Sambal Goreng Labu Siam

Sambal Goreng Labu Siam or also popular in my hometown, Surabaya as Sambal Goreng Manisa is a dish made from chayote squash, simmered in coconut milk. Chayote in Indonesia is known as Labu Siam or Manisa/Jipang. My mom used to make it, especially during Lebaran ketupat day which is a week after Eid al-Fitr celebration. My uncle made the ketupat and my mother prepare for the side dishes. It was really great and fun time to spend together with family and celebrate the feast. Oh how I miss that moment!

Category: Vegetables

Difficulty: Easy

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serving for 4 people

INGREDIENTS

1 medium Chayote squash

200 g fresh skinless prawn

100 g tofu, cut into cubes or as desired, then fried

250 ml thick coconut milk

200 ml water

2 cm fresh galangal, crushed

2 salam leaves (Indonesian bayleaf) – if you don’t have it, you can substitute with bayleaf

Spice Paste

2 – 3 big red chillies, seeded

4 shallots

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon dried small prawn (Indonesian : ebi) , soak in hot water – optional

3 candlenuts

Salt (can be also substituted with beef bouillon cube)

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel the Chayote squash and cut it into matchstick thin strips. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Grind or blend the spice paste.

3. Saute the spice paste until fragrant, add the prawn, galangal, salam leaves and fry for few minutes,  pour the water and bring to boil.

4. When it’s boiling add coconut milk and Chayote. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes then add fried tofu. Cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

5. Serve with lontong or steamed rice.

Note : you can add sliced small chillies to make it spicier.