Category: Recipes

Sometimes you want the tasty friend chicken that you get in Java, and sometimes you want the hearty soups that you find all over Indonesia; in this recipe, you get both.  Yes, this is a Javanese dish that introduced us to the glorious possibility of combining fried chicken with soup.  This recipe is also a great example of how to make a soup with lots of different parts to it.  When you eat it, you get lots of different flavors and textures all at once: savory broth, crispy chicken, sweet and spicy sambal, crunchy peanuts, sour lime, the works.

This makes enough for 4 people.  It has many steps but is very much worth your while.

Soup
1 lb. chicken legs and thighs, skins removed
4 cups water
2 salam leaves
2 inches galangal, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. salt
oil for deep frying
2 Tbsp. oil
1/4 lb bihun
1 cup bean sprouts
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1/4 cup unsalted raw peanuts, deep fried until deep golden brown
20 shallots, peeled, thinly sliced, and deep fried
1/3 cup celery leaves, finely chopped
4 limes, quartered

Spice Paste
1 tsp. pepper
6 candlenuts
4 cloves garlic
2 inches ginger, peeled

Sambal
20 chilies
1/4 cup unsalted raw peanuts, deep fried until deep golden brown
2 Tbsp. kecap manis

Start by combining chicken, salam leaves, galangal, and salt in a pot with the water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until you have a nice flavorful broth and the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken and let cool.  Once the chicken has cooled, heat 2 inches of oil over high heat until almost smoking, and fry the chicken until nice and golden brown.  Remove and let cool again, then tear the meat into rather thick shreds.

While the meat is cooling, make the spice paste by making a smooth paste out of all the ingredients with a mortar and pestle or in a blender or food processor.  Set aside.  Next, cook the noodles in boiling water until soft.  Divide the noodles into four bowls along with the bean sprouts, shredded meat, and eggs. Next make the sambal by mashing the chilies and deep fried peanuts to make a coarse paste, and then adding kecap manis to thin it out a bit.

Returning to the spice paste, heat the 2 Tbsp. of oil in a wok or large skilled over medium heat, and add the spice paste.  Fry until very fragrant, not letting it brown too much.  Add the reserved chicken broth to the spice paste and, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes.  Switch off heat and remove salam leaves and galangal.

To serve, ladle the broth into the bowls and garnish with shallots, deep fried peanuts, celery leaves, lime juice, and sambal.

If you say the word karipap aloud, you might be able to figure out what it means.  That’s right, curry puff.  This is a classic example of food with Indian and Portuguese influences that has become a staple part of the Malaysian cuisine.  In Indonesia, the guys on the street selling fried things (gorengan) usually have bananas, tempe, tofu, and sweet potato.  In Malaysia, the gorengan sellers have bananas, sweet potato, taro, and karipap, and sometimes other unidentifiable–but tasty–treats.

Basically, a karipap has dough that is not unlike a pie crust, wrapped around a curried potato mixture, and deep fried to deliciousness.  When cooking, be sure to work quickly.  After stuffing the curry puffs and folding them, fry them as soon as possible rather than waiting.  If you wait, they are liable to become unstuck when you fry them.  Here’s a picture of a gorengan stall, and here’s a picture of our own efforts.

Dough
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
5 T water

Filling
1 lb. baking potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
4 shallots
2 inches ginger, peeled
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, toasted
2 cinnamon sticks
1 heaping Tbsp. meat curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. palm sugar
1/4 cup water
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
oil for deep frying

First, make the filling.  In a blender or food processor (or with your trusty mortar and pestle), grind the fennel seeds into a coarse powder.  Add the onions, garlic, shallots, and ginger, and process into a smooth paste, adding a bit of oil if necessary.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, and then add the cinnamon sticks.  Cook until they are very fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, and then add the paste.  Saute gently, making sure that the mixture does not brown, for about 3 minutes.  Add the curry powder and saute for three minutes more until the mixture is very fragrant.  Add the salt, sugar, and water and bring to a boil.  Add the potatoes and bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is very dry, about 20-30 minutes.  If the mixture gets too dry before the potatoes are very soft, add a bit more water.  When done, let the filling cool.

While the filling is cooking, make the dough.  Combine the flour, salt, and oil to make a mixture like bread crumbs.  Beat the egg together with water and add to the dry ingredients, mixing constantly to form a dough not unlike something for a pie crust.  Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes to make sure it is very smooth, and then cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Heat a skillet or wok with about 3 inches of oil in it over low heat until quite hot.  Divide the dough in half and roll very thin.  Using an overturned bowl or a cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough with a diameter of three inches.  Place one teaspoon of filling in the middle, rub a bit of water over the edge of the circle, and fold over to form a half moon.  Crimp the edges to make it look pretty.  You can re-roll the scraps to make additional puffs.  Gently lower the curry puff into the hot oil and deep fry just until it reaches a dark golden brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels before serving.