Dish of Potato Tuturuga
(click to enlarge)

Potato Tuturuga


Sulawesi, Indonesia
makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-3/4 #
***
1-1/3 hrs
Yes		 A delicious potato stew, which can easily be vegetarian or not - light main or side with meat dishes.

1-1/4
2
1
2
2
1-1/2
--------
2
4
3
3/4
1-1/4
6
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1
1
ar
--------
5
#

c
T
T
T
---
oz
cl

in
in

---
T
t

---
oz
Potatoes (1)
Makrut Leaf (2)
Coconut Milk (3)
Lemon Basil (4)
Mint, fresh
Lime Juice
-- Bumbu Paste
Shallot
Garlic
Chilis, red (5)
Ginger
Turmeric (6)
Candlenuts (7)
----------
Oil
Salt
Water
-- Optional
Meats (8)
Bumbu Paste   -   (25 min)
  1. Chop SHALLOT medium. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Remove seed mass from CHILIS (leave in veins for some heat) and slice thin. Slice GINGER thin crosswise. Peel Turmeric and slice thin crosswise. Crush CANDLENUTS medium. Mix all.
  2. Run All Items in a food processor or similar, scraping down until you have an even paste (tiny bits of chili skin are fine). Add just enough water to get it processed (about 3 T).
Prep   -   (15 min)
  1. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch chunks. Hold in cold water until needed.
  2. Bruise MAKRUT LEAVES well so their flavor will be released.
  3. Chop BASIL and MINT fairly fine. Mix. Measures are after chopping, moderately packed.
  4. Squeese LIME JUICE.
Run   -   (40 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté (3 qt) or wok, heat Oil moderately hot. Stir in Bumbu Paste and fry stirring until aromatic, about 4 minutes. There should be no browning.
  2. Stir in Makrut Leaves, then drained Potatoes, Coconut Milk, Salt and just enough Water to cover Potatoes. Bring to a simmer and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
  3. Uncover and turn the heat up a bit. IF using: add cooked Meat. Continue to cook uncovered, regulating heat so you have a sauce consistency when Potatoes are tender.
  4. Let cool a minute, then stir in Basil mix and Lime Juice.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of steamed jasmine rice. It can accompany any meats or fish (if you skip including meat).
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      I prefer Red Potatoes, which cook tender quickly, though White Rose or similar can also be used. Red Potatoes may differ in other countries. Avoid "Yukon Gold" type potatoes which disintegrate to mush if cooked a little long. For details see our Potatoes page.

  2. Makrut Lime Leaf:

      [Kaffir Lime Leaf]   Unfortunately, there is no satisfactory substitute for these, but they are becoming quite available in Asian markets, at least here in Southern California. Grated zest of a regular lime is about as close as you can get. For details see our Makrut Lime page. The term "Kaffir" is being deprecated because it is derogatory British Empire slang for native peoples. "Makrut" is Thai.

  3. Coconut Milk:

      Unsweetened. Coconut milk from Thailand is excellent, some others are disappointing. Aroy-D is an excellent brand. A good quality Coconut Milk will have lots of heavy cream at the top. Shake well.

  4. Lemon Basil:

      A basil with light green leaves and a light, slightly lemony taste, from Thailand. It is sometimes sold as "Thai Basil" though that name belongs to Thai Purple Basil. In the photo example, regular Purple Basil was used, because that's what was available. For details see our Basil Page.

  5. Chilis, Red:

      Here in Southern California, the medium hot Red Chili used by all ethnicities is the Red Fresno. For details see our Southeast Asian Chilis page. This fine Chili is now invading Europe.

  6. Turmeric, fresh:

      These orange roots are available in Asian markets, and now some produce markets, at least here in Southern California. If you can't get fresh, use 1 teaspoon dry ground. For details see our Turmeric page.

  7. Candlenuts:

      If you don't have these, substitute 4 raw Macadamia Nuts or 5 raw Cashews, 9 raw Almonds, or 4 raw Brazil Nuts. For details see our Candlenut page.

  8. Meats

      IF used, these are best pre-cooked. The name "Tuturuga" means "Turtle" in Sulawesi, specifically Sea Turtle. That was originally the meat used in this recipe. Today, in most of the world, posession of Sea Turtle anything is highly illegal, so Chicken and Beef are used - but we Infidels can use Pork, which is certainly more suitable than Beef and closer to Turtle than Chicken is.

  9. Comments:

      Actually, barbarian that I am, I really enjoyed this dish folded into Swedish Lefse.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch ar=as required tt=to taste

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