Jakartan noodles and Sulawesi seafood: three Indonesian recipes
From a spicy fish stew to a bowl of goodness from the big city – the chef and author shares her culinary highlights
It has been more than four decades since I left the city, yet I still think of Manado, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, as my home. Those precious early food experiences have had a powerful impact not only on the way I cook but also on my whole approach to food – and the catalyst was my maternal grandmother, Oma. How I miss her.
I can see it all now. My grandfather’s verdant coconut plantations set against postcard-worthy volcanic mountains. Pristine beaches skirting coral reefs teeming with marine life. It’s a view that triggers memories of the food of my childhood, from mouth-watering candied nutmeg (manisan pala) to breakfasts of banana fritters served alongside slices of soft white bread and chocolate sprinkles (meises).
Tropical seas surround Manado, so naturally one of my favourite foods is fish. We love to barbecue and serve it with dabu-dabu, a relish of fresh tomatoes, shallots, chillies, calamansi and mint. This and many other Manadonese recipes are a world away from the most ubiquitous Indonesian dishes such as chicken satay, nasi goreng and beef rendang.
Perkedel jagung dan dabu-dabu (sweetcorn fritters with chilli and tomato sambal)
Origin: Sulawesi
Served as a snack or as part of a meal, these sweet and crunchy fritters are absolutely irresistible. Best of all, they’re unbelievably simple to make.
Traditionally, the fritters are made with fresh sweetcorn on the cob but you can substitute canned (or frozen) sweetcorn so long as you drain out all the water. (This ensures a crunchy fritter.)
- 250g sweetcorn kernels (1½ cups)
-3 makrut lime leaves, centre stem removed and thinly sliced
-2 cloves garlic, grated
-2 spring onions, finely chopped
-1–2 red bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
-1 banana shallot, finely chopped
-6 tbsp rice flour
-4 tbsp cornflour
-½ tsp salt
-½ tsp white pepper, crushed
-500ml sunflower oil (generous 2 cups), for deep-frying
Dabu-dabu (chilli and tomato sambal), to serve, recipe below
If using canned sweetcorn, drain well and squeeze out as much water as possible from the kernels. Transfer the sweetcorn to a food processor and blend for 10 seconds until a coarse puree.
In a large bowl, combine the sweetcorn, lime leaves, garlic, spring onions, chillies and shallot and mix well. Stir in the rice flour and cornflour. Season with salt and pepper. The batter should be thick but easy to mix. If needed, add two to three tablespoons of cold water to thin it out slightly. Read More…
