Lodeh, or kuah lodeh as it is more commonly known in Malaysia, is a comforting and rich vegetable soup that has origins in Java.
It is sometimes called lontong, although – just to make things a little confusing – lontong also refers to nasi impit, which often accompanies a steaming bowl of this delicious soup.
Whatever you call it, this hits the spot when you feel the need for a warm, tasty, comforting and hearty meal – and it’s also a terrific dish to serve up to your family and friends during your Raya celebration!
This recipe serves five to seven people.
Ingredients
- 200g prawns, de-shelled and deveined, with the shells reserved
- 200g gizzards, sliced thinly
- 300g fatty beef, roughly chopped
- 200g dried shrimp, soaked
- 50g dried tofu skin (foo chok), soaked then cut into 3cm x 6cm pieces
- 250g firm tofu (taukwa)
- 360g tempeh, cut into 2cm cubes
- 50g glass noodles, soaked
- 15g turmeric leaf (about 1 leaf), knotted
- 30g lemongrass, roots only
- 15g turmeric
- 25g galangal
- 185g shallots
- 40g garlic, sliced thinly
- 220g long beans, sliced
- 275g carrots (about 2 carrots), sliced into 3cm pieces
- 40g green chilies (about 2 large chilies), sliced thinly
- 250g cabbage, roughly chopped
- 500g English gourd, peeled and cut into 2-3cm cubes
- 1 litre coconut milk
- 1 litre beef stock
- 3 cups cooking oil, plus a little extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Method
- Blend half the lemongrass roots with the shallots until fine. Remove from the blender.
- Now add the turmeric, galangal, and remaining half of the lemongrass into the blender and blitz until fine. Add water to help with the process if required. Remove.
- Add the soaked dried prawns and blend until fine. You don’t need to rinse out the blender between each step.
- In a wok or frying pan, heat two cups cooking oil. When it reaches a temperature of 180-200°C, fry the tempeh until golden brown. Transfer to a colander lined with kitchen towels to drain excess oil.
- Do the same with the firm tofu. Once fried and excess oil removed, cut into two centimetres cubes.
- Cut the prawn shells into small pieces. Place a small frying pan on high heat and add the shells. Pour in just enough cooking oil to almost, but not completely, cover them.
- Fry for about five minutes to flavour the oil. Strain the oil into a separate bowl and discard the shells.
- In a large pot, heat one cup cooking oil plus the prawn-shell oil on high heat. Add the blended shallots, blended turmeric mix, sliced garlic, and blended shrimp, and fry until fragrant.
- Add the beef and gizzards and stir until the meat is cooked.
- Add the beef stock and knotted turmeric leaf. Bring to a boil and discard the leaf.
- Add the carrots, cover and cook for five minutes. Then add the gourd and do the same, followed by the long beans.
- Add the cabbage, chilli and prawns, and stir.
- Add the tofu skin and coconut milk. Stir to mix evenly and bring to a boil.
- Add the glass noodles, fried tempeh and fried tofu. Stir.
- Add salt and sugar and cook until the vegetables have cooked through.
- Dish out and serve with rice or nasi impit.
Tips
- If you don’t have fresh coconut milk, canned or boxed coconut milk can also be used.
- Lodeh goes well when topped with beef or chicken floss (serunding), beef rendang and peanut sauce, and is perfect for Aidilfitri. Enjoy!
This article first appeared in butterkicap.com, a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of its people, food and places.