Sayur Lodeh

Sayur Lodeh is called upon in every celebration/occasion in Indonesia. It is a versatile dish, associated with Javanese cuisines where food is rich with symbolism. Due to the popularity and close relations between countries, it spreads across the region from Indonesia, to Malaysia and Singapore. One magical thing about this stew is how simple the preparations are!

How did Sayur Lodeh come about? The traditions, origins and variations are said to be stretch as far back as the 10th Century and in the 16th Century during when Spanish and Portuguese had introduced long beans to Java, Indonesia.

Legend also has it that having Sayur Lodeh a tradition came about during a plague in the city of Yogyakarta, on the main Indonesian Island of Java. As the sultan ordered for his people cook it during quarantine. This brought the importance of social solidarity and togetherness of the people, as everyone cooked the same thing throughout the city. So this began a tradition that continues on until today for the slametan ceromony.

The seven key ingredients in a coconut base; melinjo (fruit, olive-like), melinjo leaf, chayote (type of squash), long beans, aubergine, jackfruit and tempeh. Symbolism of these ingredients derive from the sounds of the syllables, with the Javanese belief of the basis to avoiding misfortune.

Now during Lebaran (Eid) celebrated by the Muslims in Indonesia and Cap Go Meh celebration during Lunar New Year by the Peranakan (Indonesian Chinese community) would go incomplete without Sayur Lodeh. Popular during celebrations, this simple colourful vegetable stew has become a more commonly found through out Indonesia. At places such as restaurants, cafes and as street food.

A dish that is light and not too spicy, it's often paired with many dishes that is spicier and heavier in flavour. Consumed with dishes such as opor ayam, empal gepuk or beef serundeng or rendang with a side of sambal terasi for some heat.

Here we share this celebrated dish with you. Simply grab Kopi Thyme's Sayur Lodeh paste, a can of coconut milk or cream, chopped vegetables and boil it together in a pot. Voila! You have yourself a pot of non-spicy, creamy, yet perfectly balanced flavour sayur lodeh. We love how fast, flexible, and most importantly, how tasty this stew is.

During Lebaran/ Eid al-Fitr, Sara's family makes this dish to celebrate the festivities every year. Being away from homemade it hard to find and the cravings for it just kept growing for Sara, that is until she created this. This is a family recipe passed down from her Oma to her mum and now to her. Shared with everyone to bring some comfort and bring families together.