Sayur Lodeh
This Indonesian side builds long beans or green beans, chayote or zucchini and cabbage into a comforting meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (7)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Blend the shallots, garlic and chiles into a paste, then cut the chayote, eggplant, beans, cabbage and tofu into bite sized pieces.
- Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the spice paste for 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant, then add the bruised lemongrass, sliced galangal and bay leaves.
- Pour in about 400 ml water with the firmer vegetables such as chayote and long beans and simmer for 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the coconut milk, eggplant, cabbage and tofu and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring now and then so the coconut milk does not split.
- Simmer for a further 8 to 10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, then season with palm sugar and salt to taste.
- Remove the lemongrass and bay leaves and serve the stew hot in bowls with steamed rice and a spoonful of sambal on the side.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Large pot · Saucepan · Blender · Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- Shallots
- ½ small onion + a little garlic
- Lemon
- lime · 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
What to serve with Sayur Lodeh
- Ayam Goreng Chicken
- Ayam Penyet Chicken
- Bakso Beef
- Bubur Ayam Breakfast
Tips & common questions
How long does Sayur Lodeh take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 15 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Sayur Lodeh vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Sayur Lodeh is an original Indonesian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Sayur lodeh, nasi impit dengan sambal bilis.jpg by Anarohana70, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.