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Asinan Jakarta - Crispy salad with peanuts and tamarind sauce
5 from 18 votes

Asinan Jakarta - Crispy salad with peanuts and tamarind sauce

Asinan Jakarta is a refreshing Indonesian salad featuring crisp cabbage, carrot, lettuce, beansprouts, and cucumber soaked to soften with a flavorful dressing of roasted peanuts, tamarind, garlic, chili, and brown sugar. The dressing balances salty, sour, sweet, and spicy notes, tenderizing the vegetables while preserving crunch. Optional crispy crackers add further texture contrast to the dish.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 284 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Indonesian

Ingredients

  • ½ small cabbage
  • 2 cups beansprouts
  • 1 large carrot
  • ½ round lettuce
  • ⅓ cucumber
  • ¾ cup peanuts crushed and grind with pestle and mortar, roasted, salted
  • 1 clove garlic crushed.
  • 1 teaspoon Dry chili flakes grind into a paste, or 1-2 bird’s eye red chillies
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional.
  • 1 cup water
  • noodle crackers kerupuk - optional, or onion crackers

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Slice the cabbage. Set aside.
  2. Cut the carrots into julienne/ matchsticks. Set aside.
  3. Slice the lettuce. Set aside.
  4. And cut the cucumber into slices. Set aside
  5. In a big mixing bowl, add cool boiled water. And stir in one teaspoon of salt.
  6. Then put all the vegetables in the bowl, i.e. cabbage, beansprouts, carrots, lettuce, and cucumber. Gently press until all the vegetables are soaked in the water. 
  7. Leave the vegetables to soak for at least a few hours.
  8. In the meantime, make the dressing by mixing crushed peanuts, garlic, chili flakes/chili paste, tamarind, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Pour in hot water from the kettle. Stir well and cook at medium heat until it reaches boiling point.
  9. Try and taste the sauce. It should taste salty, sour, sweet, and spicy.
  10. The challenge with making asinan is to get all these four flavours to come together. So you may have to add in a teaspoon of granulated sugar if it’s not sweet enough. Or salt if you can’t taste it. Similarly, you add more tamarind and chilli if needed. Feel free to add more each respectively if you think you need it. Although the measure that I did in this recipe has all the flavours. 
  11. Once you’re happy with your dressing sauce, you can start making your asinan.
  12. Using a colander, drain the vegetables, and discard the water.
  13. Arrange the veggies in a serving bowl.
  14. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables, and mix well.
  15. Garnish with noodle crackers/ onion crackers if using.

Notes

  • The crackers are optional but add enjoyable crunch; prepackaged prawn crackers are a convenient choice.
  • Fresh chilies provide more aroma and a livelier spicy flavor compared to chili flakes.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 284kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 36g (12%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10g (59%) Sodium 430mg (18%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 17g (34%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 284

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 284kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 10g 59%
Sodium 430mg 18%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 17g 34%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.