13 hours ago, ElsieD said:The dish I want to make is Sajoer Lodeh
??
D'you mean Sayur Lodeh?
You ought to be able to get candlenuts in a pan-Asian store --- surely there must be one in Ottawa? Ask for "buah keras" if the owners are Malay/Indonesian rather than Chinese...
Yes, I've read about macadamia nuts being used as a substitute - but have never done so, because I have access to candlenuts. Even when using buah keras (candlenuts) myself, I tend to ramp up the quantity called for in recipes, even if the idea is just to add a suggestion of "lemak" or creamy texture to the dish.
P.s. If you use coconut milk (and you should be, for sayur lodeh) it might be an idea to just add a bit more, in lieu of the candlenuts if you can't get them (or also skip the macadamia nuts).
ETA: It seems "Sajoer Lodeh' is the Dutch version/name. Are you looking to make the Dutch version or the Javanese version of the dish, if there is a difference (if any)? (The Malay version is pretty much like the Javanese version, I think, even if the dish varies with the cook and the vegetables available to the cook, across the various regions. It's another dish which does not have an ABSOLUTE invariable recipe) (But for myself, if it did not have cabbage and yard-long beans in it I would be reluctant to call it "sayur lodeh". :-) )
ETA2: @ElsieD, if you are in a Chinese-owned grocery and they don't know what "candlenuts" are, try showing them this name: 石栗 ("stone chestnut"). Then, if they have it, confirm by looking at the package. Most of the stuff in the USA (and, I'm assuming, Canada) would come from a few importers via Indonesia and they will have the English name on the package; or, "(buah) kemiri" on it.
