Fall has started way too soon for me. We didn’t have much of a summer and I was hoping for some warmth in September. Alas, it looks like that is not going to happen. Now don’t get me wrong, I do love all seasons and especially Fall. I love the changing colors, the fact that it gets dark sooner isn’t such a bad thing as you can light candles to make it all cozy and you can snuggle up under a blanket. Well, I do need more than a blanket… warm pants, stick jumper and woolen socks is more like it.

Comfort food

And when it’s cold, windy and wet outside, there is one more thing I love about the colder seasons besides the candles, blankets and coziness inside: soul warming comfort food. And the best comfort feed? Stews! And if you add a bit of spicy kick, that will definitely get your insides all hot and cozy.

Indonesian stews

We are a big fan of Indonesian food, especially the pork and beef stews. They are so tasty and the house smells delicious when you got a stew going on the stove. All those fragrant spices, infused in slow cooked meat, vegetables and sauce. That, is the ultimate comfort food. The probably most famous stew in the Indonesian cuisine, is Rendang. Some refer to it as curry, but that is not exactly true. Where a curry often has a lot of sauce, a traditional Rendang is fairly dry. The cooking method was actually used to preserve meat in the hot and humid climate.

Babi Merah

Now this Babi Merah is more like a curry. It’s slow cooked pork in a spicy coconut sauce. Originally, you would need at least 6 Lombok chili peppers, but our youngest really doesn’t like very spicy food, so I ‘softened’ the recipe and used a little bit of Sambal Manis, a milder but very flavorsome chili paste. And that is one of the fun parts of these stews: you can totally customize them to your own taste. Or swap out ingredients based on what you have in your cupboard, spice cabinet or fridge. So this may not be the original recipe, but it’s how we like it and it definitely is worth a try. And: it’s super easy!

Ingredients

• 2 shallots (or 1 onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Laos (Galangal powder)
• 1 tsp Sereh (lemongrass powder)
• 1 tsp Trassi (Belachan) powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp Sambal manis (or other type of chili paste)
• 500 g pork stewing meat (f.e. shoulder cut)
• 500 ml coconut milk (preferably from a can)

Directions

Finely chop the shallots. Heat a bit of oil and fry them together with the spices, garlic and sambal for a couple of minutes.

Add the meat and sear the sides a little bit.

Add the coconut milk and stir well.

Bring to a soft boil and and let it simmer (covered and stirring occasionally) until the meat is melt-in your-mouth tender, about 2-3 hours.

Serve with rice, Atjar (pickled cabbage) and Krupuk (prawn crackers).

This is such a delicious stew. Only downside: as the house starts to smell so good, right from the start, you’ll end up being hungry for 2 to 3 hours. Maybe I’ll use the slow cooker next time and simply leave the house until it’s done 😉

Enjoy!

Love Asian food? Maybe you’ll also love the Korean Beef or this Nasi Goreng.

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Babi Merah - Pork in Spicy Coconut Sauce

Servings 4 servings

Author Nicole

Ingredients

• 2 shallots (or 1 onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Laos (Galangal powder)
• 1 tsp Sereh (lemongrass powder)
• 1 tsp Trassi (Belachan) powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp Sambal manis (or other type of chili paste)
• 500 g pork stewing meat (f.e. shoulder cut)
• 500 ml coconut milk (preferably from a can)

Instructions

1. Finely chop the shallots.
   

2. Heat a bit of oil and fry them together with the spices, garlic and sambal for a couple of minutes.

3. Add the meat and sear the sides a little bit.

4. Add the coconut milk and stir well.

5. Bring to a soft boil and and let it simmer (covered and stirring occasionally) until the meat is melt-in your-mouth tender, about 2-3 hours.

6. Serve with rice, Atjar (pickled cabbage) and Krupuk (prawn crackers).