This must be one of the easiest sayurs one can prepare, and consequently is rapidly becoming one of my favourite healthy side dishes. As with all Indonesian cooking (and cooking in general, in my opinion), variation and experimentation are a good part of keeping the same old recipes fresh and inviting, so if that mood strikes you, go right ahead, embrace and enhance.
Preparing this dish is easy. Cut the clove of garlic into a few large sections and add it to the bouillon, together with the pinch of trassi. If you don't have either, don't worry, just leave them out, but they do give that bit of extra taste to the resulting dish.
Heat up the bouillon water to boiling point. The bouillon should be enough to completely soak the spinach in. As the water starts to boil, add the spinach (wash it first). At this point your mixture will stop boiling. Wait for it to start boiling again and then after a few seconds take it off your heat source2.
Scoop out your portion of the leaves with a fork, and, if you like a bit of moisture with your rice, with a spoon scoop out some of the bouillon.
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1 The bayam part in sayur bayam is a plant that is used in this dish in Indonesia, but as it is not available in most parts of the west, spinach is a good substitute. If you find yourself in a region where bayam is available, use the original, of course.
2 Or even earlier. Spinach does not need to be boiled through and is often better when still a bit raw, so use your own judgement here.
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