Jakarta - Living in Indonesia and cooking and eating local food, we are well acquainted with the chili pepper. Though not native to Indonesia, the chili was quick to settle itself into the array of spices in local fare.
Many regions even became known for their abundant use of chilies in their cooking. Two regions most renown for being very attached to chilies are West Sumatra and North Sulawesi, where a ratio of 1:1 was the general rule of thumb, which meant that a kilogram of chili should be used for each kilogram of meat.
Although this is no longer taken literally, a vast amount of chilies are still used in many dishes, like the famous rendang of West Sumatra.
In North Sulawesi they are of the same opinion: A dish is only appetizing when it is hot. The sauce for their typical satay tambulinas (usually made of pork) could send someone not used to heat frantically gulping down a jug of water.
But the popularity of the hot dishes of these two regions, are increasing because, in addition to heat, the chili has many health benefits.
First, if you eat a hot chili, you‘ll experience moments of heightened awareness (Rebecca Wood, The New Whole Food Encyclopedia).
It is also a potent digestive stimulator and has antioxidant properties that help preserve and detoxify food. However, consumption of chili is not recommended for those with an inflamed colon or weak stomach.
In Indonesia chili has many cultivators and -- depending on the region where they are grown -- there are hot chilies, and then there are very hot chilies.
The chili used in cooking are usually the plump red chilies or cabai merah, which are a bit more expensive than the cabai merah keriting or the slim curly chili. The hottest of all is the cabai rawit or "chili paddy" in culinary English.
Some call them tiny chilies. These tiny chilies are used when serving sweet and sour pickles or acar, which are eaten raw or as an accompaniment to fried foods like tofu, that would otherwise be rather bland. Small chilies are found in two colors, red and green.
The green ones are a bit spicier and have a stronger structure.
One of the most popular and unique chili preparations are the sambals, hot and pungent condiments. All over the archipelago there are hundreds of different sambals.
One of the most renown is the sambal trassi made of red chilies, trassi or belachan, and salt which are ground together in a traditional cobek or spice grinder.
After the grinding process, a bit of lime juice is added. In some regions the sambal trassi is given a spoonful of the remaining frying oil.
Well, that was the cabai or chili in the kitchen but the hot pepper has other things to do around the house. It often appears on a sapu lidi -- a broom made of a bundle of hard coconut leaf cores used to sweep the garden -- when rain clouds are frightening the host.
In the hopes of prevent rain from spoiling a party, the host will adorn a sapu lidi with chilies and place it conspicuously somewhere in the house. The act, a Javanese ethnic‘s custom called tolak hujan, is believed to ward of dark clouds and assuage the worried host and hostess.
Recipes
1. Ayam Sambal Gedang
Chicken in sour fruit sauce
Ingredients:
500 g chicken, cut in serving sizes
4 cloves garlic
6 red chilies, 60 g
A slice of fresh turmeric, 10 g
A slice of fresh galangal, 10 g
2 tbs cooking oil, 20 ml
1 turmeric leaf, cut finely
2 asam kandis (dried sour fruits)
1 tsp salt, or to taste
Method:
1. Make garlic, red chilies, turmeric and galangal into a paste. Mix with chicken, cooking oil, turmeric leaf, asam kandis and season with salt. Cook until chicken is tender.
Makes 4 servings.
2. Dendeng Balado
A traditional West Sumatra dish for those favoring hot and spicy food.
Ingredients:
1 kg topside of beef, cut in thin slices
3 tbs tamarind juice, 30 ml
2 tsp salt or to taste, 8 g
200 ml cooking oil, for frying
Sambal:
5 shallots, 50 g
7 red chilies, 70 g
A pinch of salt
Method:
1. Coat meat with tamarind juice and salt and sun-dry until dry.
2. Then fry until done and drain. Set aside.
3. Coarsely pound shallots and chilies.
4. Stir-fry in 3 tbs remaining oil and season with salt.
5. Add the fried meat slices for a minute or two.
Makes 10 servings.
3. Ayam Rica-Rica Panggang
From North Sulawesi. A simply spiced, hot dish.
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken, cut in 4 pieces
10 shallots, 50 g
4 red chilies, 40 g
10 tiny chilies, 8 g
25 g ginger
A stalk lemon grass, 20 cm, bruised
2 tbs lime juice, 20 ml
3 tsp salt, 12 g or to taste
50 ml cooking oil, for stir frying
Charcoal, for grilling
Method:
1. Make shallots, red chilies and chili paddy (tiny chilies), and ginger into a paste. Add lemongrass, lime juice, salt and cooking oil.
2. Prick chicken with a fork and coat with the spice paste. Let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Grill over hot charcoal until done.
Makes 12 servings
4. Ayam Seraki Pedas
A dish from Java‘s westernmost province, Banten. Not for those having spicy food for the first time.
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken, cut in 10 pieces, boiled until half done, take from flame.
300 ml water, to make stock
10 shallots, 100 g
5 cloves garlic, 25 g
10 red chilies, 100 g
8 candlenuts, 40 g
A slice of fresh galangal, 10 g
A stalk lemon grass, 15 cm, bruised
1 tbs tamarind juice
2 tsp salt or to taste
2 tbs margarine or butter
Method:
1. Make a paste of shallots, garlic, chilies, candlenuts, galangal
2. Add to chicken.
3. Add lemon grass, tamarind juice, salt and cook until chicken is tender and the sauce thickens.
4. Before serving add margarine or butter.
Makes 12 servings
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (23 Oktober 2007)
