Homely Dish: East Javanese Tahu Telor with Peanut Sauce

Homemade Tahu Telor

Memories get the best of me. You will see me lingering on this topic for the next couple of posts :)

As a foreign student in a foreign country, it struck me as natural when I crave traditional dishes originated in my hometown, Surabaya. As the second biggest city in Indonesia, Surabaya is the center of most activities in East Java. Including the so-called traditional street foods. It is very usual to see food carts carried around your neighbourhood back home. You can get a variety of foods from appetizing rujak (Indonesian type of salad with thick peanut or shrimp paste sauce) to pipping hot meatball soup.

One of my favourite street dishes is called "tahu telor". It can be literally translated into English as "omelette with tofu", but this translation does not suffice. You've got to TRY it yourself! This tahu telor dish is nicely accompanied with savoury peanut sauce and a side dish of boiled bean sprouts. You'll find out how easy to prepare it in a minute!

Before that, I want to tell you which tahu telor seller is my favorite. It all began when we were travelling to the mountainous part of East Java, Batu, Malang. We had a really good time in our resort and when dinner time came, my dad would drive our car and head out for some local dishes. There was (and still is, I hope!) a renowned tahu telor seller somewhere at the downtown of Malang where other small restaurants (a.k.a "warung" or "depot") are located. Surprisingly enough, this movable tahu telor cart own by a middle-aged woman, has such an obscure location, in between small restaurants. In other words, it's operating on a very small street where only pedestrians can fit. Nonetheless, even the mayor of Malang would drop by there when it comes to tahu telor :)

This particular tahu telor has a very tasty peanut sauce that I can't quite immitate. The fluffy omelette is made fresh on order. The way she prepares it, has something special too. All the more after I heard from my dad that the tahu telor seller was normally the husband of the woman. After the death of her husband, she continues his legacy and makes it even more famous. This meagre activity is also her family's source of income. The sincerity and passion of the cook surely reflects on the food s/he prepares.

Thanks to my very knowledgable dad, I had the chance, not once but twice, to try this superb tahu telor! You will be surprised how simple this can be prepared at your very kitchen. In order for you to try, I have included a recipe adapted from Dapur Mbakyu (literally translated as "The Lady's Kitchen") that has been tried and proven to be a favourite (especially by Mr. W). The original recipe suggested petis udang (dried shrimp paste), but not being a fan of petis, I omitted it. Besides, I don't have it handy in the kitchen.

Tahu Telor with Peanut Sauce

Peanut Sauce

150 gr roasted unsalted peanuts
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 T dark brown sugar
3 T sweet soya sauce plus to taste
juice from half of lime
water, add enough until you get the right consistency
salt, to taste

Direction:
01. Saute garlic and cloves in a little oil until they are soft, not browned.
02. Combine all of the ingredients except the water into a food processor or blender. Add a little bit of water, around 1 cup. Puree until smooth. You would want to adjust the consistency by adding water until you get a slightly thin but not watery sauce. Kind of like the consistency of a caesar salad dressing. As you add water, you would want to maintain the taste by adding sweet soya sauce and a bit of salt.

Tahu Telor
1 to 2 eggs, beaten until bubbly
salt and white pepper, to taste
1 to 2 slices of firm white tofu, cubed
1 T olive oil*

Direction:
01. Heat the oil, then pour the egg and tofu mixture.
02. Cook until the side is browned, then flip! (I can't do the flipping part perfectly)

03. Serve with steamed rice and parboiled bean sprouts on the side :)

*) This amount of oil is what makes the omelette fluff up :)

This is so yummy and brings back my thoughts to that adventurous holiday back home :)