Indonesian Potato Omelette

Name: Indonesian Potato Omelette
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 200g potato, peeled; 3 eggs; 2 teaspoons cold water; 1 red shallot, finely sliced; 1 clove garlic, crushed; ½ teaspoon sambal oelek, plus extra for serving; ½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 small green onion, finely sliced on the diagonal; Coriander leaves, for garnishing (optional)

Omelettes are popular in Indonesia for breakfast, a light lunch, snack or part of any meal. Telur means ‘egg’ and dadar refers to an omelette or pancake. Kerak telor, a spicy omelette made with coconut and glutinous rice, is a specialty of the Betawi creole cuisine of Jakarta. Dadar telur Padang, from West Sumatra, is often made with duck eggs and also contains flour and/or baking powder, so it’s thicker and fluffier than other omelettes. My Indonesian potato omelette recipe is inspired by Sri Owen’s, which is in turn inspired by the telur she recalls her grandmother making in Sumatra. Sri says her grandmother often used freshly grated coconut as the filling and sometimes sweet potato, so feel free to experiment. Serve some acar, Indonesian pickles, alongside this telur dadar kentang if you like (see video below) and round out the meal with a glass of Dan Binet’s unusual Muscat Semillon from the Hunter Valley.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main meal with rice

Ingredients

200g potato, peeled
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cold water
1 red shallot, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon sambal oelek, plus extra for serving
½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small green onion, finely sliced on the diagonal
Coriander leaves, for garnishing (optional)

Method

Cut potato into a small dice of 5–10mm.
Place in a saucepan of well-salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes or so until almost tender. Tip into a colander and set aside to drain well.
Whisk eggs and water together very well in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Heat a wok or frying pan over medium–high heat.
When ready to cook, whisk shallot, garlic, sambal and salt into the eggs then gently stir in potato.
Add oil to the pan and tilt to coat the base and sides.
Pour in egg mixture, reduce heat to medium and spread out the filling as evenly as possible.
Cook for about 2 minutes, until the base is well-coloured, then turn it over; I find this easiest to do by covering the pan with a plate, tipping the omelette onto it then sliding it back into the pan, raw side down.
Reduce heat to low and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, until completely set and well coloured.
Take out of the pan and cut into wedges.
Serve hot or at room temperature garnished with green onion and coriander (if using), with sambal on the side.