← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 400 g spinach, amaranth or sayur manis leaves, washed and picked
• 5 Shallot
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 2 red chillies (or 3 bird’s eye)
• 1 tbsp Dried shrimp, soaked for 10 minutes (optional)
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 300 ml Coconut milk
• 200 ml Water
• ½ tsp Salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp Sugar

Method

1. Pound or blend the shallots, garlic, chillies and dried shrimp (if using) into a coarse paste.
2. Put the paste, turmeric and water in a pot and bring to the boil, then simmer for 3 min until the raw smell of the shallots is gone.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and heat gently, stirring, until it just starts to bubble; do not let it boil hard or it may split.
4. Add the greens, stems first, and simmer for 2–3 min until wilted. Season with salt and sugar and serve with rice.

Tips

• Dried shrimp adds a traditional savoury depth but makes it non-vegetarian; leave it out for the vegan version.
• Pumpkin cubes, long beans or young jackfruit are lovely here too; simmer them in the gravy until tender before adding the leaves.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Singaporean Malaysian Recipes Bake With Paws