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Seblak
Soaked crackers in spicy broth
Seblak: soaked crackers stir-fried soft and chewy with garlic, kencur, chilli and scrambled egg
Seblak came from Bandung, but it now fills countless warung stalls in Jakarta, from the lanes behind Blok M to the campuses of Depok, where students order it in the evening by spice level. Raw, dried kerupuk crackers are soaked until bendy, then cooked in a fiery paste of garlic, shallot, chilli and kencur (aromatic ginger) with scrambled egg and greens, until they turn chewy, slurpy and saucy. This is the simple egg-and-vegetable version; stalls add meatballs or sausage on request. Choose plain garlic or tapioca kerupuk (kerupuk bawang or kerupuk aci) and check the packet, as many crackers contain shrimp or fish. Chef's tip: kencur gives seblak its sharp, camphor-like fragrance; use 2 cm of fresh root, or 1 tsp of kencur powder.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the paste
- 3 shallots
- 4 red bird's-eye chilliesuse 1–2 for medium heat
- ¾ in fresh kencur (aromatic ginger)or 1 tsp kencur powder
For the seblak
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 3 ½ oz cabbageshredded
- 3 ½ oz choy sum or mustard greenscut into 4 cm lengths
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 spring onionsliced
- 2 lime wedges (optional)to serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ oz raw dried kerupuk (plain garlic or tapioca crackers) in a bowl, cover with just-boiled water and soak for 10–15 minutes, until soft and bendy all the way through, then drain.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile, pound or blend 3 garlic cloves, 3 shallots, 4 red bird's-eye chillies and ¾ in fresh kencur (aromatic ginger) to a coarse paste.
5 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat and fry the paste for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it smells fragrant and no longer raw and the oil turns red.
3 minStep 4: Push the paste to one side, crack in 2 eggs and scramble them until fully set, then stir into the paste.
2 minStep 5: Add 3 ½ oz cabbage, 3 ½ oz choy sum or mustard greens, the drained crackers and 1 cup water. Season with 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and ½ tsp salt and simmer, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, until the crackers are chewy and glossy and the sauce has thickened. Common mistake: under-soaking the crackers; they stay hard in the middle and never turn chewy.
5 minStep 6: Scatter with 1 spring onion and serve hot in bowls, with 2 lime wedges for squeezing. Eat straight away, before the crackers go soft and pasty.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does seblak take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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