Vegetables in Coconut Milk (Sayur Lodeh)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cup water
• 1/4 small cabbage (diced)
• 1 chayote (peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks)
• 1 carrot (peeled)
• 1/4 lb green beans (or snake beans, cut)
• 1 Asian eggplant (or 3 Thai egg plant)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp fish sauce to taste (or more to taste)
• 3 tbsp dried shrimp
• 5 red finger chili (sliced (seed removed, if you prefer less spicy))
• 3 shallot (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 -2 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut all the vegetables into a desired bite size pieces or matchsticks. For chayote, rub the chayote slices with 1 teaspoon of salt for 30 seconds and rinse with water. That will soften the texture and make them less slimy.

2. 2

   To make the spice paste, combine diced red chilies, shallot, garlic, shrimp in a small blender and add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help the blade run. Process until a smooth paste forms. You can also go the traditional route by using a mortar and pestle to make the spice paste. Just pound the ingredients until it forms a paste.

3. 3

   Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the spice paste and cook for 4-7 minutes until it loses some of its water content.

4. 4

   Add the milk, water mixture, vegetables, ginger, and turmeric. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender. Stir the stew occasionally. Do not let it come to a full boil--you don't want the coconut milk to curdle.

5. 5

   Season with fish sauce to your liking. Serve hot with rice.