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Botok tempe
Tempeh and coconut in banana leaf
Botok tempe (botok tempe): tempeh and spiced grated coconut steamed in banana-leaf parcels
In village kitchens of Central and East Java, from Klaten to Kediri, botok is a weekday parcel dish: crumbled tempeh mixed with freshly grated coconut, chilli, galangal and a little palm sugar, wrapped in banana leaf with a bay leaf and steamed until set. It comes to the table at lunch, unwrapped beside rice, and tastes of toasted coconut and bay, moist and crumbly rather than saucy. Each portion has about 125 g of tempeh plus coconut, giving roughly 24 g of protein, mainly from the tempeh. The common mistake is wrapping the parcels loosely, so steam gets in and the filling turns wet; fold them snugly and pin them shut. Chef's tip: squeeze a little of the coconut through your fingers before mixing; if it feels dry, add a spoon or two of water so the botok binds when it steams.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb tempehcut into 1 cm cubes
- 5 ½ oz grated coconutfresh or frozen, thawed
- 1 tomatodiced
- 1 tbsp palm sugargrated
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp waterif needed
For the spice paste
- 5 shallots
- 3 red chilliesdeseeded for a milder botok
- 1 ⅛ in galangalpeeled and chopped
- ¾ in kencur (aromatic ginger) (optional)or 1 cm extra galangal
For wrapping
- 8 banana leavescut into 25 cm squares, softened over a flame or in hot water
- 8 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam)or 4 ordinary bay leaves, halved
- 4 bird's eye chillies (optional)halved
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pound 5 shallots, 3 garlic cloves, 3 red chillies, 1 ⅛ in galangal and ¾ in kencur (aromatic ginger) to a coarse paste.
Step 2: In a bowl, mix the paste with 5 ½ oz grated coconut, 1 ⅛ lb tempeh, 1 tomato, 1 tbsp palm sugar and 1 tsp salt, squeezing with your hand so the coconut coats the tempeh. If the mixture does not cling together, add 3 tbsp water a spoonful at a time.
5 minStep 3: Lay two squares of 8 banana leaves on top of each other, shiny side up. Put a piece of 8 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam) in the middle, a quarter of the filling on top, and a piece of 4 bird's eye chillies if you like it hot.
Step 4: Fold the leaf over the filling, then fold the ends underneath to make a tight parcel and pin it with a cocktail stick. Make 4 parcels.
10 minStep 5: Steam the parcels over boiling water for 30 minutes. They are done when the leaf has turned olive green and the filling feels firm when pressed.
30 minStep 6: Rest for 5 minutes, then unwrap at the table and eat with warm rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does botok tempe take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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