This is a wonderful main course that has been handed down by my family from the Dutch East Indies. From mother to son to daughter, in our case. Imagine it as ‘nasi goreng (fried rice) with sauerkraut’. No one in our family knows the origin of this recipe anymore. Is it Indian or Dutch? ‘Dutch East Indies?’ Is it a family recipe or is it also eaten by other families with roots in the Dutch East Indies? If you know, please let me know. I always loved it because of the fresh, slightly tart taste. Try it!
What ingredients do you need for this main course for three to four people?
- three ounces of streaky bacon or three ounces of bean curd
- two tablespoons of sunflower oil
- three ounces of sauerkraut
- three leeks
- three ounces of uncooked white rice or brown rice if desired
For the bumbu
- a clove of garlic
- a medium onion
- a teaspoon of djahé
- a teaspoon of sambal
Healthier, organic version of this nasi dish
You can easily make this recipe healthier and more organic by buying the organic version of as many ingredients as possible. You can also, although not usual, replace the white rice (with grains without husk) with (organic brown rice (with husk).
What cookware do you need?
- A wadjan
- A tjobek with oelekan
For those who are not familiar with Indian or Indonesian cuisine or for those who are vegetarian, an explanation of some ingredients from this recipe and the cooking utensils:
Ingredients
- Streaky Bacon: Streaky bacon is pork that comes from the belly of a pig. This bacon is less fat than pork from the back of a pig.
- Tahoe: tofu is the Indonesian name for tofu: chunks of soy. Soy is made from soybeans.
- Boemboe: bumbu is a mixture of finely ground herbs that come from the Indian kitchen.
- Djahé: djahé is a widely used spice in Indian and Indonesian cuisine that we know as ginger in the Netherlands. It is made from a dried and ground ginger root.
Cookware
- A wadjan: a wadjan is a kind of wok. But a wadjan has a round, curved bottom and a wok has a flat bottom. To be able to use a wadjan on a gas stove, you therefore need a washer. Originally, the wadjan was burned in the ashes of the wood fire. Hence the flat bottom. A real wadjan is made of sturdy, thick cast iron. Never wash it with dish water (water with detergent), but only with boiling hot water. Then you prevent the taste and smell of a detergent from penetrating the wadjan.
- A tjobek: a tjobek is a bowl of wood or granite in which herbs are ground.
- An oelekan: an oelekan is a pestle with which you crush the herbs in the tjobek.
Preparation of the nasi goreng with sauerkraut
- First boil the rice according to the instructions on the pack
- Then let the oil heat up in the wadjan on a low heat
- Meanwhile cut the meat into small pieces
- Then put the pieces of meat in the warm oil and let them cook gently
The bumbu
- First, finely chop the clove of garlic and the onion and put them in the tjobek, the dish
- Then add a teaspoon of ginger and a teaspoon of sambal
- Then make the ingredients very fine and mix them very carefully
- Add the spice mixture to the meat, mix the spice mixture and the pieces of meat well and let it simmer
- Add the finely chopped leek rings
- Put the cooked rice in the wadjan, little by little, when the leek is cooked
- Finally add the finely chopped sauerkraut
To serve
You can serve some prawn crackers as a side dish with this main course. Serve the prawn crackers separately, not on the dish, because then the prawn crackers will become tough and soft.
Conclusion
If you want to serve an original fresh-tasting dish from the Dutch East Indies, try this nasi goreng with sauerkraut. Enjoy your meal! Selamat makan!