Celebrate Eid Al-Fitr With Betawi Cuisine

In Batavia, Jakarta’s former name, the Betawi people are fiercely proud of their heritage, expressed through language, dance, textiles and food. Betawi cuisine combines local and other influences, resulting from a long history in trading and colonial past, in creating distinctively delicious flavours.

It is fascinating to discover just how significant Middle Eastern influences are on the Betawi cuisine. The use of fresh root spices such as ginger, turmeric, galangal and lemongrass with spices such as coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg is prevalent. Rice vinegar – borrowed from Chinese cooking – as well as young tamarind and lime juice are also widely used for that zing sour flavour.

There are many iconic dishes of Betawi cuisine such as Kerak Telur (Betawi-style omelette with rice and spices), Soto Betawi (beef soup with light curry flavour), Laksa Betawi and Asinan Jakarta (mixed vegetables and fruits salad with a spicy, sour and sweet sauce). There are also other less known but equally enticing ones, such as Nasi Ulam (rice cooked with lemongrass, ginger and bay leaves and mixed with spiced roasted coconut), Ikan Gabus Pucung (freshwater fish stew with spices and black nut), Ikan Lele Pecak (freshwater fish steamed with fresh ginger, galangal and chillies with a touch of lime juice) and many more.

For this month’s column I have selected a recipe from my Jakarta Bites book for a classic Betawi main course with modern twist. It’s perfect for a large crowd, yet easy to make and delicious.

Semur Daging (Betawi-style Beef Stew)
Enjoy tender and succulent pieces of meat and delicious caramelised whole shallots in this dish of many different spices. I use plenty of shallots to create a pleasant texture for the sauce and also to add to its layers of flavours. The cooking process is long but worth the wait. Serve with steamed rice or pasta. Chopped tomatoes give the dish its vibrant colour and add well to the flavour combination.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Extra ingredients:

Directions: