← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 800 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
• 500 ml oil, for frying
• 4 tbsp Crispy fried shallots
• 2 tbsp Chinese celery leaves (or spring onion), finely chopped
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 2 Eggs, beaten, divided
• 150 g Minced beef, browned in a little oil (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the potato chunks for 12–15 min, turning, until golden outside and soft inside. Frying (rather than boiling) gives perkedel its nutty flavour. Lift out and keep the oil.
2. Mash the hot potatoes until smooth. Mix in the fried shallots, celery leaves, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, cornflour, half the beaten egg and the browned mince (if using).
3. With lightly oiled hands, shape into 12 flat ovals about 2 cm thick. Chill for 15 min so they hold their shape.
4. Reheat the oil over medium heat (about 2 cm deep). Dip each patty in the remaining beaten egg and fry for 2–3 min per side until golden with a lacy egg crust. Do not move them until the first side has set.
5. Drain on a rack and serve warm with soto ayam, sop buntut or rice and sambal.

Tips

• If the mix is too soft to shape, add another spoon of cornflour; cold patties are much easier to fry.
• The optional mince makes the classic meaty version, which is no longer vegetarian. Many crispy fried shallots are dusted with flour, so check if you need it gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

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