Veg­etable Sour Soup (Sayur Asam)

Ingredients & spices :

1 tsp. tamarind
5 tbsp. warm water
1 shal­lot, sliced
3 cloves gar­lic, minced
1 inch-long piece fresh ginger,
peeled and sliced
1 red chili pep­per, seeded and sliced*
3 tbsp. raw peanuts
1/2 tsp. salt
5 c. veg­etable broth
1/2 c. salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 chay­ote, peeled, seeded, and sliced thin
1/2 c. fresh or frozen green beans,
ends trimmed
corn
1 green chili pep­per, sliced (optional)

How to prepare :

Pre­pare tamarind by plac­ing it in a small bowl with warm water. Let soak for 15 minutes.

To make spice paste, com­bine shal­lot, gar­lic, gin­ger, red chili pep­per, raw peanuts and salt in a large mor­tar and blend well with a pes­tle. Use a food proces­sor or blender if you don’t have a mor­tar and pestle.

Trans­fer paste to a medium saucepan and add veg­etable broth, salted peanuts, and brown sugar. Stir to com­bine, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Mean­while, use a strainer to sep­a­rate the tamarind seeds from the juice. Throw away the seeds and keep the juice.

Add chay­ote, green beans, and corn to the soup, and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.

Just before serv­ing, add tamarind juice and stir. Gar­nish with green chili pep­per slices if desired.

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