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by Felix Ramli |
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ISALC,
Lewis and Clark
College
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by Felix Ramli |
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Asia is one of several continents in the world that we know of as a big producer of different kind of spices, such as coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, chili, ginger, and pepper. Therefore, Asia has many kinds of spicy food. Countries in Asia that have much famous spicy food are usually located in the southeastern part, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Philippines. In this essay I intend to describe a recipe as my introduction to my own country's cuisine, Indonesian food.
One of the famous Indonesian spicy entrees is "pastel" or, as it is known in South America, "empanada." There are two parts that we have to make to prepare this special dish; one is the shell part and the other one is the filling.
To make the dough of the shell is not really complicated, we just need 18 oz flour, 1-tablespoon margarine and salt to taste, 3 cups of water, and 2 eggs. First, mix salt and margarine together in water and boil it. Add the flour to the mixture on a low heat and mix them well. Let the dough cool down and add the two eggs. At this moment you will need to use both hands to knead the dough well. If you are not kneading the dough well, the dough will crumble and fall apart. Flatten the dough to 1/8" thick with a rolling pin. Use the rim of a soup bowl, approximately 4" in diameter by pressing the bowl onto the flattened dough.
After you are done with the shells, you can start to make the filling. The ingredients are 2 slices of chicken breast, 1 small yellow onion, 3 stalks green onion, 1_ oz butter, _ cup frozen peas, salt to taste, black pepper, and oil for deep-frying. Place the chicken breast in a small saucepan and cover with 400 ml of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Retain the stock. Chop the yellow onion, green onion, and green pepper finely. Chop the chicken breast into small cubes. Heat the butter in a shallow pan and sauté the chopped chicken for two minutes. Add the yellow onion, green onion, and continue to cook over a low heat for at least five minutes. If you like it spicier, you can add hot chili into the chicken stock. Add the peas, salt, black pepper, and bring the chicken stock to a boil. Simmer until the mixture thickens, then remove from the heat and allow cooling down. After it is getting cool, place two tablespoon of the filling in the center of the "pastel" shell, fold, and seal the edges with a little water as glue. Heat the oil until it is almost smoking, then deep fry the pastel until it is crispy and golden, for approximately 3 minutes.
I think this dish is one of the best delicacies that you can find in Indonesian cuisine and this is the only Indonesian dish that I can make. It is relatively easy to make. You can find all of the ingredients for this dish in most American groceries. The only problem to make "pastel" is you must have agood patience to boil the water and sometimes wait until it becomes cool. If you try "pastel," you will know one of the most delicious dishes of Indonesia.
Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 10/23/99