Fire and Rice: How to make Urab (a traditional Sudanese dish)

(pronounced oo-rab)

Slowly but surely I've been recieving my initiation into Sundanese (West Java) culture. The students in the school next door played these bamboo instruments which I would look up the name of if my internet weren't slow enough to test the patience of a saint right now. Today's lesson took place in our kitchen.

Mamah, my family's friend and maid, had out a dozen cutting boards, huge bowls, pots and woks when I walked into the kitchen for breakfast this morning. The twins, Susi and I spent the next two hours making the following. (Disclaimer: I used my dictionary to translate all of the ingredients and some are foreign to me so if you wish to use this recipe at any point, go with your best judgement. I also took pictures.)

Ingredients:

- green beans (kacang hijau)

- spinach/kale/water spinach (I assume that's a real plant)/watercress (kangkung)

- bean sprouts (toge)

- grated coconut (kelapa)

- small red onions (bawang merah)

- red chilli (cabe merah)

- tomato

- kencur (no translation; smells earthy)

- prikitik (see photo)

- green pumpkin-oid thing (waluh)

- salt

- sugar

1. Grind about 10 red onions, 10 green chillies, several kencur and garlic into a paste. Also grate a heck of a lot (maybe a whole) coconut into a bowl.

This is kencur.

This is the quantity of coconut we're talking about.

2. Thinly slice green pumpkin (about 10, they're small)

3. Cut up tomato, red onion and chillies into small-ish pieces and set aside

4. Steam green beans, bean sprouts, spinach-oid plant and prikitik (pictured below) set aside in a big bowl.

5. In one large pot steam diced green pumpkin. In one large wok heat oil on med-high and mix red onion, chillies and paste. Add in tomatos after about 30 seconds with 3 tablespoons of sugar and a little salt

6. Add in the bowl of coconut shavings and mix everything inside of wok. Add more oil as needed