make paste of shallots, chili, candlenut, garlic, and shrimp paste
• Drop veggies into pot, cook until tender
• Season with spice paste, mushroom granules, sugar, salt and seasoning such as MSG or Royco
• Pour tamarind juice, adjust flavor
• Serve with rice

Video