Vegetarian Bayam Masak Lemak (Spinach Coconut Stew)

Hi all you amazing and wonderful people.  

How have you been? Hope all is well and extremely positively good. Me? What about me? I am doing good as well. Oh-well! It’s not all perfection, rosy and sunshiny all the time. But, I keep going positively. Even if things go wrong. Even if, every once a while or every now and then I feel the world has collapsed on my head. My life! Hah! A colourful life. Yea. I like to keep my life colourful.Always. The latest colors pop-yea-yea in my life? “Karthigai Deepam” Hindu religious festival. Also known as the “Festival Of Lights”, specifically the lights of Lord Shiva’s enlightenment and this festival, celebrated over a period of three days is about lighting the earthen lamps. For me, been like, in fact, I can’t even recall when was the last time I ushered this festival of lights. Most probably, I think, most probably, 30 over years ago. That too, during my growing up years in Brickfields when I was single and available. This year! Aha!. I just felt vibes. The vibes to lighting the earthen lamps. On the first day, 31 lights lighted up, second day, 51 lights and on the third day, wow, 101 earthen lamps lighted up in my garden. My garden. My pride and joy, and of course, I am the gardener. Gardening. My stress buster and one of those which is part of my colourful life.

Alright. Enough said I suppose, let us now get to the  recipe of the day. Vegetarian Masak Lemak/ Spinach Coconut Stew (Vegetarian Asam Pedas & Vegetarian Potato Sambal). The Malay style (Masak Lemak Sayur, Tempoyak Masak Lemak Sardine, Pucuk Ubi Masak Lemak & Sayur Lodeh) to cooking spinach and the spinach or bayam for this recipe? From my friend’s garden and to me. What about me and growing spinach in my garden? I have been trying, but,  not a planting success yet. I have not given up though. Hopefully, this time around, the seeds I have sowed will show themselves soon as luscious organic spinach (Spinach Chickpea Curry, Spinach Tofu & Spinach Dal Curry). To the recipe now ladies and gentlemen. 

Ingredients
1 bunch spinach/bayam - wash, rinse, pluck the leaves out and slice the stems 

1 ½ cups thick coconut milk 
2 turmeric leaves/daun kunyit – slice 
3 tbsp oil 
Salt to taste

For blending/pounding 
1 big onion 
1 inch fresh turmeric/kunyit hidup 
1 lemongrass/serai 
Fresh red chillies – as needed  

Method 
Heat oil. 
Fry the blended/pounded ingredients. 

Pour 1 cup water and simmer.  

Add spinach. 
Pour coconut milk and add salt.  
Simmer. 
Off the heat and throw in the turmeric leaves.

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