Recipe: Tanaman’s Lumpia Basah

A light, nourishing, plant-based version of an Indonesian street-food classic. One of the favourite dishes at Tanaman restaurant.

Preparation time: 30 minutes, cooking time: 30 minutes Makes four pieces

Bandung, West Java, is known for its culinary swagger and lumpia basah is one of the city’s brightest edible stars. “They’re like fresh summer rolls or spring rolls,” says Tanaman chef Indra Saputra. “They’re great to make at home because they have all the goodness from vegetables, they’re comforting, and have an amazing texture.”

This is our plant-based take on lumpia basah, filled with hearty mushrooms and fresh scallions, cucumber and carrot for freshness. There’s even a dash of ginger and garlic for an extra kick. Serve them as a starter or add them to your stay-at-home snacking repertoire – either way, you’ll be hooked.

Ingredients 4 sheets store-bought rice paper Lumpia stuffing (full ingredient list below) 2 tbsp crisped red shallots 8 lime basil leaves 5 tbsp sambal Bandung

For the stuffing 3 tbsp soybean oil or corn oil 1 garlic clove peeled and minced ½ pc red shallot, peeled and minced (approx 2 tbsp minced) 1 scallion, thinly sliced 1 red chili pepper, seedless and sliced 1 tsp minced ginger 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks, blanched for 2 minutes in salted water, patted dry 2 cups fresh wood ear mushroom or oyster mushroom, thinly sliced 1 lime leaf, stem removed and finely sliced 1 tsp chilli oil 1 tsp light soy sauce Sea salt to taste A dash of white pepper powder ½ medium cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, cut into matchsticks 2 tbsp store-bought crisped red shallots 1 tbsp store-bought crisped garlic ½ tsp kaffir lime juice or lime juice

For the sambal Bandung ½ cup soybean oil 6 red chili peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped 3 cayenne peppers 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 6 tbsp chopped palm sugar 4 tbsp rice vinegar ¾ cup filtered water ½ tsp sea salt A dash of black pepper powder

Method Start by making the sambal Bandung. Heat oil in a fry-pan over a medium flame and stir-fry the garlic and chillies for three minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the oil, set aside to cool. In a small food processor, blend the fried garlic and chillies until they form a paste. Sauté the paste for approximately 10 minutes, then add the palm sugar, rice vinegar and water. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Simmer with the lid off until the sauce reduces by 60 percent (approx 30 minutes). Once it’s reduced, leave it to cool, pop it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to one week.

Now, for the lumpia stuffing. Heat oil in a fry-pan over a medium flame then add garlic and red shallots and cook for approximately three minutes, or until fragrant. Add the scallions, chilli and ginger. Sauté for another two minutes, add carrots, mushrooms and lime leaves. Continue cooking for three minutes, stirring continuously. Season with chilli oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Check and correct seasoning, transfer into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, toss in the cucumber, kaffir lime juice, crisped shallots and garlic. Season to taste. Set aside.

To soak the rice-paper, fill a wide bowl or container with filtered water. Soak one sheet at a time for approximately one minute, gently massaging each sheet to make it pliable. Once soft enough, remove from the water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Lay the soaked sheet on a flat plate or board. Cover ⅓ of the surface with four tablespoons of lumpia stuffing. Sprinkle some crisped shallots and lime leaves on top, before rolling tightly. To save time, roll your lumpia as the next sheet of rice-paper soaks.

Serve at room temperature with sambal Bandung on the side.