March 1

March 1

Tuesday.

I feel like it's count down time, perhaps today we will see if we can find some Balinese masks that I would like to get Alex and Christina.

I scored a couple of masks from a local carver, they should make a nice souvenir for my kids, plus the add-on value that the masks will keep mean spirits out of their homes.

We had a nice noodle soup at one of the local warungs, however, I find much of the same standardization here , concerning food, as I found most anywhere in the world.

Bakso soup (Meatball soup)

It used to be that we had our own vendors, who would make the bakso soup, just the way we liked it, and "our" sate vendor we would visit exclusively, amongst a whole row of 30+ sate vendors, because he had the best kacang sauce, or best lontong or most flavorful sate.
In Holland, we knew exactly who had the most delicious croquettes, the most crispy French fries, the best nierbroodjes..... (deep-fried, breaded, slice of bread, topped with a ragout of kidney...yum!)
Now the choice of croquettes is either the run of the mill variety, or the better "van Dobbe" or "Kwekkeboom" brands, and now I understand that one bought out the other, although the new owner pledged to keep both original recipes available.....here is hoping....

When I was in Utrecht a couple of weeks ago, I was delighted to see that there a still a few places that sell hand cut, fresh French Fries.
I bought a bag at the train station (met mayo....) but noticed that they had gone over to using the poly-unsaturated oil,.....healthier, but not as tasty as I remember them, back in the days that they were cooked twice, in two temperatures of beef suet. When I get back, I will go the famous "Manneke Pis" chain in Utrecht in the hopes that they did not jump on the "healthy patat" band wagon. I will be happy to make report about my findings....

At least HEMA has managed to maintain the quality of their excellent smoked sausage, it is that exact one, that I measure all others against..... Hands-down...the best.

Hema sausage

Now here, in Indonesia, unless you go to a small warung, it seems that all the noodles for mie-soup come from the same standard instant noodle package, exactly the same as we buy in the Chinese grocery stores in Canada. Flavor package is included.....and all they need to do is add some chopped veggies and sliced chicken.
I am not saying that it is not tasty, or filling, because it surely is. It does take the guess work out of "where to eat today"...

Soto Ayam

It seems that the only difference in flavors and styles are amongst the Soto Ajam vendors.
I think that the main difference lies in the homemade bumbu, that each vendor uses, they have not yet "packaged" that exotic flavor, or perhaps it is a source of pride, for each hawker...

We were also disappointed not to find the sweets that Java has, the klepon, the puhtu, the kue lapis, the gula Jawa filled treats....
On one morning we did see some sweets being sold in the pasar, but we did not dare to buy any. The conditions that they were sold in and manhandled was such, that we decided to let our intelligence prevail and to pass on the treats.

I also noticed that there are very few, if any, Chinese food venders around any more. The very vast majority of food stalls are all run by Indonesians.
When I travel back in time, I recall going on family outings to Glodok, the Chinese section of Jakarta, where we would eat the most delicious dishes, almost all run by Chinese food venders. Even the bubur ayam hawker that came door to door a couple of mornings a week, was Chinese....where have they all gone??
It was a riddle to me, especially since I associate them with the foods of my past, the years when we would go out and eat together, the days that we were all together, the days when parents and kids lived in one house....

Glodok, Jakarta

It wasn't until Menno mentioned to me that some years ago, around 1996, after one of the last financial crises, that hit Indonesia very hard and the Suharto government almost was toppled, that a serious ethnic "cleansing" took place. Most Chinese temples were ruined and burned to the ground, hundreds, maybe thousands of  Chinese people were killed and raped, and many Chinese were driven to flee or hide underground. Glodok was burned to the ground and Glodok never recovered, now it is but a shadow of it former self.

The "ethnic cleansing", took place, because it was felt by the indonesian student intellectuals, that the Chinese controlled all the business, which was rightfully Indonesian, and riots that started in Bandung, led by the students, quickly spread all over indonesia, leaving dead Chinese and ruined Chinese lives in it's wake.
The, then, president Suharto was accused of not dealing assertively enough when the uprising against the Chinese took place he was accused of secretly giving in to the uprising, and some say, he even supported it in the beginning.....
When Suharto finally ordered the army to intervene, it (the army) felt that it was too late and that the violence was beyond control. That coupled with the fact that many generals were sick of the multi-multi-multi trillionaire Suharto, and his talent of collecting and laundering money, they forced Suharto to step down and put him under house arrest for many years, in Jakarta. To this day, there are many evidences of his money laundering schemes.....

Frog's legs

As for me....I am just disappointed to see that such an important part of the Indonesian culinary culture has disappeared, so thoroughly, so completely....with only the popularity of  Ve-Tsin (MSG), still here and everywhere, as a  sad epitaph...

So....here it goes...home made:

Kroketten (Dutch Croquettes) Recipe

Croquettes

Makes 24

50 g butter
50 g plain flour
1 cup hot milk
salt
300 g leftover cold roast beef, chicken or veal, finely chopped, minced in a food processor.
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 tbsp ketjap manis

1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Crumb Coating:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup plain flour
2 cups breadcrumbs
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method

1. Melt the butter in a small, heavy-based saucepan. Stir in the flour to make a paste (roux), and cook, stirring all the time, for about 3 minutes. Gradually mix in the hot milk to make a bechamel sauce. Bring to the boil, them lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to get rid of the floury taste. Add a pinch of salt to season then tip the bechamel into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool.

2.      Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor and whiz until smooth.

3.      Tip into the mixing bowl with the cool bechamel sauce and stir in well to form a thick paste. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hour until chilled.

4.      Form the croquette mixture into chunky little logs (3 x 10 cm) - you should get about 24 in total.

5.      Whisk the egg and milk together and set up a little production line of 3 dishes containing the flour, the egg mixture and the breadcrumbs.

6.      Roll the croquettes in the flour first, then dip them into the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs so they are evenly coated. For an extra-crunchy coating dip the croquettes into the egg and breadcrumbs for a second time then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7.      Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a heavy-based frying pan to 180C. Preheat the oven to 100C. Fry the croquettes in batches until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes. Drain briefly on a wire rack and transfer to the oven to keep warm while you fry the remaining croquettes. Serve with Dutch mustard for dipping.

Note: You can eat kroket on its own or you can eat it with a slice of white sandwich bread or a soft white bread roll (Traditionally, Dutch do eat kroket with white bread). If it's eaten on a slice of sandwich bread, you should cut the kroket lengthwise and spread with mustard before slappin' the sandwich shut.