Potatoes, sweet or spicy, have a place in local dishes

Potatoes, sweet or spicy, have a place in local dishes

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An edible tuber bearing the Latin name Solanum tuberosum, the
potato is one of the few food items that has been consumed as a
staple since ancient times.

According to the Visual Food Encyclopedia, the tuber is an
excellent source of potassium and contains vitamin C, B6, copper,
niacin, magnesium, folic acid, iron and pantothenic acid.

In Indonesia's diverse cuisine, potatoes are used as a
complimenting ingredient, as a filling in sweet snacks and as
side dishes.

Generally, as a substitute for rice, it is often diced, sliced
or mashed for main courses and side dishes, and usually the
cooking process involves seasoning with salt before deep frying
them in hot oil.

But when steamed or boiled, like in soups, potatoes are often
cooked along with other ingredients to ensure they are thoroughly
cooked and absorb the spices.

As an ingredient in soto (a type of traditional soup in
different parts of the country), the potato is often thinly
sliced and crisply deep fried and is the last item to be added to
a bowl of hot soto.

One of the most popular traditional dishes featuring potato is
the hot and spicy rendang, a typical fare in Padang, West
Sumatra, in which small potatoes are stewed in thick coconut
milk.

Another famous potato dish is sambal goreng ati (spicy hot
chicken or beef liver with diced potato). In this dish, cubed
potato are deep fried and mixed together with the seasoned offal.

When combined with sugar and then smoothly mashed (sometimes a
little coconut milk is added for consistency), the potato is
often used as filling in different types of traditional and
modern snacks.

And apart from its culinary role, local people also believe
the tuber has certain medicinal properties and they often use raw
and grated potato to treat burns and skin inflammation.

One thing that should be kept in mind is that this tuber
requires careful handling during the cooking process. Exposure of
potatoes to the light or sun will trigger the formation of green
or dark green patches which impart a bitter taste and it may
contain significant quantity of toxic substance called solanine.

Small doses of solanine can cause stomach cramps, headache and
diarrhea but strong doses may affect the nervous system, it said.

It is also important to remove all traces of green parts, as
well as sprouts and the "eyes" because solanine tends to
accumulate in these particular areas.