Indonesian Perkedel was derived from the Dutch dish, Frikadel. Frikadel, however, is more of a spiced and seasoned meat dumpling, while Indonesian Perkedel uses potatoes rather than meat. Perkedel goes great as a side dish with any Indonesian meal, and it is one of the dishes served during the festive national meal called the Nasi Tumpeng.
(Photo Attributed to Author: Sakurai Midori)
Indonesian Perkedel Recipe-
Ingredients:
For the Basic Potato Patties-
- 2 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced into small pieces
- 2 stalks celery, tough ends trimmed away and chopped fine
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tbsp. chicken oil (if you can’t find this locally, make your own – instructions below)
- extra virgin coconut oil for deep frying
For the Spice Paste-
- 3 green onions, tough ends trimmed off and diced
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 3 Beji Kemiri (candle nuts)
- 1/2 nutmeg, grated
- 1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground white peppercorns
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
Directions:
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the diced potatoes on a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake for half an hour or until tender. Take out of the oven and set aside to cool down enough to handle.
- Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, pulverize the garlic, garlic, peppercorns, green onions, sea salt and candle nuts into a smooth, fine paste.
- Add the chicken oil into a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Stir fry your spice paste until it becomes so fragrant you can smell it in the next room.
- Again using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, process your diced baked potatoes into a smooth mash. Then add and stir in the fried spice paste, along with any chicken oil left in the pan from the stir-frying. Also add and stir in the grated nutmeg. Process further until all ingredients are thoroughly blended.
- Next, transfer this mashed and spiced potatoes mixture into a large mixing bowl; add and stir in the chopped Chinese celery.
- Mold this mixture into round and slightly flattened patties. Dip the patties into the beaten eggs, coating them well all over.
- Heat the coconut oil in a deep skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. You want enough oil to come about half way up the sides of the patties. Deep-fry until golden brown – about 2 minutes should do it – and then turn them over and fry the other sides until a rich golden brown color is achieved.
- Use a large slotted kitchen spoon to scoop the patties out, and set them on a paper-towel lined tray to drain.
- Serve your Indonesian Perkedel while nice and warm.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Oil
Chicken oil is easy to make. Here are the simple, basic steps:
- Render Some Chicken Fat. When you prep chicken for cooking, trim off the excess fatty parts and reserve it. You can also use chicken skins, or a combination of both. Heat up the skins/fatty parts in a skillet over low heat to draw out the pure fat oils. When the skins get crispy and golden, use a slotted spoon and remove all the solids from the skillet and discard. Pour the oil through a sieve (placed over a mixing bowl) to remove any remaining tiny solids.
- Add Garlic and Annatto Seeds. Add and stir into the oil 2 or three crushed cloves of garlic, and about a tablespoon of annatto seeds (more or less of each, if desired, to your tastes). Some people like to add a little salt, also. Again, this is a matter of choice and taste. Definitely do add at least some garlic and annatto, however, for authentic Indonesian style chicken oil.
- Store it, and Use it or Lose it. The oil is ready to use now. If you are not using it all right away, it will store for a short while. Place it in bottles or vessels with tight fitting lids, and you can store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for, usually, up to 5 days. Any longer than that, it will lose much of its distinctive taste, and eventually spoil on you if kept for much more than a week or two.
Contact us and/or Join Our Mailing List
(We respect your privacy. Subscribers’ info are not shared with anyone. EVER)