Nyonya Sayur Lemak

Last Updated on December 16, 2020 by Chef Mireille

Blogging Marathon #25 
Theme: Cooking with Alphabets – S, G, N

Malaysian food and culture was celebrated with great fanfare a few days ago in New York City’s Bryant Park.  For two days, people headed out with temperatures hovering around 30 F to a tent in the middle of the park to watch food demonstrations, try food samples from several local Malaysian restaurants and enjoy the multi-cultural Malaysian dancers with their fusion of Indian, Chinese and Malay dance.

Here’s some video I took of a Malaysian chef making Roti Canai.  It really is an art form.

I was planning on making this dish anyway for my BM theme this week for the letter N, but after enjoying a container of Mee Laksa (a spicy soup of noodles and shrimp), I felt especially inspired to continue the Malysian theme of the week.

Nyonya is the name of the local people of Malaysia.  This is a popular vegetable dish cooked in coconut milk.  It can be made with any variety of vegetables and usually includes tofu, however since tofu and I don’t like each other, there is none in my version here.

Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 1 fresh bamboo shoot, peeled and sliced (approximately 1 cup) (you can use canned bamboo shoot, if you don’t have access to fresh)
• 4 oz. green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
• 6 oz. jicama peeled and cut into french fry size pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut approximately the same size as the jicama
• 2 cups firmly packed Napa cabbage, sliced
• 13 oz.. pumpkin, cut into large dice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• 13.5 oz. water
• 3 candlenuts, aka as Kemiri nuts
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp, reconstituted in boiling water for 5 minutes (omit if you are Vegetarian)
• 2 red bird’s eye chiles
• 5 shallots, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste/ belachan (substitute fermented tofu if you are Vegetarian)
• salt, to taste

Using a food processor, grind the candlenuts, dried shrimp, chiles, shallots, turmeric and belachan together to a paste consistency.
Heat oil.  Add spice paste and fry for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the coconut milk.  Fill the can with water and add that to the pot also.  Bring to a boil.
Add pumpkin.  Reduce heat to medium and cook on a high simmer for 8 minutes.
Add carrots and green beans.  Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add cabbage, bamboo shoot and jicama.  Stir for 1-2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt.  Bring back up to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook on a high simmer for 5 minutes.

Add salt, to taste.

Serve with Jasmine Rice.

 …linking to Favorite Recipes: non-Indian food hosted by CookCookandCook, Cook Like a Celebrity Chef & Muhibbah Malaysian Monday

 

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