Sayur Lodeh - Indonesian Vegetable Stew in Coconut Milk

Sayur lodeh is Indonesian vegetable stew in coconut milk. Like its cousin, sayur asem, sayur lodeh has no fixed rules on which vegetables to use.

As long as you have the ingredients to prepare the spiced coconut milk broth, you can create your own version of lodeh from an assortment of vegetables you have in your home.

To me, cooking a batch of lodeh is a great way to clean up my fridge from the odd carrot, celery, and whatnot. :)

What are the typical vegetables that go into an Indonesian sayur lodeh?

It is true you can use an assorted mixture of vegetables to prepare sayur lodeh, but here is a list of the more commonly used vegetables in a typical Indonesia sayur lodeh:

• snake/long bean (Indonesian: kacang panjang)
• Thai eggplant (Indonesian: terong hijau)
• Chinese eggplant (Indonesian: terong ungu)
• Indonesian tempe/soybean tempeh, if you want, you can use my recipe to make homemade tempeh
• firm/extra-firm tofu
• tomato
• corn (Indonesian: jagung)
• cabbage (Indonesian: kol)
• chayote (Indonesian: labu siam)
• melinjo leaves (Indonesian: daun melinjo)

Those are just the more popular and more common vegetables you see in a typical lodeh. You don’t have to use all of them, just pick at least 3 vegetables, then choose either tempeh or tofu for the protein, and you should get a proper Indonesian lodeh. :)

What are the spices to prepare sayur lodeh broth?

To prepare the coconut milk broth, you will need:

• coconut milk (Indonesian: santan)
• water, or chicken stock
• shallot (Indonesian: bawang merah)
• garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
• red chilies (Indonesian: cabe merah), I use Fresno chilies, but you can use bird-eye chilies or cayenne chilies too
• toasted terasi/belacan/shrimp paste, or ground toasted ebi (dried small shrimps)
• ginger
• galangal
• candlenuts (Indonesian: kemiri)
• ground coriander
• ground turmeric
• salt
• palm sugar (Indonesian: gula Jawa), or dark brown sugar
• Indonesian bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam), omit if you don’t have this

White color broth vs. orange color broth

If you prefer a white-colored broth, omit red chilies and ground turmeric when you make the spice paste. Simply slice the red chilies and add them with the vegetables when cooking the stew.

If you prefer an orange-colored broth like the one in my photos, please add the red chilies (plus 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, if you wish) when you make the spice paste.

I must say that most Indonesians prefer the white-colored broth though. :)

How do you cook sayur lodeh?

Sayur lodeh is one of the easiest vegetable stew you can make. Once all the prep work is done, please do the following:

1. Heat oil in a soup pot/wok over medium-high heat. Fry the spice paste until fragrant. This should take about 5 minutes.
2. Add daun salam (if using) and thinly sliced chilies (if not included in the spice paste). Stir for another minute.
3. Add coconut milk, water/chicken stock, season with salt and palm sugar. Bring to a boil.
4. Add long/snake beans, eggplants, soybean tempeh, and tomato. Once it boils again, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fully cooked and tender. Adjust the amount of salt/palm sugar as needed.
5. Turn off the heat, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

What do I serve with sayur lodeh?

Sayur lodeh is one of Indonesian festive food. As such, it is usually served together with many other dishes, such as:

• steamed white rice, or lontong/ketupat/steamed rice cake
• opor ayam
• serundeng
• dendeng ragi
• sambal terasi