Popular traditional soup

Popular traditional soup

JAKARTA (JP): This popular traditional soup was originally
served with perkedel (spiced potato cakes), spicy eggs,
shrimp chili paste and shrimp crackers. Today, however, many
people make their own variations.

Rawon
* 3 tbsp cooking oil
* 2 cm galangal, bruised
* 2 stalks lemon grass, bruised
* 3 kaffir lime leaves
* 750 g beef, diced
* 2.5 l water
* 150 g fresh beansprout

Finely ground
* 8 kluwek, flesh only (a hard-shelled fruit found in local

markets)
* 8 shallots
* 5 cloves garlic
* 5 candlenuts
* 2 tsp coriander
* 4 cm ginger
* 5 red chillies
* a dash of salt, brown sugar

Makes 8 servings

1. Heat the cooking oil, fry ground ingredients until fragrant.
Add in galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and diced meat.
Stir well for 5 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, pour in water, mix well. Let the mixture simmer
over low heat for 30 minutes or until the meat is cooked and
tender. Add beansprouts. Serve warm.

Perkedel
* 350 g potatoes, sliced, fried and mashed
* 350 g ground meat
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 2 stalks leeks, sliced
* 2 stalks celery, sliced
* cooking oil
* 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Finely ground
* 4 shallots
* a dash of nutmeg
* pepper, salt and sugar

Makes 16 cakes

1. Pour one tablespoon of cooking oil into a frying pan, add in
finely ground ingredients, cook until fragrant, add in ground
meat, keep stirring until cooked.
2. In a bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, meat mixture, leeks,
celery and eggs.
3. Take 2 tbsp of the mixture, shape it into a ball and flatten
the top. Meanwhile, heat enough cooking oil in a frying pan.
4. Dip perkedel in egg whites and fry for 3 minutes until
slightly brown. Serve warm.

Shrimp Chili Paste
* 50 g red chillies
* 1 tbsp good quality shrimp paste, burnt or fried
* 2 tomatoes
* 1 tsp kaffir lime juice
* salt and brown sugar

Finely grind all ingredients and serve on a small plate.