Mortar & Pestle: Classic Indonesian Recipes for the Modern Kitchen, written by Patricia Tanumihardja and Juliana Evari Suparman, features a vibrant collection of over 80 authentic family recipes paired with beautiful stories and engaging photos. A few highlights include Roti Bakso (Sweet Pork Buns), Ayam Goreng Kuning (Turmeric Fried Chicken), Siomay Bandung (Stuffed Vegetables), Otak Otak (Grilled Fish Cake Wrapped in Banana Leaves), and Bolu Kukus Ketan Hitam (Black Sticky Rice Cake). I will also be sharing their recipe for Babi Kecap (Kecap Manis-Braised Pork) following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Weldon Owen in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Patricia Tanumihardja and Juliana Evari Suparman
Patricia Tanumihardja was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and grew up in Singapore before moving to the United States for college. She is now based in Northern Virginia with her family.
As a food writer, Patricia focuses on topics related to food history and culture. Her work has been featured in Edible Seattle, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Saveur, and more.
Patricia is also the author of The Asian Grandmothers’ Cookbook, Farm to Table Asian Secrets, Asian Pickles at Home, Instant Pot Asian Pressure Cooker Meals, Ramen for Everyone, and The Sugar Plum Bakers.
Juliana Evari Suparman was born in Bekasi, Indonesia and lived in Singapore for 30 years as a floral designer and home cook.
She moved to Seattle in 2002 and “became an active member of the local Indonesian community and parlayed her experience into a restaurant and catering business, a natural extension of her passion for community, family, and food.” From 2008 to 2011, she owned Julia’s Indonesian Kitchen in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood.
Mortar & Pestle
Patricia begins Mortar & Pestle with an introduction, detailing the history of her family, how she learned to cook, and a background behind the diversity and shaping of Indonesian cuisine.
She developed this book with her mother to share Indonesian recipes often only passed down through oral tradition (the first Indonesian cookbook wasn’t published until the 1960s!). Patricia has also put together a basic guide to the Indonesian pantry with names, descriptions, and possible substitutions for staples.
Reflecting her family’s background, the dishes included in Mortar & Pestle are mostly Javanese and Sundanese with a few Singaporean and American twists. The recipes have been well-tested with notes scattered across the pages from the recipe testers alongside other helpful tips and cultural guides.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Savory Nibbles/Cemilan, Eat in the Middle/Makan Tengah, One-Dish Meals/Makanan Sederhana, Let’s Grill!/Ayo Panggang!, Sweets and Drinks/Kue Cue dan Minuman Manis, Sambals and Pickles/Sambal dan Acar, Rice and Basic Preparations/Nasi dan Bahan Dasar. The contents have a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.
The photography is provided by Waterbury Publications Inc. Most of the recipes are paired with a beautifully styled, full-page photo of the finished dish. There are also a few family photos in the introduction.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English with the original name underneath. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, personal stories, tips, yield, and ingredient notes.
Babi Kecap (Kecap Manis-Braised Pork)
To pair with the review, I am sharing a recipe for Patricia and Juliana’s Babi Kecap (Kecap Manis-Braised Pork)!
A bit of a cross between Hong Shao Rou (Chinese Red-Braised Pork Belly) and Semur Daging (Indonesian-Style Beef Stew, recipe in book), this comforting meal comes together by simmering pork belly and potato pieces in a rich kecap manis and ginger sauce until tender.
Begin by marinating the pork belly with kecap manis and ground white pepper for about 1 hour.
After frying the shallots, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, mix in the marinated pork belly pieces and cook until golden on all sides.
Add the salt, sugar, water, and more kecap manis, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer while covered until the pork has reached the desired level of tenderness, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Cubed potatoes and optionally eggs are then added to the pot and simmered until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
To finish, add sliced yellow onion and top with a generous sprinkling of fried shallots. The braised pork serves 6 as a part of a multi-course meal alongside steamed rice and a vegetable side dish.
A Few Babi Kecap Tips
The hard-boiled eggs are optional. If using, add the eggs to the pot with the potato.
The exact simmering time will vary based on desired tenderness of the pork belly. I went for the full 1 hour of simmering before adding the eggs and potatoes.
As with many braises, leftovers are even better the next day. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Notable Ingredients
Kecap manis (Ketjap Manis) is a thick, syrupy sweet soy sauce popular in Indonesian and Malaysian cooking. It can be found in the sauce section of markets featuring Southeast Asian ingredients.
For those in Northern Virginia, I usually get Kecap Manis at Wegmans in Chantilly or Lotte Plaza Market. For those in Los Angeles, I generally got it at Holland International Market in Bellflower.
I have been able to find pork belly in markets with East Asian ingredients, specialty butchers, and more recently in some larger grocery stores. Use skinless, boneless pork belly with even streaks of creamy white fat and lean meat. Cut the pork into 1 x 2 inch (2.5 x 5 centimeter) pieces before marinating with the kecap manis and white pepper.
Fried shallots can also be found in markets with Southeast Asian ingredients such as Lotte Plaza Market. I used store-bought, but there is a recipe to make them with either small Asian shallots or larger European shallots in the book.
Other Dishes
I also made Pangsit Goreng (Fried Wontons), Bakmi Jamur (Pork and Mushroom Noodles), Es Alpukat (Iced Avocado Drink), and Kue Pandan (Pandan Pound Cake).
The Pangsit Goreng (Fried Wontons) come from the Savory Nibbles (Cemilan) chapter. Seasoned ground meat (pork or beef) is folded in a square wonton wrapper and fried until crisp. They were delicious paired with a sweet chili sauce. Patricia states they also go well with Bakmi Jamur.
The Bakmi Jamur (Pork and Mushroom Noodles) were a favorite with the kids. Inspired by visits to Bakmi Aboen in Jakarta’s Pasar Baru district, these noodles are served with a pork mushroom sauce, fish balls or meatballs, blanched bok choy, and optionally broth. To finish, the noodles are topped with sambal oelek, ketchup, and fried shallots for even more flavor.
The Es Alpukat (Iced Avocado Drink) comes from the Sweets and Drinks (Kue Kue dan Minuman Manis) chapter. Espresso is combined with a homemade Sirop Pandan (Pandan Syrup, so so good!) and milk then served in a glass with avocado and chocolate syrup for quite the fun and refreshing drink.
I originally got the pandan leaves to make the pandan syrup. Since I had quite a few extra, I used the rest to make the Kue Pandan (Pandan Pound Cake) a couple of pages over! Inspired by her mother’s pandan chiffon cake, this fantastic dessert was perfect for pairing with tea. The pandan leaves are blended with coconut milk, then strained before mixing with the remaining ingredients and baking until golden. This recipe can also be used to make cupcakes.
Mortar & Pestle is an incredible pick for those interested in homestyle Indonesian cuisine. There is a wonderful variety of recipes from small bites, desserts, drinks, and condiments to meat-based meals, seafood, and vegetables.
Having a market nearby with Southeast Asian ingredients will be helpful in locating items such as sambal oelek, bamboo shoots, glutinous rice, lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, galangal, pandan leaves, and more.
Babi Kecap (Kecap Manis-Braised Pork) Recipe
Excerpt from Mortar & Pestle
Babi Kecap (Kecap Manis-Braised Pork)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (1 kilogram) skinless, boneless pork belly and/or pork shoulder, cut into 1 x 2-inch (2.5 x 5-centimeter) pieces
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) kecap manis divided
- 2 teaspoons ground white or black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 Asian shallots or 4 European shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 4 slices (1/4 inch/6 millimeter each) fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 cups (600 milliliters) water
- 1 pound (450 grams) yellow gold potatoes peeled and cut into 2 inch (5 centimeter) cubes
- Hard-cooked eggs optional, I added 3
- 1 small yellow onion sliced
- Fried shallots for garnish
Instructions
- Marinate the pork with 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) of kecap manis and the white pepper in a large mixing bowl for about 1 hour.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.
- Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger and fry until fragrant and wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add the pork and stir and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
- Add the salt, sugar, water, and remaining 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) of kecap manis. The liquid should reach about three-fourths of the way up the pork. Add more water if necessary. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and cook until they can be easily pierced with a fork, 10-15 minutes. If you would like the pork to be even more tender and you have time, simmer for another 15-30 minutes before adding the potatoes. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
- When the pork and potatoes are ready, add the onion and remove from heat.
- Shower with fried shallots and serve with steamed rice and a vegetable side dish.
Clifford Davis
Tara:
I am a firm believer in celebrating lesser -known world cuisines. So thank you for this beautiful introduction to the foods of Indonesia. This book will be in my Christmas list!.
–Clifford, Virginia USA