INDONESIA
When I visited Indonesia to research recipes for this book, I had tremendous help from William Wongso, the country’s foremost celebrity chef. William took me on a food frenzy tour in Medan, together with Indra Halim, the town’s most famous foodie, and other foodie friends Gio and her husband, Jalaluddine, and their son, Didi. We were spoiled for good recommendations as to where to have all kinds of delectable Muslim specialties. I also met Tanya Alwi, the owner of the delightful Maulana hotel on the island of Banda Neira in Indonesia through James Oseland, former editor of Saveur magazine. With Tanya I explored Ambon and Banda Neira, both part of the Maluku islands in Indonesia, where Tanya’s hotel is right on the water, across from nutmeg plantations. She arranged for me to taste different local specialties, including kebuli biryani (I guess named after Kabul in Afghanistan, perhaps because the dish originated there). Initially, Tanya had asked her cook to make the biryani with chicken, but I was keen on having it the way they would traditionally, with baby goat. The meat was surprisingly tough for such a small animal, but the dish was delicious and here is Tanya’s cook’s recipe.
SERVES 4 TO 6
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 small shallots (3½ ounces/100 g total), very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and minced to a fine paste
2 inches (5 cm) fresh turmeric, minced to a fine paste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
½ teaspoon ground anise seeds
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
½ nutmeg
2 green cardamom pods
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only
5 kaffir lime leaves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) mutton (meaning goat) or beef, cut into medium chunks, or bone-in chicken parts
5 cups (1 kg) long-grain rice
3 tablespoons raisins
3 tablespoons fried onions
6 cups (1.5 liters) coconut cream
2 tablespoons (30 g) ghee or unsalted butter
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until golden. Add the ginger, turmeric, coriander, caraway, and anise and sauté for a minute or so. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, lemongrass, citrus leaves, bay leaves, and salt and continue sautéing until very fragrant. Add the meat and cook until browned.
2. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs pretty clear, then add the rice to the pot and sauté with the spices and meat for a couple of minutes. Add the raisins, fried onions, and coconut cream, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, until the coconut cream starts bubbling.
3. Reduce the heat to as low as you can get it. Wrap the lid of the pot with a clean kitchen towel. Replace over the pot and let the rice steam for 45 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
4. Add the ghee and gently stir it into the rice and meat as you transfer them to a serving platter. Serve hot.