Notes, Tips & Tricks
I've known this dish from my best friend as well as ex colleague when I was working in a Batam Island many years back. One of my favorite recipes from her ;-)
In Javanese this dish called "Podomoro" which literally means "people are coming" to enjoy this delicious vegetable dish ;-)
In Indonesia this dish is usually made from young Cassava Leaves but unfortunatelly this kind of vegetables is not available in the West.
As an alternative I use curly kale as substitute. The result is magnificently delicious!! You can also replace with another sort of vegetables such a long beans.
If preferred you my also replace the Tempeh with boiled meat. Just mix match the way you'd like it. Have a nice try and good luck :-)
Ingredients
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 500 gr curly kale or cassava leaves
- 200 gr tempeh, sliced
- 1 stalk lemon grass, outer leaves discarded, crashed
- 1 tsp tamarind pulp soak in 2 tbsp water
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, discard the rib od the leaf
- 800 ml/27 fl.oz medium-thick coconut milk
- 2 cm fresh galangale, bruished
- vegetable oil
Spice for the paste:
- 3 large red chillies,, de-seeded, chopped
- 5 bird chillies (optional, if you like spicy)
- 6 shalllots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 candlenuts, chopped
- 3 cm/9 gr fresh turmeric or 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds or 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp sugar or to taste
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- 1
If you replace cassava leaf with curly kale, discard the hard part/rib of the leaves and wash.
- 2
Bring enoug water with 1 tsp salt to boil and blanch the curly kale for abaout 3 minutes. Make sure the vegetables not overcooked!.
- 3
Set aside to drain and rinse with cold water to prevent the vegetables turning blackish.
- 4
Slice the blanched vegetables in 3 cm length. Put aside.
- 5
Prepare all the paste ingredients, cut in smaller size if necessary.
- 6
Put all ingredients for the seasoning paste in a blender or food processor & blend until smooth. (If necessery add a little bit oil to help the blending process).
- 7
Sautee the paste, lemongrass, galingale and kaffir-lime leaves all the time until cooked & fragrant.( approx. 5 minutes).
- 8
Transfer the paste into a larger saucepan if you don't have a big shallowpan or wok and add the coconut milk.
- 9
Ass sliced Tempeh and bring all to boil. Stir often to prevent the cononut milk being separated.
- 10
Adjust the stove into medium heat and add cassava leaves or curly kale.
- 11
Add the tamarind juice and cook for about 5 minutes.
- 12
Adjust the seasoning, add salt & sugar to taste. Remove from heat and serve hot.
