Indonesian cooking includes many recipes for seafood.This recipe calls for types of fish that are available fresh or frozen the world over, so even landlubbers can partake.ingredients:
- 1 lb. mackerel, cod, or haddock fillets
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 3 tbsp. peanut oil
- ¥ tsp. shrimp paste
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 ¥ inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chili, seeded and chopped*
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 to 4 tbsp. soy sauce
- 4 large lettuce leaves
Directions:- Wash fish under cold water and pat
- dry with paper towels. Cut fillets
- In a shallow bowl or pie plate, use a
- fork to mix salt and flour. One by one, roll fish fillets in the flour and set on a clean plate.
- Heat 2 tbsp. of the peanut oil in a
- skillet and fry fish for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place on a plate, cover with foil to keep warm, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together
- shrimp paste and 2 tbsp. water.
- Clean and dry the skillet before
- heating the remaining 1 tbsp. peanut oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp paste to the onion
- mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce to taste. Stir to combine.
- Arrange lettuce leaves on four plates
- and place fish on top. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve.
* See tip on page 34 about seeding and cutting chilies.
ingredients:- 1 chayote, peeled
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut in half lengthwise with seeds removed*
- 1 mango**
- 1 orange, peeled and divided into sections
- ¥ tsp. crushed red pepper
- ø tsp. shrimp paste
- 3 tbsp. brown sugar
- ¥ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. tamarind, dissolved in 1 tbsp. warm water
- 1 14-oz. can diced pineapple, drained
Directions:- Coarsely chop chayote, apple,
- cucumbers, mango, and orange sections.
- In a large bowl, combine crushed
- red pepper, shrimp paste, brown sugar, salt, and tamarind to make a paste.
- Add chayote, apple, cucumber,
- mango, orange, and pineapple to the bowl, and stir well to combine. Serve at room temperature.
*An easy way to remove the seeds from a cucumber is to use the tip of a vegetable peeler to scrape them out. **To peel and cut a mango, set the fruit on a cutting board so that the ridge that covers the pit is face-up. Using a sharp knife, carefully make two cuts on either side of this ridge (parallel to the ridge), slicing through the fruit. Discard the pit and place the two halves on the cutting board, skin side down. Use the knife to score the flesh of these two halves, creating a checkerboard pattern.Taking each half in your hand, push up in the center from the skin side to loosen the scored cubes of mango from the skin. Carefully slide the knife between the cubes and the mango skin to cut them from the fruit.
This classic Indonesian salad is very easy to make. Feel free to substitute other vegetables you may have on hand for some of the ones listed here.Yams can be a tasty substitution for red potatoes, and peeled broccoli stalks can stand in for green beans.ingredients:- 1 c. red potatoes (about 2 mediumpotatoes)
- 1 c. fresh green beans, ends trimmed
- 2 c. green cabbage, shredded
- 1 c. fresh bean sprouts
- 1 c. carrots (1 to 1¥ carrots), peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 c. cucumber (about 1 medium cucumber), sliced
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 4 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled*
- deep-fried shallots for garnish**
- peanut sauce (recipe on page condiments)
Directions:- Fill a large saucepan with water and
- bring to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the potatoes into the water. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Then use the slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a colander. Rinse under cold water. When cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes.
- Fill a second saucepan with water
- and bring to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to lower the green beans into the water. Cook for about 3 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to move the blanched beans to a colander. Rinse under cold water.
- One vegetable at a time, repeat this
- procedure to blanch the cabbage, bean sprouts, and carrots.
- Arrange green beans, cabbage, bean
- sprouts, carrots, potatoes, and cucumbers however you like on a large platter and set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium
- heat. Cook tofu cubes for about 10 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Scatter tofu cubes over the salad.
- Cut hard-boiled eggs into quarters
- and arrange along the edge of the platter. Serve gado-gado with fried shallots (see below) and peanut sauce (recipe on page condiments).
*to make hard-boiled eggs, fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to lower eggs into the water one at a time. Boil eggs for 10 minutes, then use the slotted spoon to remove them from the water.Transfer eggs to a clean plate. Allow the eggs to cool completely before removing the shells. **To make deep-fried shallots, cut 1 shallot into thin slices and sprinkletsp. salt. Heatc.canola oil in a skillet and fry the shallots 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.When the shallots brown slightly, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
