Not all is 'fishy' in Makassar
Suryatini N. Ganie, Contributor, Jakarta
Many people would answer fish or other seafood when asked what dishes Makassar is most noted for, but actually Makassar has a very large variety of cuisine.
Makassar cuisine is a real melting pot, originating from all the ethnic groups that have dropped anchor off Makassar over the centuries.
The inhabitants of Chinese origin, for example, are proud to serve their pangsit pengantin (pengantin means bride and bridegroom), which is mostly served at weddings and contains a lot of ingredients such as meat or fish balls, vegetables, jamur kuping (ear-shaped tree fungus) and sedap malam (buds of the tiger lily), which is a flavor enhancer.
Crowning the soup is of course the pangsit, somewhat akin to meat-filled spring rolls in wrappers, which can be boiled or fried. The Makassar cooks claim that their pangsit pengantin is one of the best soups in the world!
And on hot days lotus seeds or biji teratai, are made into a refreshing drink.
Lenny, a veteran "cuisine researcher" with a special knowledge of southern Sulawesi, said that her ancestors came to the area about a century ago from mainland China. "So we are now the 9th generation", she explained. Though presently living in Jakarta, she still vividly remembers the food served at many religious and festive events at her grandparents' home.
At the time, they were Kong Hu Chu (Confucianism) believers, and they took part in all the religious rites and festivals.
The most memorable events fell on the eighth month of the Chinese calender when from the tenth to the twentieth day they celebrated the perfection of light with the full moon shining with a most pearly glow.
The Chinese in Makassar used to celebrate the event according to their region in mainland China. They usually began by making traditional sweets two days before the event. One of the sweets was called kue pia, made from wheat flour with a variety of fillings. In her grandparents' house, the favorite filling for the kue pia was black beans or mung beans, which were cooked until a mushy consistency, sweetened and put into the center of the kue pia. The dough of the kue pia was made according to the recipe of their region in mainland China. It could be a dough resembling puff pastry with a sweet filling but it could also be a pie dough with a minced pork filling.
All those goodies would then be taken to the klenteng or temple to honor Toa Pe Kong (a deity) and in remembrance of their ancestors. The sweets would come in a variety of different shapes. For the ancestors, the shape of the pastry had to be square, but for the Toa Pe Kong it had to be round and flat. Served at home to visiting relatives or friends, the filling of the kue pia ought to be very expensive meat or beans, to show off the social status of the family.
Other sweet tasting goodies are the preserved fruits made from lengkeng, a fruit resembling the longan, or other typical southern Sulawesi fruits like the kundur, a small, round, flat fruit. After the prayers in the klenteng sweets would be enjoyed at home or taken to elderly relatives. For lunch, Lenny's grandmother would make a very special dish called tito which is pork tripe in a spicy sauce.
Nowadays the younger generation, who are mostly of Christian faith enjoy the kue pia as a snack to eat any time and prefer grilled fish like the baronang with a hot, spicy paste typical of Makassar, or the various soups the city has to offer like sop konro with grilled ribs known as konro bakar. A favorite sweet drink among Makassar delicacies is es palu butung, and Makassar's food festivals' prize dish is the es markisa a syrup or juice of Makassar's excellent passion fruit on ice.
Enjoy Makassar!
RECIPES
1. Pangsit Pengantin
A soup usually served at weddings. It has a rich, pleasing flavor.
Ingredients for the pangsit: 150 g minced chicken 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbs cooking oil, for stir frying 1 egg 1 tsp salt or to taste 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste 18 pangsit wrappers (from supermarket)
Stock: 1 chicken breast, 200 g 1.5 liters of water 4 shallots 2 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp salt or to taste 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1 tbs cooking oil, for stir frying
Soup filling: 10 g dried tree fungus, soaked, boiled (jamur kuping, from supermarket) 25 g dried lily buds, soaked, boiled (sedap malam, supermarket) 12 shrimp balls, fried (supermarket) 100 g steamed white cabbage, coarsely cut 200 g boiled shrimp, peeled 100 g glass noodles, soaked in boiling water or boiled for 3 minutes and drained 2 tbs local celery leaves, chopped
Method: How to make the pangsit. 1. Stir fry the garlic until fragrant, add minced chicken and continue to cook until done. Take from the flame and mix with the egg. Season with salt and pepper. Take a pangsit wrapper and put 1 tsp of pangsit filling in center and wrap into a cone form. Steam until done.
For the stock: 1. Boil chicken breast on low flame. 2. Make shallots and garlic into a paste and stir fry until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the stock and continue until chicken is done. 3. Take chicken out of the stock and cube. Set aside. 4. Discard hard parts of the mushroom and cut into small pieces. Tie a knot in the center of the lily buds, halve the shrimp balls or leave as is. 5. How to serve: take a bowl and put in the steamed pangsit, lily buds, shrimp balls, boiled shrimp, cabbage and glass noodles. Add the cubed chicken meat. Pour in hot boiling stock. Sprinkle with chopped celery leaves. (Makes 6 portions)
2. Sop Konro
Made from ribs the soup is one of the most famous traditional soups in Makassar.
Ingredients: 250 g beef ribs 1.5 liters of water for the stock 4 shallots, finely sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced 50 g grated coconut, roasted, ground 1 tbs ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground turmeric A slice of ginger, bruised A stalk of lemon grass, 10 cm, bruised 2 kaffir lime (jeruk purut) leaves 3 tbs chopped leek 1 tsp salt or to taste 3 tbs crisply fried shallot slices
Method: 1. Boil ribs until tender and until about 600 ml stock remains. 2. Add shallots, garlic, ground roasted coconut, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, lemon grass, lime leaves and chopped leek to the stock. Season with salt and continue to cook until ribs are tender. Garnish with crisply fried shallot slices to serve. (Makes 6 portions)
3. Satai Makassar
The Makassar version of spicy beef satay is really satisfying
Ingredients: 500 g beef fillet 150 ml thick coconut milk 2 tbs tamarind juice 1 tbs ground coriander 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp salt or to taste 1 tsp ground pepper Satai skewers Charcoal, for grilling
Sauce: 8 shallots, finely sliced 5 very small red chili peppers, cut into small pieces 5 tbs sweet soy sauce 1 tbs lime juice 1 tbs cooking oil
Method: 1. Cut fillet in cubes of 1 x 1 cm and marinade in thick coconut milk, tamarind juice, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper for 30 minutes. 2. Put 4 or 5 cubes of beef on a skewer and grill over charcoal until brownish. 3. Sauce: Mix shallots, chili peppers and sweet soy sauce. 4. Add lime juice and cooking oil.
(Makes 4 portions)
4. Sambal Kaluku
Makassar cooks are not only meticulous in grilling meat and fish, but the accompanying spicy chili pastes are to die for.
Ingredients: 4 shallots 2 cloves garlic 2 tbs cooking oil, for stir frying 3 red chilis, cut diagonally 200 g fresh coconut flesh coarsely grated, roasted, ground A small piece of salted fish, roasted, coarsely chopped 2 tbs chopped local celery leaves 2 kaffir lime leaves 1/2 tsp salt, if needed
Method: 1. Grind shallots and garlic into a paste. 2. Cut red chilis diagonally. 3. Stir fry shallots and garlic until fragrant, add chili and continue until chili peppers are soft. Add coconut, dried fish, chopped celery, lime leaves and season with salt. 4. Continue until fish is done and paste is fragrant.
(Makes 4 portions)
5. Baruasa
A simple typical local sweet from Macassar.
Ingredients: 600 g rice flour (supermarket) 4 tbs glutinous rice flour (supermarket) 200 g skinned kenari nuts (supermarket) 400 g ground sugar 4 eggs
Method: 1. Mix rice flour and glutinous rice flour and dry fry until golden. 2. Mash kenari nuts and add to flour mixture, ground sugar. Add eggs one at a time while mixing well. 3. Take 1 tbs dough, form into a small ball the size of a ping pong and put onto a flat baking sheet (about 40 x 30 cm) and bake over medium heat until done and brownish.
(Makes 12 small balls)
6. Es Palu Butung
An aromatic and sweet snack. Because it is rather filling better not eat it before meals.
Ingredients: 100 g rice flour (supermarket) 700 ml medium thick coconut milk 2 screwpine leaves (daun pandan) 1/4 tsp salt or to taste 12 bananas, steamed (best: pisang kepok) Shaved ice cubes 12 tbs pisang ambon syrup (bottled)
Method: 1. Cook rice flour, coconut milk, screwpine leaves and salt over a medium flame whilst stirring to obtain a smooth consistency. Let cool or put into the refrigerator. 2. Peel bananas and cut into 1cm rounds. 3. To serve: Put 2 slices of banana into a small glass or bowl. Cover with 2 tbs rice porridge. Add shaved ice and 1 tbs syrup (or to taste) Serve immediately.
(Makes 6 portions)
7. Pal'lu Kaloa
A truly Makassar chicken dish with roasted ground coconut.
Ingredients: 500 g chicken breast or drumsticks 100 g fresh young coconut, roasted, grated 5 shallots 2 cloves garlic A slice of galangal 2 black nuts (keluak, crack open and take out nut), soak 20 minutes in hot water until tender 1 tbs margarine, for stir frying A stalk lemon grass, bruised 2 kaffir lime leaves 300 ml water 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg A stick cinnamon, 5 cm 1 tsp salt or to taste 1 tbs tamarind juice, 10 ml
Method: 1. Cut chicken into serving size or leave as is. 2. Grind roasted grated coconut finely. 3. Make a paste of shallots, garlic, galangal and black nut. 4. Stir fry the paste until fragrant and add lemon grass, ground coconut and lime leaves. Continue stir frying for 2-3 minutes and add chicken. Continue until chicken meat changes color. 5. Pour in water and bring to the boil. Season with coriander, cumin, cloves and nutmeg and add the cinnamon stick, salt and tamarind juice.
(Makes 4-5 portions)
8. Woku Kepala Cumi
Seafood is one of the mainstays of Makassar cooking and the abundance of fish and crustaceans are dishes typical to the region. So are cuttlefish or squid. This dish uses squid head.
Ingredients: 500 g cuttlefish or squid head 5 shallots 2 cloves garlic 3 red chilis A slice turmeric A slice ginger A slice galangal 2 sticks lemon grass, cut finely 2 tbs cooking oil, for stir frying Kemangi leaves, 50 g, cut finely 1 fresh turmeric leaf (optional) 2 kaffir lime leaves 1 tsp salt or to taste Green chilis, cut diagonally
Method: 1. Remove the ink from the squid's head and leave whole. 2. Grind shallots, garlic, red chilis, turmeric, ginger, galangal and lemon grass into a paste. 3. Stir fry until fragrant, add kemangi leaves, turmeric leaf, lime leaves and season with salt. 4. Continue stir-frying about 5 minutes on medium flame and then braise by putting the lid on the wok or pan. 5. Shortly before taking from the flame, add the green chili and continue to cook until the chilis are soft but not mushy.
(Makes 6 portions)
9. Gulai Welie
A chicken dish for special events like birthdays and other festive days.
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken Charcoal for grilling 10 shallots 6 cloves garlic 100 g roasted, grated, fairly young coconut 500 ml thick coconut milk 2 stalks lemon grass, 20 cm each, bruised 3 tbs tamarind juice 1 tsp salt or to taste 2 tbs crisply fried shallot slices, for garnish (supermarket)
Method: 1. Cut the chicken in serving sizes and grill over charcoal until brownish. 2. Grind shallots, garlic and roasted coconut into a paste. Add coconut milk and lemon grass. Stir to prevent coconut milk from curdling. 3. Add grilled chicken, tamarind juice and season with salt. Continue cooking until chicken is done and sauce thickens. 4. Garnish chicken with crisply fried shallot slices to serve.
(Makes 10 portions)
10. Penyegar Biji Teratai
Lotus seeds are abundant in southern Sulawesi. This refreshing Makassar beverage is cooling and refreshing.
Ingredients: 10 g dried tree fungus, soaked, boiled until rather soft 25 g white lily buds, soaked, boiled until rather soft 400 g rock sugar 1 ltr water A screwpine leaf, 25 cm 50 lotus seeds, boiled Ice cubes
Method: 1. Cut tree fungus and lily buds in small pieces. 2. Boil rock sugar, water and screwpine leaf until rock sugar is completely dissolved. 3. Let cool. 4. Put some of the tree fungus, lily buds and lotus seeds in a glass and pour in some of the sugar syrup. 5. Serve with ice cubes.
(Makes 6 portions)