Sayur lemak with masin ikan (vegetables cooked in coconut milk with salt cod)
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Sayur lemak, which roughly translates as creamy vegetables, is made by cooking vegetables with plenty of coconut milk, lemongrass, turmeric and sambal belacan (a spicy shrimp paste-based chilli sauce). In this version of the dish, Ramael Scully adds meaty flakes of salt cod, which absorb the rich, creamy sauce beautifully.
Ingredients
Sambal belacan
- 50g of shallots , peeled and roughly chopped
- 10g of garlic , peeled
- 70g of shrimp paste, or belacan
- 100g of red chillies , deseeded
- 100g of whole dried kashmiri chilli, deseeded, and soaked in warm water
- 40g of tamarind concentrate
- 2 tbsp of lime juice
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cane sugar
Sayur lemak
- 150g of vegetable oil
- 150g of shallots , thinly sliced widthways
- 20g of garlic , minced
- 30g of ginger , minced
- 5g of fresh turmeric , or 1tsp ground turmeric
- 3 lemongrass sticks , lightly bruised with a knife and finely chopped
- 5 makrut lime leaves
- 400g of coconut milk
- 100g of water
- 100g of snake beans, cut into 3cm lengths
- 100g of okra, trim the tops but leave the okra whole
- 100g of cavolo nero , roughly chopped
- 100g of spinach
- 500g of salt cod fillet , soaked in water for 24 hours, skin and bones removed, then flaked into large pieces
- 3 tbsp of lime juice
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cane sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C
Wrap the belacan in foil, and roast it in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until fragrant
- 70g of shrimp paste, or belacan
Pound or blitz the shallots, garlic, belacan, fresh chillies and dried chillies together until they form a smooth or coarse paste. This can be done in a blender or pestle and mortar
- 50g of shallots , peeled and roughly chopped
- 10g of garlic , peeled
- 100g of red chillies , deseeded
- 100g of whole dried kashmiri chilli, deseeded, and soaked in warm water
Add tamarind and lime juice, then season with a pinch of salt and sugar. Sambal belacan can be stored in the fridge for a few days or frozen. Defrost the paste before using as needed
- 40g of tamarind concentrate
- 2 tbsp of lime juice
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cane sugar
In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and lime leaves until they are soft and transparent. Add 3-4 tbsp of the sambal belacan and sauté until everything is fragrant. Add the coconut milk and water, then bring everything to the boil
- 150g of vegetable oil
- 150g of shallots , thinly sliced widthways
- 20g of garlic , minced
- 30g of ginger , minced
- 5g of fresh turmeric , or 1tsp ground turmeric
- 3 lemongrass sticks , lightly bruised with a knife and finely chopped
- 5 makrut lime leaves
- 400g of coconut milk
- 100g of water
Add the snake beans and okra, then cook everything for 2-3 mins. Add the cavolo nero and spinach, and cook for another 2-3 mins or until all the greens are just tender
- 100g of snake beans, cut into 3cm lengths
- 100g of okra, trim the tops but leave the okra whole
- 100g of cavolo nero , roughly chopped
- 100g of spinach
Fold in the salted cod flakes gently, stir for a minute, then season the whole dish with lime juice, salt and sugar. Serve with steamed rice, boiled eggs and thinly sliced cucumber
- 500g of salt cod fillet , soaked in water for 24 hours, skin and bones removed, then flaked into large pieces
- 3 tbsp of lime juice
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cane sugar
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Sayur lemak with masin ikan (vegetables cooked in coconut milk with salt cod)
