Sayur Lodeh, Malaysian Vegetable Curry

When it comes to making this well known Malaysian/Indonesian dish, I do have very strict rules on the vegetables I use - cabbage, long beans (or green beans), carrot and eggplants, no more and no less! This is another of my nanny Fatimah's recipes that I grew up eating so I wouldn't change anything. This is not a vegetarian dish as both shrimp paste and dried shrimps are used - for a vegetarian version simply omit both ingredients but increase the amount of lemongrass and shallots. Together with the sambal telur , we had a very satisfying "meatless meal"!

P.S Lontong (pressed rice cubes) can be added to turn this into a "one dish meal".

serves 6 to 8 as part of a Malaysian meal

for the curry paste;

10 dried chillies, soaked in hot water til soften, seeds removed

3 red chillies, chopped

6 candle nuts (macadamia nuts and brazil nuts are good substitute)

4 garlic cloves

6 shallots (150 g), chopped

1.5 tbs of turmeric powder

1 cm piece of shrimp paste, toasted

30 g of dried shrimp, soaked in hot water and chopped

a 5 cm knob of ginger

a 5 cm knob of galangal or 1.5 tbs of galangal powder

2 lemongrass (white parts only), chopped

you'll need this;

350 g of long beans or green beans, cut into 5 cm length

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 5 cm strips

1/2 cabbage, cut into pieces

1 eggplants or 3 oriental eggplants, cut into chunks

10 fried tofu puffs, halved

1 x 400 ml coconut milk

1 cup of stock

3 kaffir lime leaves

Prepare the vegetables and tofu puffs.

Prepare the curry paste, blend everything to a fine paste.

Saute curry paste til oil separates.

Add coconut milk, stock and kaffir lime leaves and bring it to a boil.

Add in the vegetables gradually and cook til tender. Check for seasonings.

Serve as part of a Malaysian meal. You'll need plenty of steamed rice with this.