Shrimp Boemboe Bali

I followed an Indonesian cooking course a while back and with my fellow class mates we made one from scratch - not the kind I was used to eating when I dined out with my parents as a kid, but a lavish version with only one dish I'd ever tried before. Ajam ketjap (chicken), shrimps boemboe bali,  gado gado (vegetable mix with peanut sauce), kerrie telor (curried eggs), nasi kuning (a gorgeous yellow coconut flavoured rice) and sambal goreng tempeh kering (spicy tempeh).

The rice table was introduced to Indonesia by Dutch colonists, seeking to show off the wealth of their colony. Based on local dishes from around the country's 13,000-island archipelago, they were festive banquets where as many as 40 or 50 dishes were served by sarong-clad waitresses. People would eat for hours.  

The scale is slightly daunting, even if you make a version (as we did) consisting of a far smaller selection of dishes. It's easy to see why the rice table is not an everyday affair. To serve a rice table on a Saturday, chef Cheukam explained, she would start cooking on Tuesday. Not a bad idea, especially if you set your heart to making all the spice pastes (boemboe) from scratch - as, of course, you really should. Luckily, you can use a food processor/blender, and are no longer bound to the arduous process of mincing everything with a mortar and pestle. And, also luckily, these Indonesian dishes can almost all be made ahead; in fact, they get even better after a few nights in the fridge. 

The meal was the result of our collective efforts during a 3.5 hour Indonesian cooking workshop taught by Cheukam Tung (she blogs in Dutch at Joy of Food) at the Flavours of the Far East Cooking Studio on the second floor of the Dun Yong toko, or Asian grocer, at the corner of the Zeedijk & Stormsteeg 9 in the heart of the Dutch red light district (and Chinatown, which is in the same area). Dun Yong, I should add, has such an unfathomably large product range that it pretty much qualifies as your one-stop-shop for everything related to Asian cuisine. 

Hats off to Chef Cheukam for opening up a whole new world of Indonesian cuisine. As you can see by our very happy faces, the food was amazing. If you're into Asian food and live in or near Amsterdam, go follow one of her courses - aside from Indonesian, cuisines on offer include Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and even Korean in a setting that is ever so charming. Look at us be industrious. 

To make Indonesian food, there are a couple of key spices you will need for almost all dishes: cumin seeds, koriander seeds, turmeric (very fragrant, gives dishes that amazing yellow colour, although they get bitter if you use too much), and laos. For sweetener, the Indonesians use palm sugar (gula djawa) instead of regular sugar - it's much less refined, and has a slightly caramel-like taste. There are different versions: some dishes, like beef rendang, use a very dark solidified version, while others use the lighter brown kind. Trassi, or shrimp paste, is another common addition. As is coconut milk, which I'd always associated more with Thai food but is adored by the Indonesians as well. It's used for sauces, rice, soups, and even beverages. 

With the chef's permission (thanks Cheukam!), here's a little taster: shrimp boemboe bali. 

Ingredients (serves 4, if you add some rice & salad):

Boemboe Bali

5 shalots 

2 cloves garlic

3 lomboks (large red chili peppers)

3 cm laos (also known as galangal, this is a light pink coloured root from the ginger family)

1 tsp kurkuma (known as koenjit in Indonesian)

5 kemiri nuts

2 tsp trassi (Indonesian shrimp paste)

0.5 tsp ground black pepper

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 clove

0.5 tsp white sesame seeds

Shrimp

500g shrimps

2 onions, chopped in chunks

2 lomboks (chili peppers) chopped in fine rings

2 green bell peppers (paprika), chopped in pieces of about 1 x 2 cm

500ml coconut milk

2 tsp palm sugar (gula djawa in Indonesian)

salt and pepper to taste

lime juice to taste

vegetable oil (for frying in the wok).

Instructions:

1. To make the boemboe, you have two options: (1) either chop all the boemboe ingredientsvery finely and use a mortar and pestle to grind them to a paste; or (2) chop it into slightly bigger chunks and use a food processor. It actually doesn't have to turn into a completely liquefied paste - you're ok as long as it's broken down into very tiny pieces.

2. Chop  up the bell pepper and onion.

3. Heat a good dash of oil in the wok and add the onion, chili pepper and boemboe. Fry over relatively high heat (keep stirring) until they become fragrant - which should take about a minute and a half. If you notice it sticks to the bottom too much, add a bit more oil - the boemboe can 'consume' quite a bit of it, which is ok.

4. Add the chopped bell pepper and wok for a couple of minutes. Now add the shrimps, and wok for a little while longer until the shrimps start turning slightly pink.

5. Add the coconut milk and palm sugar and bring to a boil. 

6. Let the sauce boil and thicken for about 5 minutes. Then add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. 

Serve with rice and salad.