To make spice paste:

• 10 red chilies
• 1 large shallot (about 75 g)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 5 candlenuts (or macadamia nuts)
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger (about 1” piece)
• 2 tbsp galangal, fresh or frozen (about 1” piece)
• 1 1/2 tsp fish sauce

To make soup:

• 1.5 L / 6 cups water
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp tamarind paste/juice*
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 8 daun salam (bay leaves)**
• 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

Add to soup:

• 1/2 lb (about 225 g) green cabbage, cut in 1/2” squares
• 1 lb (about 454 g) zucchini, diced in quarter moons
• 1/4 lb (about 100 g) green beans, cut in 2” pieces
• 1/4 lb (about 100 g) kale, cut in thin strips, or spinach
• 2 ears corn, cut into 8 sections
• 16 grape tomatoes, halved, or 2 medium tomatoes, quartered

INGREDIENT NOTES

* Tamarind can be purchased as a paste that is essentially ready to use or in a block of dehydrated pods that requires rehydration and deseeding. To rehydrate tamarind, mix a chunk of your block with half a cup of boiling water. When cool enough to touch, use fingers to massage the tamarind in the hot water to make tamarind paste/ juice and remove pulps and seeds.

** Daun salam is a very specific bay leaf and according to multiple recipe sources, can’t really be substituted for laurel bay leaf in this recipe as the leaf can leave a bitter taste. My suggestion would be to omit or reduce the amount of bay leaf to less than half (2-3 leaves).