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Pasembur
Pasembur: Penang's mamak salad of crunchy vegetables, fritters, tofu and egg under a sweet-spicy sweet potato sauce
Pasembur is sold from Indian-Muslim (mamak) stalls along Penang's Gurney Drive and Esplanade: shredded cucumber, jicama and bean sprouts piled with sliced fried tofu, boiled egg and crisp fritters, all buried under a thick, sweet, gently spicy sauce made from sweet potato, chilli and peanuts. You pick your fritters at the stall; prawn fritters are common, but here they are crunchy cabbage and onion ones. Chef's tip: dress it at the very last moment and eat at once, so the fritters stay crisp under the sauce.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
For the fritters
For the salad
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 7 oz sweet potato in 1 ¼ cups water for 10–12 minutes, until very soft. Blend it with its cooking water to a smooth purée.
12 minStep 2: Drain 6 dried red chillies and blend with 2 cloves garlic and 3 shallots to a paste. Fry in 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat for 6 minutes, until dark red and fragrant.
8 minStep 3: Add the sweet potato purée, 2 ⅛ oz roasted peanuts, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind paste and ¾ tsp salt and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon heavily. Cool to warm.
5 minStep 4: Whisk 3 ½ oz plain flour, 1 oz rice flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp salt and ½ cup cold water into a thick batter, then stir in 3 ½ oz white cabbage and 1 onion.
4 minStep 5: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a wok to 350°F, when a drop of batter rises at once. Fry the 7 oz firm tofu slabs for 5 minutes until golden and lift out. Then drop in heaped tablespoons of fritter batter and fry for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp. Common mistake: making the fritters too thick; keep them flat so they crisp right through.
15 minStep 6: Pile 1 cucumber, 7 oz jicama and 3 ½ oz bean sprouts on plates, top with sliced tofu, fritters cut into strips and 2 eggs. Pour over the warm sauce and finish with 2 tbsp roasted peanuts.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pasembur take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of sweet potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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