Divine! Ron Blaauw’s new Gold Edition box: an authentic Indonesian four-course menu for home
After the incredible success of the Rijsttafel at Home, Ron Blaauw is keeping the momentum going and launching the Gold Edition box. And he nailed it again, because this is unbelievably good once again!
If anything has really taken off over the past corona year, it’s meal boxes for home. By now, we’ve tried many different boxes, from fairly simple ones (not in terms of flavor, but in terms of preparation) to boxes where it’s useful to know your way around the kitchen. Ron Blaauw’s Rijsttafel at Home (still available to order, by the way) falls into the first category, and we enjoyed it so much that we couldn’t wait to try his new box too.
This new Gold Edition box was launched especially for the festive season and is filled with an authentic Indonesian four-course menu, specially created and prepared by Indonesian chef Agus Hermawan. The Gold Edition box comes in three varieties: meat, fish and vegetarian. We chose the fish version. We receive a text message when the box is delivered, and right on time the doorbell rings.
Easy does it
Just like with the rijsttafel box, there’s a QR code on the side of the box. When you scan it, you get a very clear and simple description of the menu you ordered. Scanning the QR code isn’t necessary, though, because the box itself also contains instructions and preparation directions. As for the latter: Ron Gastrobar at home’s menu boxes, as they’re officially called, aren’t difficult DIY kits, but very easy menu boxes for home. Some dishes only need to be warmed up. Everything is numbered and comes in different colors, and the toppings are numbered too, referring to the corresponding dishes. It really is that simple.
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- Taco ikan pepesan
For fish lovers
The box contains five different dishes: Peralatan makan (prawn crackers and emping with peanut dip), Taco ikan pepesan (taco with mackerel and curry mayonnaise), Ikan dabu (tuna tartare with emping and miso mayonnaise), Udang peteh (prawns with peteh sauce, pak choi and bami goreng jawa) and dessert: Kacang besar (giant peanut made of chocolate mousse with caramel sauce).
We start with the mackerel-filled taco. And it really is as simple as it sounds: in four lightning-fast steps, you’ll have a fantastic little dish on the table:
- Remove the foil from the container (number 2);
- If you have an empty egg carton, place the tacos in it;
- Fill the taco first with the sweet-and-sour vegetables and then with the mackerel salad;
- Finish the taco with the curry mayonnaise (number 2a) and kataifi crumble (number 2b);
Tip: The taco is delicious cold, but the mackerel salad can also be warmed briefly in a pan before going into the taco. We eat it cold, and it’s an incredibly tasty taco: crunchy on the outside, with a wonderfully soft texture from the mackerel salad and a fresh bite from the sweet-and-sour vegetables. The curry mayo is very subtle, and the kataifi (crispy, wafer-thin pastry strands reminiscent of angel hair) finishes it off perfectly. What a fantastic little dish!
Tuna tartare with miso mayonnaise
We’re really looking forward to the next dish: tuna tartare with emping and miso mayonnaise. Emping, this quintessential Indonesian snack, is also included in the rijsttafel package and is truly unrivaled. Even people who normally shudder at emping enjoy Ron Blaauw’s emping—which says something, of course (a lot!). That’s because this emping is less bitter than the factory-made kind, and also a little saltier. Emping is made from almost-ripe, peeled melinjo nuts, which are flattened with a special hammer and then dried in the sun before being fried in oil.
The tuna tartare is once again very easy to prepare. Simply mix the fresh raw tuna, already cut into very small cubes, with the soy tapioca (soy-flavored pearls made from dried cassava root) and spring onion. Arrange it on a plate like a tartare, drizzle with the miso mayonnaise and sprinkle with the emping crumble. Once again, this is an incredibly delicious dish. Subtle, refined, and what’s especially enjoyable—in addition to the lovely flavor—is the mouthfeel. With every bite, you get something soft (the tuna and miso mayo), something salty (the soy tapioca) and something crunchy (the emping crumble).
Whoa, spicy!
The third dish is spicy: prawns with peteh sauce, pak choi and bami goreng jawa. You can either warm the bami briefly in the oven (just put the box and everything straight into the oven) or stir-fry it in the wok. We chose the latter. We warm the prawns in the oven. This dish really makes us sweat! Not because of the preparation—that’s dead easy again—but because of the dish’s spiciness! That comes from the bami, which contains lots of chilies, both finely chopped and cut into little rings—we fish a few out while eating. Aside from being seriously spicy, it’s also seriously delicious!
Giant peanut
We cool down after the prawns with a stunning chocolate mousse shaped like a giant peanut, and look at each other, sweaty but satisfied. What a treat! On the table in no time, the kitchen clean again in no time, and we decide: next week we’ll order the vegetarian Gold Edition box!
Want a Gold Edition box at home too?
Great idea! It contains truly special dishes that are just a little more spiced and a little more special than when you simply order Indonesian food from the toko to enjoy at home. An extra plus is that it’s genuinely easy for everyone to prepare and is on the table in no time. For 2 people
you pay €85, regardless of which of the three (meat, fish, vegetarian) you order. We only tried the fish version, but we’d bet our tongues on it: all three boxes are delicious! You can order here. Selamat Makan!
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