Nasi and Jopen Gerstenbier: the ultimate match

Cooking Indonesian tonight? Chances are you’ll have a Bintang or another pilsner with it. After all, there are few combinations as good as nasi with a beer on the side. But is Bintang really the best choice, or is another beer even better with it? Find out with Bier Butler: the app for à la minute beer advice.

Before we continue with that ultimate beer-and-food match, I want to talk about that nasi for a moment. As it happens, the FavorFlav editorial team recently created its first cookbook, titled The 100 Best Dishes You Must Have Eaten. In it, you’ll find – yes indeed – the ultimate recipe for nasi goreng.

Base genep

Although, of course, there is no such thing as the ultimate nasi goreng recipe. There are more variations than Indonesia has islands – and there are 14,572 of those – and that’s without even mentioning the Surinamese or Chinese versions. Still, like many others, I claim to have a top recipe in my hands. The secret? The boemboe is based on base genep, a Balinese spice mixture that provides that fresh and typically Balinese flavor. You’ll love it!

The ultimate beer-and-food match

Pairing beer with good, delicious food is on the rise. For example, have you already heard of the recently opened Bar Alt? The men behind this establishment, familiar faces in Amsterdam’s culinary scene, combine fine dining with specialty beers. With the Bier Butler app, you can do the same at home. All you have to do is enter what you’re going to cook, and the app does the rest. The app can be downloaded from the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android).

A light body and wonderfully fresh

The beer suggestion for nasi goreng is Jopen Gerstenbier: a top-fermented beer brewed around 1900 as a counterpart to the rapidly advancing pilsners. Because of top fermentation – the fermentation process takes place at a relatively high temperature – the beer has a more complex flavor. This Gerstenbier is low in alcohol (4.5%), has a light body and is especially deliciously fresh. In short: the perfect match for the fresh flavors of lemongrass, turmeric and kaffir lime.

Method

1. Cook the rice according to the package instructions in salted water until al dente. It’s best to do this a day in advance, but if that doesn’t work, spread the rice over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper after draining and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, soak the ebi in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Remove the outer tough leaves from the lemongrass and finely chop the white parts. Drain the ebi. In a mortar, grind the ebi, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, rawits, turmeric, candlenuts, palm sugar, peanuts, coriander seeds and trassi into a coarse boemboe.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a wok over medium heat. Stir-fry the boemboe together with the lime leaves and Chinese cabbage for about 5 minutes, until the aromas are released and the cabbage has wilted. Turn the heat up high, add the cooked rice and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Remove the kaffir lime leaves and season with ketjap. Serve the nasi goreng with the cucumber, tomato, emping and fried onions.

Serving tips

Egg: heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Beat 2 eggs and cook an omelet in 4 minutes. Cut the omelet into fine strips and add them at the same time as the rice.

Chicken: finely chop 350 g chicken thigh fillets. Fry the chicken in 3 tbsp sunflower oil over high heat for about 5 minutes, until cooked through. Add the boemboe and resume the recipe.