Recipe : Famous Kapurung

    At a galance, this vegetable soup may not be the most visually attractive dish you'll find. It's pale and contains a long list of boiled vegetable, such as long beans, spinach, water spinach, banana blossom and eggplants. It also comes with sago balls. If there's anything handsome about this dish, it would be the brigth-colored shrimps floating around. But just you smell it, you'll know why this Luwu and Palopo culinary creations deserves a special mention.

    

   The soup base is made from slow-cooked fish stock add with torch ginger fruit for tartness and aroma. Given their similiar ingredients, the taste of kapurung reminds of penang asam laksa, and when added with cillie paste, resembles Thai tom yum. However, the pairing of sago and fish in soups with an acidic hint is a common traditional practice in the eastern part of Indonesia, much like papeda in Maluku Island and Papua. So now, let's make your own Kapurung!

Main Ingredients:

1. 100 grams shrimps (size 13-16)
2. 200 grams mackerel (or mackerel tuna)
3. 200 grams sago flour
4. 8 torch ginger fruit 
5. Water spinach, long beans, spinach, eggplant, banana blossom

Spices:

1. 1 little finger tip-sized shrimp paste
2. 2 red chillies
3. 1 tbsp. salt
4. 2 shallots
5. 1 tomato

How To Make:

1. In a food processor or using mortar and pastle, grind all spices to a paste.
2. Fill a pot with 1,5 liters of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the fish into the pot and cook until it is mushed. To create thicker fish broth, use a food processor to blend the boiled fish to a paste and return into the pot.
3. Toss in the spices, vegetables and shrimps.
4. Using a small bowl, mix sago flour with a little water. Add hot water to the mixture and blend until grayish. Make small balls then float them in cold water befor transferring to the pot.
5. Serve immediately. Because sago is already high in carbohydrate content, there is no need to serve tish dish with rice. Some locals prefer serving ruji or dange (roasted sago) on the side. 

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