Saturday, September 27, 2008

Roti Jala & Kari Kambing / Laced Crepe with Goat Curry

I couldn't even begin to describe the love I have for Roti Jala and Kari Kambing. I could eat them til I get sick. Ew, I know. But it's just so deliciousss!! Vik got the first taste of this in Penang, Malaysia. My aunt got some of this one night, meant to be shared by the FIVE OF US along with other goodies she bought. But once Vik digged to this dish, he literally pushed all other dishes away and 'inhale' it all by himself. Then of course, my mom had to make a batch of this for him when we visited my parents.

That was the point when I sort of thought I needed to get me this cup thing to make the crepe. The two kinds my mom have are pretty old..OLD as in ANCIENT from my greatgrandma! I almost had to take one of those with me, which I would hate, because it only has 3 prongs and takes many moons to get a plate done with 3 prongs. We forgot to buy it and were scheduled to be in airport by 7 am next morning. But the nature of Asian living ya know, we love sharing things with neighbors. Parents' neighbor also happen to be a great cook and has the best collection of herbs in their yard (I hope my dad never reads this blog - for he thinks his garden is the best in the entire county!!). So anyway, Mrs.Neighbor ran to her kitchen and came out with the 'newer and 5 prongs' one and just gave it to me.

My grandma made this quite often when we grew up. I'd carefully peel open the nicely folded up crepe and pour the curry on it. :D She was not very happy about it, but..eh..I just loved to inspect her handwork. That's a degree of appreciation, right? This crepe business, it will take some practice to get it right. Almost like crepe. Just twice trickier, with having to move very flowingly and steady, but also to make the netting pattern too. But oh so fun. Just think of it as very tiny and thin funnel cake.

These crepes, is best (to my opinion) paired with goat curry. Oooohhh!!! But chicken curry works just fine too. Or, it can be made just with potatoes for vegetarian curry.

In the nutshell, it's everyday meal - curry is not a fancy dish by any means. However when served with roti jala, mmhh..it turns into such a special treat! Roti can be folded to triangles or rolled up like rolls. We often did it in triangles, our neighbors' did hers in rolls. I can't decide which one I like better so I just pretend it's origami on hot pan. ;)

Crepe
What:
- 200 gr flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 600 cc thin coconut milk
- 1 tsp melted butter

How:
- Whisk together all ingredients.
- Heat pan, scoop batter with cup and start the flowing drizzling process to make the lace, by moving hands sideways, circular and back and forth.
- It will only take a minute or two to get it cooked through, it should has slight nice golden brown color. Gently fold crepe to triangular, by folding to half and another half. Or roll it, by bringing side to the center, edges touching and roll up.

Curry
What:
- 500 gr goat meat, cut to chunks (boned in version will be much much better! :)
- 2 cardamom
- 2" cinnamon stick
- 1" galangal
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 2 bayleaf
- 2 star anises
- 1 pandan leave, make into a knot
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 3 tbsp shredded coconut, pan fry until golden brown and grind to medium coarse texture
- 350 cc coconut milk (150 cc thick + 200 cc thin)
- 1 medium size potato, cut to chunks

Grind to paste:
- 5 red chillies
- 5 shallots
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 candlenuts
- 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- pepper and salt

How:
- Heat a little oil in pot. Drop meats to pan, searing just to brown the oustide of meats. Once browned, remove from pot and set aside.
- Toss in spice paste to pot. Fry for couple minutes, scraping all the browned bits. Add in the rest of ingredients (except coconut milk, meat and potatoes). Fry for another minute.
- Pour in the thick coconut milk, stir and mix with spices.
- Put back meat to the pot. Mix thoroughly with gravy.
- Pour the rest of coconut milk to pot. Lower the heat to medium low. Simmer for about 45 min. to 1 hour. Stir occasionaly.
- Toss in potatoes and let cook for another 15 minutes. Meat should be fork tender.


With the amount of coconut being used, it's only right that I submit this recipe to Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks. The host this month - with secret ingredient 'Coconut' is Ivy of Precious Pea.

31 comments:

Dewi said...

Cecil,
I shyly admit that I never had and saw this even when I was in Indonesia. Sounds pretty intriguing, might try it one day.

Erica said...

gorgeous! I think its fabulous that you're a designer! Do you love it? I also love that you dance, what kind?

CECIL said...

Elra: You know what..now that you just said that, I don't think I've ever seen Roti Jala anywhere in Indonesia outside Medan.

Erica: Thanks! Yeap, I love designing :D Though there was (still is) tiny part of me that wishes I am somewhat a dancer or ballerina (wishful thinking!!). Right now, I am doing Tango.

Hopie said...

That looks absolutely delicious! I love curry and those lace-crepes look like a wonderful accompaniment. Thanks for stopping by my blog :-)

Adam said...

Oh man, I love crepes. I saw you used coconut milk! What a great idea with the curry. I'd push away the other plates too :)

Natalie Que said...

They're just beautiful! I'm sure I would eat this until I was sick too, for sure!

Wandering Chopsticks said...

Your roti jala looks gorgeous. I was positively salivating over the photos and was so happy at the end when I saw you submitted this to Weekend Wokking. Yay! Yay again! :)

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Would it be rude to invite myself over at your house to eat that? My mouth is seriosly watering! I love those crepes!

Prudy said...

That is so gorgeous and delicate looking. I'd just love to give it a try. Wish you were next door so I could pop by for a taste!

Anonymous said...

Ah.. you did make curry-- How did it come out? By the looks of it delish.. am I right? What a nice mashup , crepes and curry- Roti Jala - lacy pancakes... yum

CECIL said...

Hopie: Thanks!! And thank you for visiting me back.

Adam: Haha! Thank you! But yeah, it's really just like any regular crepe, only it uses coconut milk.

HotGarlic: Heehee..thanks! This is one of very few dishes that I stuff myself silly. Like, I'd literally feel tired after eating!! So bad!

WC: Thank you!! This - WeekendWokking - is my first food event! I am so excited.

ClumbsyCookie: It is only rude if you come without bringing all your beautiful baked goods! I love your creative baking.

Prudy: Right back at ya. I'd love to be able to pop in to your kitchen too.

GirlJapan: Thanks! Curry is pretty ordinary - in Asian kitchen at least. But something about these pancakes, make the pairing a little bit special.

Anonymous said...

gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!! This is culinary art hehe ...

Unknown said...

wowwww super kerennnnnn!!!! wahhhh salutttt pengen banget ikutan nyomot hehehe

joged dangdut yookkk

A.G said...

wah cucok ini utk menu Lebaran.. aku jg pernah bikin roti jala tp ndak pk cetakannya alias pk kantong plastik yg tak potong ujungnya lalu semprotin dah ke nonstick pan hehe :D...

CECIL said...

Noobcook: Haha! Thanks, once you are used with making it, it's more like kindergarten art class than culinary!

MC: Ada2 aja! Haha..Yuk yuk, joged2!

The Mediocre Cook said...

Those crepes look awesome! And that curry is making my mouth water... I'm really craving stews and curries at the moment.

Salt N Turmeric said...

Cecil, 5-prong roti jala mold? Now, thts new to me! lol.

Susan @ SGCC said...

What a gorgeous meal! Those crepes are so lovely! I have had curried goat in the Caribbean, but I've never seen it around here. I'll have to check around. Your post has made me want to try it again!

Snooky doodle said...

Wow really nice crepes :-)These are ideal for a romantic dinner

daphne said...

Gosh! I havent had roti jala for years and looking at your photos made me crave for some!

Maria said...

What an amazing dish you came up with! Looks so delicious! How fun that you design and dance. sounds like a fun life!

CECIL said...

A.G: Wah!! Jago banget pake plastik! Salut! Kmarin2 sblom punya corongnya ini, kepikir sih pake plastik. Tapi nga sabaran begini aku orangnya, kapan jadinya. Hihi.

MediocreCook: If you ever feel like trying, just lemme know. Will let you borrow the 'fancy' plastic mold! :)

Salt N Turmeric: I assume you usually use 3 prongs one? This 5 prongs one was new to me too. I have always seen 3 prongs one at home until not too long ago.

Stickygoey: Thanks!! I am not particular fond of goat meat, but I make an exception for curry. :)

SnookyDoodle: It can be messy meal, but romantic dinner can be relaxing, yeah? If I am not mistaken, goat meat is believed as aphrodisiac too!! ...I am just saying :)

Daphne: It's hard to come by, isnt it? Seems like only those who live in Msia/Indo/Singapore know of this dish.

CECIL said...

Maria: Thank you!! The dish itself is pretty simple, just time consuming. I just went back dancing not very long ago. It has been something I loved, but stopped during college years - when I learned to support myself and dance classes were just not an option. :)

Anonymous said...

wow! that looks so hard to make! i give you props! no wonder why you have a love hate relationship with it!!

Alexa said...

This sounds like an amazing combination, unlike anything I have ever had. I have eaten many different types of crepes but nothing like these. They are so pretty to look at. The curry looks delicious as well.

Indonesia Eats said...

I miss roti jala dand kari kambing deli, Medan. Yummyyyy

Once, I made roti jala, but I didn't have a tool like you have, so I used a plastic bag. It still turned out well.

Dee said...

Clever you :) I love roti jala but there's no way I could turn out such perfect looking crepes!

Dora said...

Looks yummy but i prefer chicken curry. ;)

LianneK said...

you dish makes me miss home :-(

TNS said...

this 1 looks like from Air Asia

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!