Lodeh(Coconut Vegetable Stew)

My husband and kids are very adventurous in trying out new food. This gives me an opportunity to try out recipes from different ethnic cuisine.  My brother-in-law loves to cook Asian food. On my recent visit to California I got to taste some interesting Indonesian food.  Today, I made this coconut vegetable stew called Sayur Lodeh, a popular dish in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is typically prepared with shrimp and anchovies.  I tried the vegetarian version of the stew and served it with noodles. It was a big hit at dinner.  My daughter prefers it with rice.

Ingredients:
1C cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2C green beans, cut diagonally into 1-inch
1/2C each cauliflower and broccoli florets
1/2C carrots, cut into chunky strips
1/4C zucchini, cut into thick pieces
1/3C oil
2C water
1C coconut milk
salt to taste

For Paste:
1T chili paste or as required
1 stalk lemon grass, sliced
1/4C shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, chopped
1/2 t turmeric
1t corriander seeds
1t cumin seeds

Method:
1. Run the ingredients for paste in a food processor.
2. Heat oil in  large stock pot. Add the paste and stir-fry till oil oozes out from the paste. Take care not to burn the paste.
3. Add water to the pot. When it starts to boil add the vegetable and simmer till they are half cooked. Add  salt and coconut milk. Cook for a few minutes. Do not over cook the vegetables.  They should be crunchy.   Garnish with Thai basil. Serve with rice. 

Notes: You can add tofu cubes to the stew.