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Asinan Betawi
Pickled vegetable and tofu salad
Asinan Betawi (asinan Betawi): Jakarta's pickled vegetable and tofu salad in sweet-sour chilli peanut sauce
Asinan Betawi is the cooling salad of old Jakarta, sold from glass-sided carts and eaten mid-afternoon in the heat or brought out at family gatherings in big tubs. Quick-pickled cabbage, cucumber and bean sprouts are piled with cubes of tofu, then soaked in a thin, tangy sauce of chilli, vinegar, palm sugar and ground peanuts. It is crunchy, sour, sweet and spicy all at once. A portion has about 300 kcal and roughly 17 g of protein, from the tofu and peanuts, so it is a light meal rather than a high-protein one. The common mistake is dressing it too early; the vegetables go limp within an hour. Street versions often scatter shrimp crackers on top, so use plain rice or cassava crackers to keep it vegetarian. Chef's tip: chill the sauce well before serving; asinan should be served cold enough to fog the bowl.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pickled vegetables
- 9 oz white cabbagefinely shredded
- 1 cucumbercut into sticks
- 5 ½ oz bean sprouts
- 6 lettuce leavestorn
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
For the tofu
- 10 ½ oz firm tofucut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce
- 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 ⅛ oz palm sugargrated
- 4 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups water
To serve
- 8 plain rice or cassava crackers (optional)not shrimp crackers
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (optional)roughly chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toss 9 oz white cabbage and 1 cucumber with 3 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and leave for 20 minutes, until slightly softened but still crunchy. Squeeze lightly and drain.
20 minStep 2: Pour boiling water over 5 ½ oz bean sprouts, leave 30 seconds and drain under cold water.
Step 3: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and fry 10 ½ oz firm tofu, turning, until golden on most sides. Cool.
8 minStep 4: Blend 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts and 4 red chillies with half the ¾ cup water until fairly smooth. Simmer with the rest of ¾ cup water, 2 ⅛ oz palm sugar, 4 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt for 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. It should be thin, like single cream. Cool, then chill.
3 minStep 5: Pile 6 lettuce leaves, the pickled vegetables, 5 ½ oz bean sprouts and tofu in bowls.
Step 6: Ladle the cold sauce over just before eating and top with 2 tbsp roasted peanuts and 8 plain rice or cassava crackers.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does asinan Betawi take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 10 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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