Lula Jakarta
Don’t you think this recipe sounds sweet: Lula Jakarta. A dish from the capital of Indonesia. In Beb Vuyk’s cook book doesn’t explain why this dish is called Lula Jakarta. Online I find several Lula Jakarta dishes, all with the same ingredients. Enak!
Lula Jakarta is a perfect alternative for rendang. Lula Jakarta is made with mutton and coconut milk. It’s not spicy. A Lula Jakarta is ready in a flash (especially when you uselamb). It is tender and creamy like a rendang, but perhaps even better ;-).
This dish is ready in half an hour and enough for 2-3 persons.
Lula Jakarta (#177 ) from Beb Vuyk’s Groot Indonesisch Kookboek, page 171.
Ingredients
1/2 kg of tender mutton
1/4 block of santen (coconut cream)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons of coconut flour (grinded coconut)
1/4 l of water
Herbs
1 tablespoon of chopped onions
1 teaspoon of coriander
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of terasi
1 teaspoon of Javanese sugar
1 salam leaf
pepper
salt
Cut the meat into cubes. Dissolve the santen with 5 tablespoons of warm water. Rub onions, coriander, cumin, terasi, sugar, salt and pepper together. Mix the diced meat through the coconut flour and knead it through. Sauté this in the butter, then add the dissolved santen and the salam leaf and let it simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Mutton is not easy to buy in Holland. Lamb is. I buy some at my Islamic butcher.
Salam leaf is Asian bay leaf. I buy some at my Asian food shop. If it is hard to come by, just use regular bay leaf. Terasi or trassi is strong scented shrimp paste. It is used in Indonesian and Thai cuisine as well. It is amazing with meat and vegetables.
I rub my vegetables with my mortar. You can also use a blender. Then I mix them with the coconut flour (or coconut flakes) and scoop it through the meat. It smells amazing.
But when is your Lula Jakarta done? Beb Vuyk doesn’t say anything in her recipe. After about 15 minutes I check it. Normally lamb from my butcher needs about 20 minutes. It should be tender, juicy and not overcooked at all. Be precise! If you are not sure; leave your dish to cool for a minute or 20. The meat gets time to rest and will be even more tender.
This recipe is very tasty in springtime with a pickled cucumber salad or as Christmas dish, to get warm.
