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Bir pletok
Bir pletok: Betawi 'beer' without alcohol, a warm red brew of ginger, lemongrass, pandan and sappanwood
Bir pletok was the Betawi answer, in old Batavia, to the beer and wine drunk by the Dutch: a red, warming spice drink with no alcohol at all, served at weddings, at Lebaran open houses and in the evenings at Jakarta's Setu Babakan cultural village. 'Pletok' is said to be the popping sound it made when shaken in a bamboo tube to raise a foam. Ginger, lemongrass, pandan, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are simmered with chips of secang (sappanwood), which turns the liquid deep ruby. It tastes hot and peppery from the ginger, perfumed from the pandan, sweet and lightly woody, and is drunk warm or with ice. The common mistake is skimping on ginger or slicing it thin and boiling briefly; you need plenty, bruised, and a slow simmer to draw out the heat. It is ready when the liquid is a clear ruby red and the ginger burn catches at the back of your throat. Secang chips are in Indonesian shops; dried hibiscus flowers give a similar red, slightly sourer. Keeps 5 days in the fridge. Chef's tip: shake each serving hard in a closed jar before pouring to get the foamy head.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the spice brew
- 5 ½ oz fresh gingerunpeeled, washed
- 4 pandan leavesknotted; or 2 drops pandan extract
- 6 cloves
- 5 green cardamom podslightly crushed
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- ½ oz secang (sappanwood) chipsor 2 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers
- 6 ¼ cups water
To serve
- 12 ice cubes (optional)
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Toast 5 ½ oz fresh ginger over a gas flame or in a dry pan over medium-high heat, turning, until the skin chars in spots, then bash it flat with a pestle.
5 minStep 2: Bruise 3 lemongrass stalks along its length with the back of a knife and tie into a knot. Knot the 4 pandan leaves.
2 minStep 3: Put ginger, lemongrass, pandan, 6 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 green cardamom pods and ½ tsp black peppercorns in a pot with 6 ¼ cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
8 minStep 4: Turn the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the kitchen smells strongly of ginger and the water has reduced by about a fifth.
15 minStep 5: Add ½ oz secang (sappanwood) chips and simmer until the liquid turns deep ruby red.
5 minStep 7: Strain into a jug. Serve warm, or chill and pour over 12 ice cubes. Shake each serving in a closed jar first for a foamy top.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 100 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bir pletok take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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