Recipes

ELCA companions in Indonesia

 
Indonesia is a country made up of over 13,000 islands, inhabited by nearly 300 ethnic groups speaking 250 or more distinct languages. Because of the spices available in the Moluccas and because of its strategic location, other civilizations throughout the centuries have tried to establish a foothold here. For cooking, the result is a cuisine that mixes the best of Asian traditions, especially from India and China, with the ingredients and cooking methods of Pacific Islanders. One Indonesian tradition, the rice table (known in Dutch as "rijstaffel") is a meal prepared for celebrations of all kinds. Steamed rice serves as the meal’s foundation, with a variety of vegetable and meat dishes and spicy sauces accompanying it. Check your local library for Indonesian recipes for this kind of meal.

Fruit Salad
Serves 4 to 6

One ingredient in this salad that you will not likely find in U.S. grocery stores is the zalak, a fruit which grows on a spiny palm in Indonesia and Malaysia. You may substitute lychees or use a pear or apple for an approximate texture.

1 medium fresh or 1 large can papaya
1 wedge watermelon
1 zalak or 4 lychees or 1 apple or pear
juice of 1 lime or lemon
thick coconut milk* or dairy cream		 2 bananas
1 ripe mango
4 slices pineapple
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Cut the papaya unto 2 halves, remove the seeds and carefully scoop the fruit with a teaspoon to curl fruit into balls.

Slice and cube the other fruit and then arrange the fruit either in the papaya skins or in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon or lime juice and sugar. Serve with cream or thick coconut milk.

* You can make thick coconut milk by combining the meat from one fresh coconut, cut into chunks, with 1-1/2 cups hot but not quite boiling water in a blender. Blend two to three minutes. Let stand for twenty minutes. Strain in a cloth, squeezing all the liquid from the coconut. Use immediately or keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. If you do not have a blender, you can grate the coconut by hand and pour the boiling water over it.

Recipe from The New Internationalist Food Book by Troth Wells, Second Story Press, 1995, p. 155.


Indonesian Vegetable Platter
Serves 8
Gado Gado (gah-doh gah-doh)

This dish, which is also found in Malaysia, is a wonderful way to use fresh vegetables. Indonesians serve this dish at room temperature.

Vegetables:

1/2 small head cabbage, cut up
1 small head cauliflower
4 carrots, cut in small strips		 1-1/2 cups fresh green beans, chopped or french-cut
2 cups fresh or canned bean sprouts
other vegetables added or substituted

Cook or steam each vegetable separately until crisp-tender.

Drain vegetables and keep to one side in separate bowls, reserving stock for peanut sauce.

Peel and quarter:
4 eggs, hard-cooked

Slice:
2 medium cucumbers
6 to 10 radishes

Peanut sauce:

Saute in 3 tablespoons oil:
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped 
2 cloves garlic, minced

When onions are soft and translucent, reduce heat and add:

3-1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
2 teaspoons hot peppers, chopped, or tabasco sauce to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon
 1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ginger root, finely grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce*
1 teaspoon brown sugar


(Note: Indonesians use a sweet soy sauce. If you cannot find it, use regular and add brown sugar as directed.)

Simmer 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Group vegetables attractively on a large platter around a bowl of peanut sauce. Be sure to arrange with attention to color. Garnish with eggs, radishes and cucumbers. Serve with hot rice. To eat, each person takes a serving of rice, tops it with vegetables and ladles peanut sauce over the top.

Options: For a more authentic sauce, substitute coconut milk for part of stock. Add shelled and deveined shrimp, steamed to the platter.

Recipe from Extending the Table: a world community cookbook by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, Herald Press, 1991, p. 135.