Not all is 'fishy' in Makassar

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)