Genjer Menu To Treat Longing For Local Vegetables

Local ingredients always have many important stories, especially about unique memories and nostalgia.

Have you ever heard of a vegetable called GENJER? Actually, GENJER is the term in Indonesian. In English, the vegetable is called Yellow velvetleaf.

I don't know in which countries or regions there are GENJER vegetables like this. So, I call this vegetable a local vegetable that may not be found in your area.

This vegetable, which has a texture in the stem like elastic foam, grows in swamps and shallow waters. So, I haven't been able to grow them in my garden, but I'm still learning.

I haven't cooked this vegetable in my kitchen for a long time. However, at a local cafe, I often order this vegetable besides water spinach vegetables. So, for the reason of treating this longing, I will cook GENJER.

My husband also felt the same way. He felt excited when I told him that I would cook GENJER for dinner. So, my husband and I went shopping at the market in the afternoon before cooking.

I bought 3 bundles of GENJER, about 300 grams. I also bought tofu to mix with those GENJER.

Well, this recipe is again a spicy recipe because I have to adjust to my husband's taste. My husband and I are both spicy food enthusiasts. So, for those of you who can't handle spicy food, you can replace chili puree with tomato puree and use pepper for a slightly stronger taste.

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THE INGREDIENTS

• 300 grams of genjer / yellow velvetleaf
• 200 grams of tofu

• 50 grams of red chilies
• 5 cloves of shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon of salt to squeeze the genjer
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 50-100 ml of water

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1

Prepare the cooked genjer. Cut them into smaller sizes.

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Take one tablespoon of salt. Then, sprinkle evenly to the genjer pieces.

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Knead the genjer until they look like they are releasing water, then let them sit for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, please wash them with clean water up to 3 times to remove the salty taste and their sap.

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STEP 2

Cut tofu into cubes, or triangle shapes, it is just up to you according to your taste. But do not cut into not-quick-bite shapes.

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STEP 3

Heat the cooking oil. Then, fry the tofu pieces, about 5 minutes per side, or until the tofu pieces turn brown.

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We need to fry the tofu so that the tofu has a hard-textured surface to protect the tofu from breaking when combined with genjer.

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STEP 4

Boil water, then boil red chilies, shallots, and garlic for about 5 minutes.

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Drain them, then blend until it becomes a chili puree. Set aside.

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STEP 5

Heat a little cooking oil. Then, add chili puree, kaffir lime leaves, and bay leaves. Stir-fry them until they smell good.

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Add water, and sugar, then keep stirring them for a while.

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STEP 6

Add genjer and fried tofu into chili puree. Cook for about 5 minutes. No need to add salt because previously genjer has been kneaded with salt to prevent the dish from becoming salty.

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SERVING!

Serve this genjer side dish with rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. I also added crispy cassava chips for extra sensation. :)

Although GENJER has been squeezed, when cooked they will look like they have returned to their original shape because they are like elastic foam :)

Well, thank you so much for reading, and maybe, you can see my garden activities through my Youtube video. See you!

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Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari

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