Indonesian Cooking. Dina Yuen
time, cleanup, and effort while cooking perfect, fluffy rice. You should follow the general instructions of your particular rice cooker though my personal rule of thumb for perfect white rice is 2 parts water to 1 part uncooked rice. These days you can find all types of rice cookers with price tags ranging from as low as $15 to as high as several hundred dollars. For the average home kitchen a rice cooker somewhere in the middle range does just fine. It does pay in the long run to invest in at least a decent rice cooker rather than the cheapest one because this is a tool that should last you for years. The great thing about modern day rice cookers is that you can just set the rice to cook and it will stay warm from at least a few hours to a few days (for the more expensive models) and you never have to worry about burning the rice or water over-flowing.
Wok (Wajan) One of the most invaluable tools in an Indonesian kitchen is of course, the wok. The type of wok you need depends on whether you have an electric or gas range. Home cooks with gas stoves are lucky because nothing surpasses the quality or speed of a real fire. However, with the proper tools, you can create great dishes on either type of stove. If you have a gas stove, you can use the traditional and original cast iron wok with its rounded bottom. Make sure to find one with a long, sturdy handle on one side rather than the two short handles on either side. Unless you’re a professional wok chef, working without a handle will be extremely difficult. Depending on the exact shape of your gas stove, you may also need a wok ring to stabilize it. For those of you with an electric stove, you’ll do best with a carbon steel wok with a flat bottom so it can sit properly on the range. This too should have a long, sturdy handle. When purchasing a wok, don’t be afraid to look it over carefully and run your hands all over it, roughly yanking at the parts to ensure that it is in fact, a sturdy model. There are plenty of people who have all types of fancy methods of caring for a wok but most of those steps are really unnecessary for modern day woks. If you’re handling a brand new wok, simply pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub thoroughly all over the inside of the wok. Place the wok on the stove over high heat until smoke rises. Tilt the wok in every direction so all parts of the wok come into contact with the heat. Do this for just a couple of minutes. Remove the wok from the heat and cool. Once it has cooled, rinse thoroughly under warm water and air dry. Once you begin using the wok regularly, make sure to use a soft sponge to clean with soap and water. Never use harsh bristles or any type of steel wool sponge. When working with the carbon steel type woks, also make sure to use only wooden or silicone spatulas and never metal ones that can scrape and ruin the wok.
Wooden Spatula With many Indonesian recipes calling for stir-frying techniques, it’s essential to have at least one very sturdy and good quality wooden spatula. These come in various shapes and sizes; any of them are fine as long as they feature a long enough handle, a wide enough surface area and are sturdy.
Buying the Right Ingredients
I’ve always been a proponent of fresh and authentic ingredients in order to recreate the dishes of Indonesia. The following are some key ingredients for the typical Indonesian meal. Although these ingredients are slowly finding their way into many grocery stores, I have provided substitutes for those that are still difficult to find.
Bird’s-Eye, Chili Pepper (Cabe Rawit) Amongst the spicier peppers, coming in at 100,000 to 225,000 on the Scoville heat scale, these peppers are typically harvested when they are about one-inch long and range from a bright green hue to a beautiful, deep red when mature. As with all peppers, the heat is found most intensely in the seeds, although this pepper packs a punch just in its skin alone. Widely used in stir-fries and curries, these tiny peppers are indispensable to Indonesians when making chili pastes, or sambals. Traditional methods of making sambals involve using a mortar and pestle to mash bird’s eye chili peppers with fresh garlic. You can find these in the fresh produce section of a well stocked grocery store. You can substitute Dry Ground, Chili Peppers (see this page) if you can’t find them fresh.
Coconut Milk (Santen) Coconut milk is indispensable to Indonesian cooking. A large variety of coconut milk can be found in western markets these days, which include brands from Thailand, Vietnam, and even Cuban companies based in Miami. They are found in cans, occasionally in cartons, and in powder form. Any of them are fine to use in Indonesian cooking. You can find coconut milk in the Ethnic food sections of most grocery stores. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator if covered.
Coriander, Ground (Bubuk Ketumbar) A vital ingredient in many stews and soups in Indonesian cooking, ground coriander has a somewhat citrusy and nutty flavor. Not a spice with a particularly overwhelming fragrance or taste, it’s easy to overlook its use until you notice that something isn’t quite right in a dish. Ground coriander is one of those subtle ingredients that serves as a key accent in the balance of complex flavors without screaming its presence aloud. Commonly sold in both western and Asian markets in either small bottles or plastic pouches found in the spices section. Ground coriander should be stored in a cool, dry space.
Dry Ground, Chili Peppers (Bubuk Cabe) Several species of chili peppers are used in the production of the dry ground version, depending on the nation of origin. Red bird’s eye chili peppers are often used to make this spicy condiment. The peppers are dried out under the sun, then either mashed up into the powder or ground up using a food processor. Dry ground chili pepper is a fantastic substitute for the fresh peppers not always available in the West. These days American supermarkets carry some type of Dry Ground Chili Pepper. Chinese versions typically use a wok-roasted method, lending a slightly burnt aroma, while Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese versions are spicier and smoother in texture. All Asian grocery stores carry various versions of Dry Ground Chili Peppers. Store in a cool dry space.
Dried Shrimp Paste (Terasi) These days it seems that every Southeast Asian nation has produced its own version of dried shrimp paste, each with an individual texture, odor, and flavor. In general, they can be interchanged in recipes, but try to use the Indonesian version when cooking Indonesian cuisine. Indonesian shrimp paste is known as terasi, which is typically sold in small blocks covered in a plastic wrapping. Shrimp paste (and the Malaysian shrimp paste known as belachan) is so tightly packed that, unlike the Thai version of shrimp paste, it is a hard block that requires cutting with a knife before using. Boasting a beautiful, dark aubergine hue, shrimp paste has the strongest, most full-bodied aroma when cooked compared to its other Asian counterparts. Indonesian shrimp paste is not always readily available in the West so, when necessary, substitute with the more easily found Thai shrimp paste, which typically comes in a white plastic tub with a red cap.
Galangal (Lengkuas) In the same family as the ginger root, galangal is often confused with ginger or turmeric due to their similar exteriors. Galangal boasts the lightest skin amongst the root family, though unlike ginger, it typically has darker, thin brown rings along its root. On the inside, galangal is almost always the lightest in color amongst the roots, with a soft creamy yellow color. It is also one of the toughest roots to work with, requiring either a very sharp or heavy knife to cut through. Galangal has a soft camphor-menthol aroma and is used in Indonesian soups, lending a more intense heat similar to ginger. Galangal can be found as whole roots in Asian grocery stores and often in its powder form. Stored tightly in resealable plastic bags, it can be kept in the freezer for several months.
Garlic (Bawang Putih) Indonesian cuisine would not be as profoundly rich or aromatic without garlic. Used extensively throughout Indonesia, garlic is one of the most popular