Tapioca shoots and herbs in sambal tempoyak

Sambal Tempoyak: A Delicious Traditional Malay Dish

Tapioca shoots and herbs in sambal tempoyak, or pucuk ubi petai masak lemak tempoyak, is a delicious traditional Malay dish that’s perfect as part of a festive spread, or served at any gathering of family and friends.

Ingredients

• 600g tapioca shoots (pucuk ubi kayu)
• 180g wild pepper leaves (daun kadok)
• 60g Vietnamese coriander (daun kesum)
• 18g turmeric leaves (daun kunyit)
• 380g petai
• 300g pea eggplant (terung pipit)
• 70g lemongrass, white parts only
• 3 large red onions, peeled
• 50g green & red cili padi
• 60g tamarind peel (asam keping)
• 800g tempoyak
• 1kg coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• 150g dried anchovies
• 50g salt
• 150g sugar
• 1 litre plus 100ml water

Preparation

• Remove the stems from all four leaf types, then give it a good rinse, shaking off all excess water.
• Using a sharp knife, finely cut your leaves, about 3mm wide. This is a method known as “chiffonading”.
• The best way to chiffonade daun kadok (wild pepper leaves) is to gather them together in a thick pile, then fold them in half along the spine. Chiffonade accordingly.

Instructions

1. Now set a large wok on your stove. Do not turn on the fire yet.
2. First, pour in the onion and cili padi blend. Add all the chiffonaded leaves, followed by the terung pipit and the petai.
3. Place the lemongrass stalks atop the pile of greens, followed by the anchovies, and the tempoyak. Your wok should look something like this:
4. Pour 1 litre of water into the wok. Add a tablespoonful of turmeric powder, and pour in the coconut milk.
5. Turn the fire on to low heat and give everything a good stir, making sure the tempoyak completely melts and disintegrates into the dish. You don’t want any clumps.
6. Add the tamarind peel, salt and sugar, and give everything another stir.
7. Cook for 1 hour until the leaves are completely wilted and turn a dark olive green. The sauce will continue to thicken as the dish cooks. There is no need to stir constantly – just give it a few stirs every 10 minutes or so to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the wok and burns.
8. And that’s it. Dish out, serve hot with freshly cooked rice, and enjoy!

Tips

• If you’re using freshly made tempoyak, you may need to add an extra one or two pieces of tamarind peel as it tends to be sweeter compared to older tempoyak. If you’re unsure, give the dish a taste after it has cooked for about 15 minutes. It should be sour-sweet. Adjust accordingly.
• If you have fresh turmeric, use that instead. You’ll need about a 2.5cm cube of peeled turmeric. Blend it with the onions and cili padi. You do not need to use turmeric powder in this case.
• This recipe feeds a lot, so feel free to scale it down as needed. Just remember to keep the ratio of the leaves the same to ensure a balance of flavour.

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com, a food and culture platform that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through recipes and stories of her people, food and places.