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Sayur oyong
Luffa and glass noodle soup
Sayur oyong: luffa and glass noodles in a light garlic and shallot broth
Sayur oyong is a mild home soup from Java, cooked for weekday lunches and suppers when angled luffa (oyong) is in the market: the gourd turns soft and silky in a light broth of garlic and shallot, and a handful of glass noodles makes it filling. Many cooks add dried shrimp or a few prawns; this version keeps it vegetarian. The common mistake is adding the glass noodles too early, which makes them swell and drink all the broth; they need only 2 minutes at the end. Chef's tip: fry the shallot and garlic until just golden before adding water, which gives a sweet, rounded flavour to a broth with only a few ingredients.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 shallotsthinly sliced
- 3 garlic clovesthinly sliced
- 3 ¾ cups waterjust boiled from the kettle
- 2 angled luffa (oyong)about 500 g, ridges peeled, cut into 1 cm slices
- 1 ⅜ oz mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles)pure mung bean starch; soaked in warm water for 5 minutes and snipped short
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp crispy fried shallots (optional)to serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry 3 shallots and 3 garlic cloves for 2 minutes, until soft and just golden.
2 minStep 2: Pour in 3 ¾ cups water, add 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar and ¼ tsp ground white pepper and bring to the boil.
2 minStep 3: Add 2 angled luffa (oyong) and simmer for 3–4 minutes, until the slices turn translucent and soft.
4 minStep 4: Add drained 1 ⅜ oz mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles) and simmer for 1–2 minutes, until clear and slippery. Taste for salt and serve hot, scattered with 1 tbsp crispy fried shallots.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sayur oyong take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 6 minutes to prepare and 9 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 cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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