I discovered this delicious Malay dish in a little backstreet counter restaurant called Dapur in Lamb’s Conduit passage in central London. The colour, taste and spice were delicious. The version I had was vegetarian but it is commonly made with chicken or prawns. The core elements are a heavily turmeric-ky gravy with some fish sauce and lemongrass to add freshness.
Improvised recipe based on memory and Google translates of various Malay websites.
- 5 cloves of garlic chopped finely
- Fresh ginger – 2cm chunk diced finely
- 1 shallot finely diced
- Kale or Asian cabbage torn away from hard stems
- Roasted butternut squash cut into large cubes
- 1 tbsp of turmeric (yes, lots)
- 2 tbsp of fish sauce (more added to taste later)
- Tamarind to taste
- 1 stick of lemongrass
- 3 deseeded green chillies
- Coconut milk (250ml)
- Chicken stock cube
- Prawns (butterflied) or chicken thigh
Instructions
- Heat 5 tbsp of vegetable oil in deep pan or slow cooker
- Add shallot, garlic and most of ginger to oil (save a little for garnish) and fry for 5-mins
- Add fish sauce, prawns, kale, chillies and turmeric then turn down heat (5-mins)
- Add stock, lemongrass, tamarind, squash and coconut milk
- Simmer or slow cook for 4-hours
- Serve with sticky rice