Indonesian
Urap Sayur
Blanched green beans, cabbage, spinach, and bean sprouts tossed with a steamed Javanese coconut seasoning fragrant with chile, galangal, makrut lime, shallot, and shrimp paste.
6 servings · 25 minutes prep · 15 minutes cook
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
- 5 ounces green cabbage, cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
- 4 ounces mung bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
- 5 ounces mature spinach, thick stems removed
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, for blanching water
Seasoned Coconut
- 2 small shallots, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 red bird’s-eye chiles, seed one for medium heat
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh galangal
- 1/2 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste
- 2 teaspoons finely shaved palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 makrut lime leaves, center ribs removed, leaves sliced hair-thin
- 2 cups fresh or frozen grated unsweetened coconut, thawed if frozen
Directions
Pound and Steam the Coconut
- Pound the shallots, garlic, chiles, galangal, and shrimp paste to a rough, moist paste. Work in the palm sugar and salt.
- Mix the paste and makrut lime leaves thoroughly into the grated coconut. Spread in a heatproof plate and steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff and cool to room temperature.
Blanch Each Vegetable
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with the blanching salt. Cook the green beans for 3 minutes, until crisp-tender; lift into a colander and cool under cold running water.
- Return the water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage for 60 seconds, the bean sprouts for 1 to 2 minutes, until steaming-hot and just tender, and the spinach for 20 seconds, cooling each separately as soon as it is drained.
Dry, Toss, and Serve
- Squeeze the cooled spinach in small handfuls, then separate its leaves. Spread all vegetables on a clean towel and blot until no beads of water remain.
- Reserve one-quarter of the seasoned coconut. Lift the vegetables through the remainder until evenly flecked, adding the reserved coconut only as needed for a fragrant, fluffy coating. Serve at room temperature within 2 hours.
