Recipe: Sauerkraut Pie with Indonesian Minced Meat
Yet another book about healthy eating?! Yes, but wait. This isn’t a diet book, and it won’t give you a so-called ‘glow’ either. Insane is an honest story about an achievable, diverse and balanced eating pattern. Author Vanja van der Leeden shows, with the necessary self-mockery and perspective, how she found balance in her eating habits. In Insane, she shows what she generally eats at home. And this sauerkraut pie with Indonesian minced meat is part of that.
Vanja: ‘My mother used to make this wonderfully moist Indonesian meatloaf with mashed potatoes mixed in – perkedel pan. The whole house would start smelling of it, and I would pace back and forth in front of the oven like a wagging dog. You’ll want to slide this steaming hot dish of comfort food straight down your gullet. I combine the meatloaf with sauerkraut and turn it into a kind of pie. Because of the sourness of the sauerkraut, I choose a fattier half-and-half minced meat mixture. Beef mince works too, of course, though it will be a little drier.’
How to make sauerkraut pie with Indonesian minced meat
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
- Peel the potatoes and boil them in lightly salted water until tender, about 25 minutes.
- Mash them roughly and leave to cool. Take the minced meat out of the refrigerator in good time. Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Grind the cumin seeds and coriander seeds finely in a mortar. Add them to the minced meat along with the freshly grated nutmeg, egg, salt and 1 tablespoon of kecap. I always taste a little raw to check the seasoning. If you’d rather not do that, cook a small pinch of minced meat in a pan and taste it.
- Put the sauerkraut in a pan with the orange juice, star anise, cloves, 1 tablespoon of kecap and the ghee (or butter). Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Spoon the sauerkraut into an oven dish.
- Mix the mashed potatoes into the minced meat. Spread the meat mixture over the sauerkraut. Mix the grated coconut with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the meat. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until cooked through. Turn on the grill for the final 10 minutes so a crust can form.
- Serve with sambal bajak and a fresh green salad.
Title: Insane
Author: Vanja van der Leeden
Price: €34,99
Publisher: Nijgh & van Ditmar
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