Question for Indonesians

[Satellite]

What is authentic tahu telor?

ie Is it suppose to come with soy sauce or peanut sauce?

Did a google search but could not find the answer. Not on wikepedia even!

[nev]

The sauce is always a combination of both: peanut and (sweet) soy. Spices are pre-mixed into the peanut sauce. Soy sauce (kecap manis) is added just before serving.

[Satellite]

Thanks but would the taste be primarily of soy sauce or peanut sauce?

[nev]

A good tahu telor sauce should have a good balance of peanut and soy flavors. There shouldn't be a dominant flavor.

[nev]

Here's a good recipe for the sauce (translated from Indonesian), from the current President's own cook:

Bahan - bahan untuk Tahu Telur
- 5 hard tofu blocks, cubed
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 cabbage leaves
- 3 stalks local celery
- 1 handful roasted peanuts
- salt to taste
- frying oil

Sauce:
- 100g gula melaka (palm sugar), shave or chop into small pieces
- 10 tbsp weet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- 4 small lime (limau purut)
- 20 chilli padi (reduce if too spicy)
- 6 cloves garlic

Methods:
Omelette
1. Grind garlic to a paste, mix with eggs, salt, and tofu.
2. Heat oil in an omelette pan, add egg-tofu mixture and leave to cook in low heat.
3. Finely shred cabbage leaves and celery.
4. Chop roasted peanuts.
5. Put omelette on a plate, garnish with cabbage and celery, and the roasted peanuts.

Sauce:
1. Bring 100ml water to boil, add gula melaka, soy sauce, and juice from the limes.
2. Finely grind chilli and garlic, add into the sauce mixture and stir.
3. When the sauce slightly thickens, it is ready. Pour onto the omelette.

[Satellite]

Wow... I got more than I asked for! Thanks.

But it seems that the sauce is basically soy sauce and not peanut sauce (ie satay peanut sauce).

I ask because some indonesian restaurants I go, serve tahu telor with

1) soy sauce -my original thinking that this is authentic
2) Peanut sause (as in tahu goreng sauce or satay sauce ) - this just makes it a merger of tahu toler and tahu goreng to me and not tahu telor
3) Peanut sauce with crackers - this makes it gado gado to me.

Please correct me if I am wrong!

[nev]

Bear in mind that most Indonesian restaurants here are NOT authentic.

If the sauce is just soy sauce, it is not authentic. As I said: "A good tahu telor sauce should have a good balance of peanut and soy flavors. There shouldn't be a dominant flavor."

Crackers are usually used as garnish in authentic tahu telor.

[Satellite]

yes but it should not taste satay sauce-like, should it?

Just soy sauce-like with a bit of crunchiness due to the peanuts.

[Tas]

Great recipe and my stomach rolled over hungry BIG TIME, and good question. But Satellite I don't Nev could possible answer your question to satisfy you. Saying it is a balance between the two makes perfect sense to me. Soy sauce shouldn't be the dominant flavour, nor should peanuts, it's a blend so that you can taste each equally if you seek out the flavour. And if that recipe is anything to go by don't forget the lime impact.

[Satellite]

I know! It's always difficult for me to describe food.

But when I order something and something else arrives, (ie with satay-like peanut sauce instead of the one in the recipe that nev gave) it annoys the hell out of me. The one I want is light and goes well with rice but the satay like sauce thing is heavy and does not go well with rice but best eaten on its own.

It really is so annoying, I'm thinking of writing to the restaurants proclaiming to serve authentic tahu telor to inform them of misleading advertising! It really annoys me!

Anyway, yes.. I'm definitely going to try that recipe once I can tolerate the smells from cooking lingering around in the apt. (pregnancy issue - I don't throw up but just cant stand smells). For now, everyone is barred from cooking in my apt!

[baloo]

Just luvky they didn't say they had sold out of it yet still had it on the menu.....

[Satellite]

I'm going to try that again at Botak's just for the heck of it! Then I'd write to them too if it is consistantly not available !

[Lichtgestalt]

Note to self: Never do business with Satellite