Spinach Soup ( Sayur Bayam )

This is an excellent soup, especially if the spinach is fresh and young. It can be made with either corn on the cob or sweet potatoes. You will need :

500 g (1 lb) young spinach leaves

2 young corncobs, or 120 g (4 oz) sweet potatoes

2 shallots

1/2 green chilli, or a pinch of chilli powder

a pinch of ground ginger 

a small slice of kencur

1 salam leaf or bay-leaf

salt

Wash the spinach and chop it coarsely. Cut each corncob into three piece; or peel and cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes.

Sayur-Bayam

Slice the shallots and chilli finely and put them into a sauce pan with 1 cup of water. Add the ginger, kencur, salam and salt, and bring to the boil. When the water boils, put in the corn or sweet potatoes, cover the pan, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover, add the chopped spinach and another half cup of water. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. Cook until the spinach is tender (about 5-7 minutes), remove the kencur and the leaf and serve hot.

To serve six