By Margarita Lee
Ingredients A:
200g carrot (cut into 3 cm thin strips)
200g cucumber (cut into 3 cm thin strips)
200g long beans (cut into 3 cm thin strips)
200g cauliflower (cut into pieces)
200g cabbage (cut into pieces)
200g pineapple (cut into pieces)
1L water
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp turmeric powder
Ingredients B:
150g red chilies, deseeded and chopped
30g dried red chilies, soaked and deseeded
10 shallots
6 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
6 candlenuts
20g fresh turmeric
20g belacan, toasted
200 ml white rice vinegar
4 tbsp cooking oil
Sugar to taste
Garnish:
Toasted peanuts
Toasted white sesame seeds
Crispy fried shallots
Crispy fried garlic
Method:
- In a large pot, bring 1L of water to boil. Add salt, vinegar, and turmeric powder.
- Blanch cabbage, long beans, and cauliflower for 1 minute or until slightly wilted. Set aside.
- Mix carrots and cucumbers with 1 tbsp of salt. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 45 degrees Celsius. Dry carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, pineapple, and long beans with a paper towel. Spread the blanched vegetables evenly on a baking tray and leave them in the oven for an hour.
- Blend together red chilies, dried red chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, fresh turmeric, candlenuts, and toasted belacan into a smooth paste.
- Heat oil over medium heat and sauté the blended ingredients until fragrant.
- Add vinegar and sugar to taste. Sauté for a few more minutes until it boils. Leave it to cool.
- Mix all the vegetables well with the chili paste and peanuts.
- You can serve immediately, but for the best results, store in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to let all flavors seep into the vegetables. Enjoy!
