DIVERSITY

What best characterises the flavour in Indonesian cuisine? The answer is none! or to be precise: indescribable. Well, consists of more than 17'000 islands and more than 300 ethnic groups, Indonesia is one country with the most diversity in the world, and its diversity is reflected in its food. Different ingredients, different spices and herbs combinations, different cooking methods, different cultures, traditions and habits... the result? yes, each ethnic group has its own unique dishes, which can have a totally different taste with what the other ethnic has. Tasting all the Indonesian food can be a long adventurous surprisingly good journey. Some ethnics have specific flavour in their dish, using some "basic" spices and herbs combination. In Java, a pinch of sugar is a must, while in North and South Sulawesi nobody cook food with sugar except for desserts. There are a lot of dishes using coconut milk as one of its ingredient in Sumatera, while no coconut milk is used in traditional foods from Papua and very seldom used in Maluku. Padang's foods, influenced by the Indian cooking many centuries ago, are specific for using a lot of spices and herbs... a much lighter version of Indian cooking without scarifying its richness in flavour and yet becomes easier to enjoy and be addicted into. The people in eastern part of Indonesia grill seafood with only salt and lime, to better enjoy the fresh flavour of the seafood, while the people in western part often cook their food slowly for hours... Well, those are just small examples…

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Rengil

500 g minced beef or lamb
1/2 Coconut, shredded, cook on a low heat in a wok until it turns light brown and crispy (stir often to avoid burning). Can be replaced with 1 cup of ready-to-use dry shredded coconut.
500 ml coconut milk (from 1 coconut)
100 g hot chilies
100 g shallots
100 g garlics
3 cm of ginger
3 cm of galangal
5-10 kafir lime leaves
2 pcs of lemon grass, take the white inner part
1 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp of cooking oil
Salt to taste
  • Grind spices together into paste : chilies, shallots, garlics, ginger, galangal, lemon grass, kafir-lime leaves, salt and sugar.
  • Take one third of the spices paste and mix well with minced beef. Mix in the shredded coconut also.
  • Make meat balls the size of pingpong ball (1.5 inch diameter), set aside.
  • On a medium heat, heat cooking oil in a pan, saute the remaining spice paste untill well-cooked and pour in the cocconut milk; continue cooking until it boils.
  • Add meat balls, continue cooking for 20-30 minutes until the sauce is thicken.
  • Served with rice

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