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Gulai pakis
Gulai pakis: West Sumatran fern tips in a turmeric and coconut milk curry
Gulai pakis is one of the green dishes on the counter of every Minangkabau rice shop (rumah makan Padang), from Bukittinggi to Jakarta, and it is cooked at home in West Sumatra whenever fern shoots are gathered from the riverbanks. Tender fern tips simmer in a yellow coconut milk sauce of turmeric, galangal, chilli and lime leaves until rich and gently spicy; many cooks add tiny dried shrimp, which this vegan version leaves out. Serve it with rice, sambal and fried tempeh. The usual mistake is boiling the coconut milk hard or covering the pan, which makes it split into curds; stir it often and keep it at a simmer. Chef's tip: always cook fern shoots thoroughly as below, as some ferns are not safe raw or lightly cooked; buy vegetable fern (paku) or fiddleheads sold for eating.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spice paste
- 6 shallotspeeled
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 red chilliesdeseeded for less heat
- 1 ⅛ in fresh turmericor 1 tsp ground
- ¾ in ginger
- ¾ in galangal
- 14 oz edible fern tips (pakis or fiddleheads)tough stems removed, cut into 5 cm lengths
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lemongrass stalkbruised
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp salt
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Blend the 6 shallots, 3 cloves garlic, 4 red chillies, 1 ⅛ in fresh turmeric, ¾ in ginger and ¾ in galangal with 2 tbsp water to a smooth paste.
5 minStep 2: Wash the 14 oz edible fern tips (pakis or fiddleheads) well in several changes of water. Blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse; fiddleheads must be fully cooked before eating.
12 minStep 3: Heat the 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pot over a medium heat and fry the paste with the 1 lemongrass stalk and 3 makrut lime leaves for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and no longer raw-smelling.
4 minStep 4: Add the 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, ¾ cup water, 1 tsp tamarind paste and 1 tsp salt and bring slowly to a simmer, stirring all the time, without a lid.
5 minStep 5: Add the ferns and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the stems are tender when bitten and the sauce has thickened slightly and turned a rich yellow. Remove the lemongrass and serve with rice.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gulai pakis take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 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.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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