The dutch-indonesian cultural confluence has given birth to colonial dishes. and the same set of spices unite netherlands and indonesia even today
Cuisine is possibly the only long-term beneficiary of the process of colonisation and while England and India gained the Anglo-Indian cuisine, other regions too had a similar culinary amalgamation. The Dutch East Indies, for instance, extending all the way to Indonesia, made Netherlands benefit immensely with spice and cash crop trade at that time. The same set of spices unite the two countries — Netherlands and Indonesia, even today.
One of the most important ingredients in the Dutch-Indonesian cuisine include sambal oelek — a red pepper or red chilli paste that adds to the spicy element of a fish and can be served as a condiment too. Sweet soy sauce or the ketjap manis that contains lemon grass, galangal, tamarind and coconut milk is another widely used ingredient.
Like most Northern European countries, Dutch food was very basic and humble comprising of potatoes, meat and thick gravy drowning the two. Not that you don’t find that in Netherlands today! But ask a Dutch to take you out to a fine dine meal and mostly you’ll find yourself sitting in an Indonesian restaurant, gorging on bami goreng and satays along with two innovative colonial dishes, the bamischijf, a deep fried snack of noodles with bread crumb and patate saute or potato chips in satay sauce.
The cultural confluence of the Dutch and the Indonesians had a rebounding effect on cuisine — firstly, as early as the 17th century, when the Dutch landed in search of spices and their trading and eventually upon going bankrupt, took the colonisation route for spices and cash crops. Secondly, and more recently, after the Second World War when Indonesia gained Independence in the 1950s, the Indonesians adapted their dishes to European products and styles.
During the first phase, the two noticeable adaptations were — the addition of local spices to the Dutch cuisine, and the application of European techniques such as stews and bakes to local dishes.
The cultural interconnectedness promoted adaptations from both sets of people. The Dutch left a mark on Indonesian cuisine through brown beans soup (sup brenebon), oxtail soup (sop buntut), duck in soy sauce (bebek suwir), spekkoek (layer cake with spices known in Indonesia as Kue legit), dishes with cheese like macaroni n’ cheese (Indies macaroni) and oven dishes like meatloaf (frikadel pan) and shepherd’s pie (pastel tutup), all kinds of stews (smoor or semur dishes) and varieties of desserts and pastries.
In the second phase, the range of spices increased in Netherlands due to the demand by Indonesian immigrants and the Dutch palate evolved to adapt Indonesian cuisine with its spicy factor.
On my last touchdown to Amsterdam, I came across a cookbook from the last 1960s, which carried an interesting blend of the Dutch-Indonesian culinary cultures. The roast goose, for instance, was cooked with turmeric root and local quince paste.
We then proceeded to enjoy a rijstaffel — a ‘national celebratory dish’ at a fine dine restaurant near Vondel Park, which is a rice table adapted from West Sumatra and consisted of as many as 40 dishes ranging from egg rolls, sambals, satays, gado gado, nasi goreng, pickles and nuts. While the concept of a rijstaffel arose from the time of the Dutch colonies in South East Asia, its conceptual origins lay in the need of the colonisers who wanted to showcase their wealth to any guest who visited the colony.
The satay with a twist has also become an intrinsic part of Dutch cuisine. Chicken, pork or beef satay are served with a thick peanut sauce. While you could enjoy satay anywhere in South east Asia, the Dutch twist is not merely in the ingredients of the sauce but also in the way it is served — on top of French fries with the sauce acting like a ketchup-mayonnaise slather.
For tourists, today’s Netherlands is about gouda cheese markets and meatballs with beer but the local amalgamation of cuisines, regions and colonies with their local taste is visible across every street in the country. ERWTENSOEP (PEA SOUP WITH SAMBAL)
Ingredients for sambal Ginger, sliced 2 Garlic cloves 2 Lemongrass root, finely chopped 1 Fresh chillies 6-8 Lime juice 1 lemon White vinegar 50 ml Coarse salt as per taste White sugar cup
Method for sambal Mix chopped ginger, garlic and lemongrass and mix. Add chillies and half of limejuice. Crush the ingredients together. Add vinegar and a pinch of salt and continue pounding. Taste the mix to get a perfect combination of sweet, sour, salty and hot flavours. Add additional amounts of the ingredients as required to balance the taste to your liking. Place a pan over high heat and place sambal in it. Add sugar. This will caramelise the mix and bring the flavours together. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture is pulpy. When the mix is almost done, add remaining lime juice. Cook for two minutes.
Ingredients for soup l Dried green split peas 300 gm Thick-cut bacon 100 gm Pork, chopped 150 gm Stock cube (vegetable, pork or chicken) 1 Celery sticks 2 Sliced carrots 3 Large potato, peeled and cubed 1 Small onion, chopped 1 Small leek, sliced 1 Celeriac, cubed 100 gm Salt and pepper to taste Handful of chopped celery leaves Handful of sliced smoked sausage
Method for soup Boil 2 litres of water in a large soup pot, along with the split peas, stock cube, chopped pork and bacon. Put the lid on the pot and leave to boil for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take out the pork; de-bone and thinly slice it. Set aside. Add vegetables to the boiling broth and cook for another 30 minutes, adding a little extra water every time the soup starts to catch. Add smoked sausage. When the vegetables are tender, remove the bacon and smoked sausage, thinly slice it and set aside. Season to taste. Add the meat back to the prepared soup. Add sausages, garnished with slices of smoked sausage and celery leaves. Serve with sambal on side for a colonial touch.
Bami Goreng
Ingredients Bami noodles (or other style Asian Noodle) 350 gm Eggs, beaten 2 Oil 3 tbsp Chicken breasts, sliced into inch pieces 500 gm Garlic cloves, minced 2 Ground coriander 2 tsp Ground ginger 2 tsp Vegetable broth cup Onion, sliced into thin wedges 1 Carrot, thinly sliced 1 Red pepper, sliced, 1 Leek, thinly sliced 1 Ham, cubed 175 gm Shrimp, uncooked 150 gm Sambal 1 tbsp Ketjap manis (sweet soya sauce) 5 tbsp Salt and black pepper to taste
Method Boil noodles for 8 minutes. Set aside. Heat a large wok. Swirl in the beaten egg to make a thin omelette. Allow it to cool down. Cut into thin strips and set aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add chicken breasts and sauté along with garlic, coriander, ginger and broth until the chicken is no longer pink. Add sliced onion, carrot, red pepper, leek and ketjap manis and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add cubed ham, uncooked shrimp and sambal and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add sliced omelette and noodles. Mix well before serving.
The writer is a chef and founder, Under One Roof Hotel Consultants P Ltd
