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Vegetables from Indonesia, especially East Java

Sayur asinsayur asin

Sayur asin is Indian mustard that is withered in the sun, salted and left in brine with coconut water for three to seven days. Lactobacillus plantarum leads the fermentation, and the finished liquor is salty and sour, about pH 3.5–4.6.

Fully documentedVegetables3.2 days – 7.2 days

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceProducers in East Java work without fixed amounts in the sources read. The amounts above are from a 2013 laboratory study of sayur asin (1.5 kg of mustard per treatment, six whole plants, tested at 2.5 % and 10 % salt), and the salinity of the finished liquor was measured in a separate study.
Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), washed and withered in the sun1.5 kg per jar group[nugrahedi2013][nugrahedi2015]
Salt, rubbed in by hand, then kept in the liquor2.5 % or 10 % of the mustard weightThe East Java producers' liquor held 3.60–5.67 % salt when sampled[nugrahedi2013][mangunwardoyo2016]
Coconut water1 part mustard to 5 parts coconut water (w/v)The ratio was estimated by the study authors after they interviewed two local sayur asin producers[nugrahedi2013][mangunwardoyo2016]
Starterspontaneous; the Kediri maker also backslops from the previous batch

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.2 days – 7.2 days

Start
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What changes: Mustard leaves wilt in the sun before salting

Step 1 of 4
Wither the mustard in the sun
Time
4 h
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacillus plantarum
Lactobacillus farciminis
Lactobacillus namurensis
L. fermentum
Lactic acid bacteria

The withering method decides how much of the mustard's sinigrin survives the ferment. Output: withered leaves.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Sayur asin is Indian mustard that is withered in the sun, salted and left in brine with coconut water for three to seven days. Lactobacillus plantarum leads the fermentation, and the finished liquor is salty and sour, about pH 3.5–4.6. Made in 4 steps over 3.2 days – 7.2 days. The longest step, ferment, takes 3–7 days (Mangunwardoyo W 2016) and runs at 28–30 °C (Mangunwardoyo W 2016). Salt is 2.5–10 % (Nugrahedi P.Y 2013). Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus farciminis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–7 daysReported[mangunwardoyo2016]Ferment
Temperature28–30 °CReported[mangunwardoyo2016]Ferment
Salt2.5–10 %Reported[nugrahedi2013]Salt and pack in brine with coconut water
AciditypH 3.5–4.6Measured[mangunwardoyo2016]Ferment

What makes this one different

Sayur asin is mustard withered whole before brining with coconut water, and it ferments warm and fast, in three to seven days. Lactobacillus plantarum leads it rather than Weissella.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Tulungagung sayur asinLower salt and higher pH than Kediri; L. plantarum dominant.
  • Kediri sayur asinSaltier and more acid; L. plantarum is less dominant, with L. farciminis and L. namurensis more common.

Safety

In four East Java samples taken 3–7 days into fermentation, the liquor measured pH 3.50–4.57 and 3.60–5.67 % (w/v) salt [mangunwardoyo2016]. That study isolated and identified lactic acid bacteria and reports no pathogen testing. The sources read give no storage or shelf-life limit.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Puspito and Graham published a study of the microbiology of sayur asin fermentation in 1985. As Mangunwardoyo and colleagues describe it in 2016, it noted slight differences in how mustard is fermented across Indonesian regions and named L. confusus, L. curvatus and L. plantarum as its lactic bacteria. The 2016 study revised that list and called its L. parafarraginis the first report from sayur asin in Indonesia [mangunwardoyo2016].

  1. [mangunwardoyo2016] Mangunwardoyo W., Abinawanto, Salamah A., Sukara E., Sulistiani, Dinoto A. 2016, Diversity and distribution of culturable lactic acid bacterial species in Indonesian sayur asin, Iranian Journal of Microbiology 8(4):274–281paper
  2. [nugrahedi2015] Nugrahedi P.Y., Widianarko B., Dekker M., Verkerk R., Oliviero T. 2015, Retention of glucosinolates during fermentation of Brassica juncea, a case study on production of sayur asin, European Food Research and Technology 240(3):559–565 (abstract via Europe PMC)paper
  3. [nugrahedi2013] Nugrahedi P.Y., Priatko C.A., Verkerk R., Dekker M., Widianarko B. 2013, Reduction of glucosinolates content during sayur asin fermentation, Jurnal Teknologi dan Industri Pangan 24(2):235–239, doi:10.6066/jtip.2013.24.2.235paper
  4. [fao134] Battcock M. and Azam-Ali S. 1998, Fermented fruits and vegetables: a global perspective, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134, chapter 6.2 (kiam chai and kiam chaye names)gov