Sayur Lodeh with Fresh-Pressed Coconut Milk

Method

1. Press the coconut milk: pour a third of the hot water over the grated coconut, knead it with your hands for 2 minutes, then squeeze it hard through a sieve or cloth; this is the thick milk (santan kental). Add the rest of the hot water to the same pulp, knead and squeeze again for the thin milk (santan encer). Keep them separate. Wait until the water is cool enough to handle before kneading.

   Add in this stepGrated coconut (fresh or frozen) 200 gHot water 500 ml

2. Prepare the vegetables as in the basic recipe (eggplant in water), cut the tempeh and tofu into 2 cm pieces, and slice the garnish shallots paper-thin and pat them dry. Toast the shrimp paste briefly in a dry pan until fragrant, then pound it with the shallots, garlic, candlenuts and ground coriander to a fine paste.

   Add in this stepShallots (spice paste) 35 gGarlic cloves 2Candlenuts (or macadamia nuts) 2Ground coriander ½ tspShrimp paste (terasi) ½ tsp

3. Heat the frying oil in a 22 cm frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the tempeh and tofu for 6 min, turning, until golden all over; lift out. Turn down to medium-low heat, add the garnish shallots to the same oil and fry for 4 min, stirring constantly. Lift them out as soon as they're pale gold; they keep darkening from the heat after you take them out.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (for frying) 80 mlTempeh 100 gFirm tofu 100 gShallots (for frying as garnish) 30 g

   medium-high heat→medium-low heat

4. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the frying oil to a 20 cm pot and fry the paste with the bruised galangal, knotted lemongrass and salam leaves over medium heat for 3 min, until toasty and the oil seeps out.

   Add in this stepFresh galangal (or ginger) 10 gLemongrass stalks 1Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam) or bay leaves 2

   medium heat

5. Pour in the thin coconut milk and stir over medium-high heat until it bubbles at the edges, then add the chayote and beans and cook for 7 min. Thin milk can take a simmer at this stage.

   Add in this stepChayote (or zucchini) 120 gLong beans or green beans 80 g

   medium-high heat

6. Add the eggplant, fried tempeh and tofu, cabbage, chilli, palm sugar and salt and cook over medium heat for 5 min, until the eggplant is soft.

   Add in this stepEggplant (aubergine) 120 gCabbage 80 gRed chilli 1Palm sugar 10 gSalt ¾ tsp

   medium heat

7. Pour in the thick coconut milk, turn down to medium-low heat and stir slowly and constantly for 3 min. Thick milk splits easily, so never let it boil hard; turn off the heat as soon as it steams. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

   medium-low heat

8. Ladle into bowls, pile the crisp fried shallots on top and serve with rice, sambal and prawn crackers.