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Indonesia, Asia · Sayur Lodeh (Javanese Vegetables in Coconut Milk)

Sayur Lodeh Coconut Gratin with Tempeh Crumb

Lodeh vegetables folded into a coconut white sauce spiced with shallot, ginger and lime leaf, topped with a tempeh, panko and coconut crumb and baked golden.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time45 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan) and have a 20×15 cm gratin dish ready.

    oven

  2. Cut the beans into 4 cm lengths, the zucchini and eggplant into 2 cm pieces and the cabbage into 3 cm pieces. Bring a 20 cm pot of water to the boil over high heat and blanch the beans, eggplant, zucchini and corn for , adding the cabbage for the last 30 seconds. Drain well in a colander; any leftover water thins the sauce.

    Add in this stepLong beans or green beans 80 gZucchini (courgette) 160 gEggplant (aubergine) 120 gSweetcorn kernels 60 gCabbage 80 g

    high heat

  3. Heat the oil in a 16 cm saucepan over medium heat and cook the finely chopped shallots, garlic and ginger, the ground coriander and the finely shredded lime leaves for , until the shallots are soft and fragrant.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 15 mlShallots 35 gGarlic cloves 2Fresh ginger 5 gGround coriander ½ tspMakrut lime leaves 2

    medium heat

  4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute, then add the coconut milk a little at a time, whisking out any lumps. Cook over medium-low heat for , stirring, until it's as thick as custard, then season with the salt and palm sugar.

    Add in this stepPlain flour 15 gCoconut milk 220 mlSalt ¾ tspPalm sugar (or brown sugar) 5 g

    medium-low heat

  5. Fold the blanched vegetables into the sauce and spread evenly in the dish. Crumble the tempeh finely with your fingers, mix it with the panko, grated coconut and melted coconut oil, and scatter it all over the vegetables.

    Add in this stepTempeh 60 gPanko breadcrumbs 20 gGrated or desiccated coconut 10 gCoconut oil, melted 10 ml

  6. Bake in the oven for , until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the crumb is deep golden. If the topping browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.

    oven

  7. Leave for before serving so the sauce settles and spoons out neatly. Serve with rice, crusty bread or a green salad.

Cook's tip

Draining the vegetables well keeps the gratin from going watery. For a little heat, add a chopped red chilli to the sauce. You can assemble it the day before and chill it, adding the crumb just before baking (allow 5 extra minutes).

Cooking it at camp

Use a lidded cast-iron pan or Dutch oven instead of an oven: put in the vegetables and sauce, add the crumb, cover, set it over gentle coals and put a few coals on the lid, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Making the sauce at home and carrying it in the cooler keeps things simple.