Koro is a type of vegetable that comes from the koro plant or koro bean, which is part of the legume family. Koro vegetables, with their crunchy texture and unique shape, are often people's choice when cooking. Koro can indeed be processed into various delicious dishes, from stir-fries to soups. Its high fiber content and rich protein make it a healthy alternative for everyday menus.
However, one of the challenges often faced when cooking koro is its bitter taste. This bitter taste can be quite dominant, especially if the koro used is old or not processed properly. The bitterness of koro can reduce the enjoyment of the dish and make it less popular, especially for children or people who are sensitive to bitter tastes.
However, the bitter taste of koro vegetables can actually be overcome with some proper cooking techniques. A YouTube user NOVIA HAP HAP once shared a technique for processing koro vegetables into lodeh . The method shared when processing koro vegetables not only reduces the bitter taste, but also the color of the vegetables remains bright green and tender.
YouTube/NOVIA HAP HAP
As reported by BrilioFood from YouTube NOVIA HAP HAP on Monday (19/8), the first thing to do is boil the koro vegetables. You can boil the koro vegetables directly in boiling water. Stir until evenly mixed and cover the pan. This will make it tender quickly. Once done, then remove and drain. Boiling koro vegetables can help remove the bitter taste because the boiling process can dissolve and reduce the compounds that cause the bitter taste. When koro is boiled, the bitter substances contained in the koro seeds and skin will dissolve into the boiling water. This causes the bitter taste of koro to be drastically reduced.
YouTube/NOVIA HAP HAP
Once drained, set aside first. Then prepare the spices in the form of 9 cloves of garlic, 5 cloves of shallots, chilies, 4 candlenuts, ginger, galangal, and turmeric. Fry all these spices first to make them even more delicious, then puree them using a pestle or blender.
YouTube/NOVIA HAP HAP
Next, add the ground spices and koro vegetables to the pan. Also add salt, mushroom stock, and sugar to taste. Stir and simmer the koro vegetables for 10 minutes so that the spices can be absorbed perfectly.
YouTube/NOVIA HAP HAP
Once done, add water and pour in fresh coconut milk. Stir and cook briefly until completely cooked. The last step, add more whole cayenne pepper if you want the sauce to be spicier. That way, lodeh sayur koro is ready to be consumed.