Sunday, February 3, 2013

Perkedel Kentang

Perkedel Kentang is some sort of potato cake made from freshly fried potatoes that is then smashed and formed into small, round shape. This Perkedel Kentang is usually served to accompany eating soup or soto. It takes some effort to actually succeed in frying it without seeing the nicely formed round potato cake crack from side to side (because the wrong choice of potato or because it isn't fried properly), but once you nail it, the smell of success will beat the smell of hot frying oil all over the house.


ingredients:
makes 20 pieces

900 gr/2 lbs potato (use the floury variant), peeled and cut into chunks
3 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic
30 pieces whole white peppers
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
oil for deep-frying

method: 
1. Heat the cooking oil, fry the potato in two batches. On the last batch, just a minute before the potato chunks are turning golden brown, slide in the shallots into the frying pan and fry the shallots together with the potato in that hot oil only for one minute. Remove the potato and the shallots from the frying pan with slotted spoon. Turn off the stove. Let the potato chunks cool off on a plate that is already covered with kitchen paper.

2. Use a mortar and a pestle to grind the shallots, garlic and peppers until they are all crushed and incorporated.

3. In a big bowl, mash the fried potato chunks until a smooth consistency just like the consistency of mashed potato. Add the shallots+garlic+peppers paste and a pinch of salt to that mashed potato. Mix it all with clean hands. Add an egg and mix it all again.


4. Divide the mashed potato into twenty balls. Press each ball into thinner round shape.

5. Heat the oil for deep frying again. Beat the remaining egg and cover each Perkedel Kentang in egg mixture before sliding it into the hot cooking oil.


6. Deep-fry the Perkedel Kentang in batches until golden brown. Turning them once only to avoid them from cracking into pieces.



7. Remove Perkedel Kentang from the pan with slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate that is already covered with kitchen paper.


New King, Amsterdam

This is a Chinese restaurant that I visit almost every week. I actually live about 80 km away from Amsterdam but it doesn't stop me from coming here and enjoying its delicious mandarin cuisine. Whether it rains or shines, or it heavily snows, I would still take the train to the capital city and find myself a seat in this tiny restaurant. That's my love for New King :o)


From different kinds of delicious soup until various kinds of meat dishes as well as vegetable dishes, New King presents its food with different approach. Not sure if I can explain that, but the neighboring Chinese restaurants can't even compete with New King's deliciousness.







Overall, this is really a different experience in enjoying mandarin cuisine in a western land. Three words; delicious, delicious, delicious.



Thursday, January 24, 2013

Prego; pizzeria & döner kebab

Prego is a pizzeria & döner kebab located in a small shopping center near my place. Every now and then I would just drop by this place to grab a döner kebab or anything italian-turkish-mediteranian snack/meal/pasta. I love this döner so much that I rarely remember to make pictures of what I eat there. I usually eat it without thinking so much about taking its pictures. So these are few captures I can find in my computer.

Oh, if you're not familiar with döner kebab, here it is; döner kebab

Kapsalon; a layer of potato fries at the bottom of the foil, a layer of döner kebab, a layer of melted cheese and variations of sauce to your liking, and a layer of fresh salad with crumbled feta cheese on top. They actually oven the fried potato and the slices kebab along the cheddar cheese for a couple of minutes before sprinkle it with the rest of the ingredients.



Döner Kebab Menu; Pita bread filled with slices of döner kebab, sauce and salad. Served with potato fries and a can of soda.



Spaghetti a La Carbonara served with sliced of döner kebab if requested



Slices of döner kebab up close!



Saturday, January 19, 2013

Takumi, Düsseldorf

I visited Düsseldorf, Germany, just before Chrismast last year. It was something that needed to be done because I wanted to visit Takumi, a Japanese restaurant. This was my second visit, the first one was about two years ago. "Needed" because the first time I was there, I fell in love with its authentic Japanese food. Düsseldorf must have been heavily populated with Japanese eateries since this city has the biggest Japanese concentration in Europe, but Takumi is just the best. Too bad it is a small restaurant with too many customers. It has always been packed.

Ramen Soup with Chicken Karage


Ramen Soup with some sort of meat, don't remember what..




Gyoza




Chicken Karage





Merry X'mas Ramen






Ramen Miso Soup with Mixed Meat




I can't find Takumi's website, but this below is a screen shot from its facebook page.