Taste Indonesia’s Authentic Sayur Asem: A Flavorful Journey to the Heart of Tradition

This morning, I went to the market. Not to buy fancy or shiny things, but the ingredients for a simple meal. Back in middle school, I dreamed of becoming a chef. Yes, a chef! But fate had other plans for me. So, as a consolation, I cook. Cooking is my outlet now.

Today, I plan to make sayur asem. The ingredients I need are peanuts, galangal, chayote, cabbage, and long beans.

As for the other things, they’ve always been in the house.

These fresh ingredients will turn into a comforting dish that warms me up and gives a little more meaning to my day. It may not be fancy food, but for me, here and now, it’s more than enough.

First, I clean the ingredients that have been prepared.

The long beans are cut into small pieces, the chayote is peeled and sliced thinly, the cabbage is torn into pieces, and the peanuts are ready to be cooked.

Then, I prepare the complete seasonings.

There are shallots, garlic, galangal, and chilies. I feel like adding a bit more spice to make it even more flavorful. Usually, I also add a little tamarind, as it gives that fresh, distinctive taste to the sayur asem.

Here’s the list of ingredients and spices with approximate quantities:

Ingredients:

1. Long beans – 100 grams
2. Chayote – 1 medium-sized
3. Cabbage – ½ head
4. Peanuts – 50 grams

Spices:

1. Garlic – 3 cloves
2. Shallots – 4 cloves
3. Turmeric – 1-inch piece or 1 tsp powder
4. Coriander – 1 tsp
5. Ginger – 1-inch piece

Others:

1. Tamarind – 1 tbsp
2. Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
3. Broth – 500 ml (or water if you don’t have broth)

I started by adding water into the pot, just enough to make a warm, refreshing serving of sayur asem. I didn’t forget to toss in the finely ground spices I had prepared earlier. I let the water slowly come to a boil, much like life itself, which sometimes takes its time to reach the perfect point.

Once the water boiled, I added the ingredients one by one. Long beans, cabbage, chayote, and of course, peanuts—all floating together in the pot. I seasoned it with a little broth, some salt, and most importantly, the tamarind that gives the sayur asem its signature tang.

All the ingredients swirled together in the pot, patiently waiting to become one dish that could warm the stomach and the soul. About 15 minutes later, the sayur asem was done. Simple, but the taste… it felt like home.

To complete the meal, I fried some tempeh.

Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian dish made from fermented soybeans. When fried, it turns delightfully crispy and pairs perfectly with any warm, hearty dish.

The sizzling sound of the tempeh in the hot oil felt like music in the kitchen. And the aroma? It was enough to make anyone impatient for the meal to be ready.

We enjoyed it while it was still hot, the best way to truly savor its flavors.

I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the simple joy of a warm meal, paired with good health to relish it. This was a blessing, both in the taste and the moment—a reminder of how life’s simplest pleasures are often the most profound.

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