Indonesian coconut vegetable soup with tempeh (Sayur lodeh)

1. Blitz the shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, chillies and coriander seeds to a paste.

2. Cut the tempeh into cubes and fry in a little oil until golden; dice the aubergine and courgette, cut the green beans into 3 cm pieces and shred the Chinese leaf.

3. In a pan fry the spice paste in the oil with the bruised lemongrass and makrut lime leaves for 4-5 minutes until fragrant.

4. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, add the green beans and aubergine and cook for 8 minutes.

5. Add the coconut milk, courgette, Chinese leaf and tempeh, season with sugar and salt and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes (don't let it boil hard or the coconut milk will split).

6. Serve hot with rice or pressed rice cakes.

Tip: A classic home soup from Java, also cooked for festivals such as the end of Ramadan. The vegetables change with the seasons – jackfruit, chayote or corn can go in too.