Sayur Asem (Indonesian Tamarind Vegetable Soup)
A light, sour vegetable soup from Java that feeds four on a budget — built on tamarind, seasonal vegetables and peanuts for texture. Economical, vegan, and easy to stretch with rice.
50 min
start to finish
15 min
hands on
Easy
difficulty
4
servings
Ingredients
For the soup
Contains peanut. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.
Roughly, per serving
170 kcal6g protein16g carbs10g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
If using tamarind pulp (not paste), put 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp in a small bowl and cover with 1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water; let soak so the flesh softens.
If you only have tamarind paste, skip this soaking step and mix 2 tbsp paste with 2 tbsp warm water to loosen.
Press the soaked tamarind through a fine sieve into a small bowl to extract the juice and discard the solids; if using paste, whisk the paste-and-water until smooth and keep the liquid.
Taste the liquid — it should be noticeably sour; that’s the flavor base for the soup.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the sliced shallots and garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant.
Stir constantly so they soften without browning — about 2–3 minutes.
Stir in the ground coriander and turmeric until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Pour in 1.5 liters water and add the reserved tamarind liquid, 1 tablespoon palm sugar and 1.5 teaspoons salt; bring to a gentle simmer.
Bring to a simmer rather than a rolling boil to keep the flavors clear.
Add the peanuts and corn rounds to the pot and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes to start softening the peanuts and flavoring the broth.
Using raw peanuts is cheapest; simmering softens them and releases nutty flavor into the broth.
Add the chayote pieces and long beans, then simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
Timing depends on the size of pieces — aim for tender but not mushy.
Stir in the spinach (or melinjo leaves) and tomato, simmer 2 minutes to wilt leaves and warm the tomato, then taste and adjust salt or sugar to balance sourness.
If too sour, add a little more palm/brown sugar; if too flat, a splash more tamarind or a squeeze of lime brightens it.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot with steamed rice and optional sambal or fried shallots on the side.
Worth knowing
- Make it stretch: bulk the soup with extra corn, potatoes or cheap seasonal greens if feeding more people.
- If you want the classic deeper umami, add 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (terasi) or 1 tablespoon kecap manis for a sweeter finish — not vegan then.
- Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated; reheat gently so peanuts don’t get tough. The soup can also be frozen, though texture of some vegetables will soften.
- If you can't find tamarind paste, bottled tamarind concentrate works but start with less (1 teaspoon) and add to taste.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
VegetarianVeganGluten-freeDairy-freeBudgetMeal prep
More Indonesian cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Indonesian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian and vegan and gluten-free and dairy-free as listed.