It was a lovely afternoon in February when Chef Switi Nyoman – a colleague and a fearless Balinese chef – drove me from Ubud to the Gianyar food market. The market comes alive around 5pm, bustling with stalls selling everything from fish soup to traditional desserts.
One highlight was serombotan – heaped platters of blanched vegetables with two sauces. The first is a spiced coconut-turmeric dressing with garlic and fragrant spices; the second, a fiery peanut sauce brightened with chilli and lime. Together they create a bold, balanced flavour – earthy, nutty, spicy, and tangy – delicious even without the traditional shrimp paste.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 3 salam leaves or bay leaves
- 200g (2 1/3cups) freshly grated coconut (see Note)
- 4 makrut lime leaves, centre stem removed and thinly sliced
- ½ quantity yellow spice paste
- Salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon coconut sugar
- 100g green beans
- 200g sweetheart cabbage, thinly sliced
- 200g spinach
- 2 carrots, coarsely grated
- 50g (½ cup) bean sprouts
- Large bunch of basil, leaves only
- Peanut sambal
Method:
In a saucepan, combine the grated coconut, makrut lime leaves and spice paste and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and coconut sugar. Mix well and set aside.
Bring a saucepan with 1.5 litres (6 ¼ cups of water to boil. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of iced water. Using tongs, transfer the beans to the bowl of iced water to stop the cooking.
Add the cabbage to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and blanch for 5 seconds. Transfer the cabbage and spinach to the bowl of iced water.
Drain the vegetables, then slice the beans lengthwise, then cut crosswise into shorter lengths.
In a large bowl, combine the carrots, bean sprouts, basil and blanched vegetables with three-quarters of coconut mixture. Mix well. Divide among 4 serving plates, then top with the remaining coconut mixture and the peanut sambal and serve.
Note: Freshly grated coconut can be substituted with 50g (scant ¾ cup) of unsweetened desiccated coconut soaked in 100ml (scant ½ cup) of coconut milk. Soak for 20 minutes, then set aside.
Edited recipe extract from The Indonesian Vegetarian Table by Petty Pandean-Elliott, published by Phaidon.
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