Urap sayur

Next Monday will be my turn for a paper presentation. I work in the same lab, but no longer a student. And yet my name is still on the list of presenters after 5 years. So after spending weeks searching papers and sighing, I`ve finally got one.
It`s already Saturday night now, yet my PowerPoint is still far away from done. Not to mention the script. Not to mention the review. Bored already?

Sorry. Let`s get back to my other world. The fun world. The yummy world. The no-paper world. Ooops..no "paper" word anymore, promise.

Alright. This is the theme. Fibers.
 I, as the person in charge with providing meals in our house, am perfectly aware that we are lacking fibers in our daily food. Proven by his weight and BMI. Oh!

So this dish, called "urap sayur" in Bahasa Indonesia,  is one of my tricks to manipulate my self into eating more vegetables. It`s basically steamed or blanched vegetables mixed with spicy grated coconut. BUT, grated coconut is something very rare and and expensive here. The good thing is, I found something really really good here. So now I proudly present:

OKARA.
Or soy pulp. A by-product from tofu-making process. Okara is (very) high in fibers. And cheap. Perfect!

Now, let`s begin with sauteing chopped garlic, ginger, sand galangal (kencur in Bahasa Indonesia), kaffir lime leaves, and chilli powder. Add soy sauce and fish sauce at this stage.

When you can smell the fragrance, dump in the okara, and mash it up while also mixing with the spices. The okara will start breaking down into lumps at the beginning. Keep stirring until it starts losing the water content.

When it gets drier and drier, it will turn into something look like dessicated coconut. I`m not specialized in technical cooking terms, but I think this process somehow can be called "toasting" as you will feel as if you just heat-dried okara on the pan without the presence of oil, which is almost instantly absorbed by okara itself, or liquid, which was in a very small amount and already evaporated throughout the drying.

Now adjust the taste by adding salt, pepper, a pinch of brown sugar and cardamom powder.

Also, since okara is apparently a strong absorbent, when you add soy sauce or anything liquid, it will quickly absorb it and make it a bit difficult to distribute the sauce evenly. That`s why I think it`s better to add the sauce when you start sauteing the spices. But you can surely add salt or pepper or anything in powder now.

So, when your okara looks like something in the picture above, it`s done. If you have left overs, you can keep it in a tupper box or zip-locked bag and store it in fridge for like 3 days. Actually my okara finished after 3 days (thanks to his appetite) and the last batch was still good.

Now,  the other fibers. It`s Fiber Day, remember?
I used steamed cabbages and bean sprouts.Cost-friendly buddies. Love them.

 Place them in a mixing bowl and throw in the spiced okara.
 

Mix them up. I used tongs for this. You can use your (clean! very clean!) hands if you like.
I also added cilantro (my love) and the taste and smell just got much much better!

Done mixing? Now, go get your plate and steamed rice and then place the urap sayur on top, or on the side, or in a different plate, whereever you like!

Enjoy your fibrous healthy meal!



Oh yeah, I`m so busted!

I admit I can`t be a vegan. Even only for one meal.
After getting my urap sayur done, I can`t help cooking something meaty (and less healthy) for the side dish.
I promise I`ll get back on that in the coming post. It tastes really really great you have to try it.

Happy Sunday!

Oh...shoot! It`s Sunday already....!

Ingredients:
Okara
Garlic
Ginger
Sand galangal
Chili powder
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Brown sugar
Cardamom
Salt
Pepper
Cabbage
Bean sprouts