Sambal Tumpang (fermented soybeans cook with chili spices and coconut milk)

This recipe came from my mother, apparently my grandmother who really mastered it. Originally people in East Java and Central Java serve Sambal Tumpang with boiled vegetables, just like Pecel. Some peoples come from West-East Java or East-Central Java call it Letok, say with thick ‘t’ (Lethok) .

Ingredients:

300 gTempe (tempeh, fermented soybeans), a bit over-fermented tempe would be better.
1 salam leaves
2 slices galangal root, crushed
250 ml thin coconut milk
500 ml water
3-5 Hot chili (cabe rawit)
3 cloves garlic
5 shallots
Kencur [Greater galingale (Kaempferia galanga)]
3 teaspoon salt
A pinch of sugar

Instructions:

Boil the water in a pan, add tempe, salam leaves, galangal root and hot chilies.
When tempe and chilies become tender, turn off the heat. Take both out of water.
Pound tempe in stone mortar. Put it back into the pan.
Grind chilies with salt, garlic, shallots, and kencur. Take into the pan.
Turn on the heat at low. Pour thin coconut milk, stir it well.
Add sugar.
Cook until quite thick.
Serve it with boiled vegetables, warm cooked rice and Kerupuk Puli (Lempeng from Madiun, East Java)

(for 4 peoples)

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