Sayur Asam - Indonesian sour veggies soup

Sayur asem litteraly means sour veggies. But it actually refers to a soup consists of veggies, which taste a little bit sour yet sweet and bitter at the same time. It uses kacang melinjo  – the fruit (gnetum gnemon) as well as the leaves for the bitter note. But okay, since my chance of finding the ingredient here in France,  falls down to zero, i actuallly never make this dish. Until last week, i went to visit a friend, Lita, in 93 region, and she made us this meal.

Apparently, this preggy momma has been cooking since petite. And that makes the difference between me and her... she is very good in the kitchen! And to weigh my argument, she is from Surabaya city, east of Java. Okay, this is just my theory, but I think Surabaya women are very good in the kitchen. I realy wonder why !!!

Even in Indonesia, i rarely tasted the best sayur asem. So rare! So the reason why i haven't really made sayur asem since my moving to France, was i think i can really live without it. I was not a big fan, and beside where can i find the melinjo? Sayur asam is merely the same without that one.... and even so, i remember that when my mom cooked the dish, i would not eat the chayote, neither the melinjo bean. But she always put old cooked knobs of corn.. and that was practically the one that i ate ! Never i like the rest, and even the taste of the soup. But gradually as i grow up, i begin to eat the melinjo leaves and the long beans too. But that is just it. Melinjo is the main ingredient of emping snack though. That i wouldn't mind eating.



But this Lita changed my life... i am now convinced that i have to try to make sayur asem too, even without the melinjo ingredient. She gave me a note about the ingredients she used, and i had to figure out how to cook it. I use my own measurements, and add kaffir lime juice to the soup. I like to have the soup a little bit too sour.

Ingredients:

• 2 marrow bones
• 1,5 l water
• 2 Indonesian bay leaves
• 2 pieces of dry Galanga
• 10 gr tamarind 
• 50 gr palm sugar 
• a handful of French beans (or Asian long beans, cut 3cm each) 
• 1 chayote, peel and cut in cubes
• 1 tsp raw peanuts (i did not have any)
• ¼ of cabbage, cut the leaf in square
• cooking oil

Crunch the following :

• 1 tomatoes 
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 2 tsp of salt
• 1 big chili (or you can eventually add more or omit this) 
• 3 shallots 
• 2 garlic 
• 3 candelnut pecan
• 3 tsp of shrimp paste

 Method:

1. in a skilet pan, sauté the coarsed ingredients, galanga, and bay leaves, until fragrant, transfer to a big pan. Add water, marrow, tamarind and palm sugar. Cook until the center of the bones soften.
2. Add the vegetables and peanut. Cook until tender.
3. Serve.