Chef Joost
Acar Ketimun (Indo-Dutch Cucumber Pickle)
Acar means pickle, ketimun means cucumber, and this little bowl of sweet vinegar, chilli, and crunch is the cool note that lets an Indo-Dutch rijsttafel keep its balance.
Culinary Explorer
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Perkedel Kentang (Indo-Dutch Potato Fritters)
Created by
The Dutch frikadel went east, learned potato, shallot, and nutmeg, and came home as perkedel kentang: crisp-edged, tender-hearted proof that history can fit on a side plate.
Side Dishes
Dutch
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Potluck
25 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr total
Yield16 small fritters
The name already tells you there has been travel. Perkedel is the Indonesian mouth making sense of the Dutch frikadel, once a little fried patty of minced meat, then carried into the kitchens of the Indies and taught a new grammar: kentang, potato, shallot, white pepper, nutmeg, egg. History and cookery, they cannot be separated, however inconvenient this is for people who like their side dishes innocent.
But let me tell you a secret. The Indo-Dutch table is not a footnote to Dutch cooking; it is one of the places where Dutch food learned to admit what it had already become. Nutmeg was never only for speculaas or hachee. It crossed the same waters as ledgers, sailors, cooks, and homesick appetites, and in perkedel kentang it warms mashed potato so quietly that you miss it only when it isn't there.
This is humble food with dinner-party manners. The potatoes must be fried or steamed dry before mashing, because wet potato collapses in hot oil and then blames you for it. Fried shallots bring sweetness, egg brings structure, and a quick dip in beaten egg gives the outside its golden skin. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple: shape small patties, chill them if the kitchen is warm, and fry without fuss until they hold their own at the table.
Perkedel is widely understood as an Indonesian adaptation of the Dutch frikadel, a fried patty known in the Netherlands and carried to the Dutch East Indies during the colonial period. In Indonesia the dish shifted toward potato, often with fried shallot, white pepper, nutmeg, and sometimes minced meat, becoming a regular companion to rice meals, soto, and festive spreads. Its survival on the Indo-Dutch table shows how colonial dishes did not simply return unchanged; they came back bearing the taste of the kitchens that had remade them.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
floury potatoes
Quantity
800g
peeled and cut into large chunks
neutral oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons, plus more for frying
shallots
Quantity
4
thinly sliced
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
finely grated
spring onions
Quantity
2
finely sliced
celery leaf or flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
finely chopped
fine salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
ground white pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
eggs
Quantity
2
divided
plain flour or potato starch (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
only if needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| floury potatoespeeled and cut into large chunks | 800g |
| neutral oil | 3 tablespoons, plus more for frying |
| shallotsthinly sliced | 4 |
| garlic clovesfinely grated | 2 |
| spring onionsfinely sliced | 2 |
| celery leaf or flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 2 tablespoons |
| fine salt | 1 teaspoon |
| ground white pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| freshly grated nutmeg | 1/4 teaspoon |
| eggsdivided | 2 |
| plain flour or potato starch (optional)only if needed | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Steamer basket or large saucepan
- •Potato masher
- •Heavy frying pan
- •Slotted spoon
Instructions
- 1
Dry the potatoes
Steam the potatoes until tender, about 18 to 22 minutes, then spread them on a tray for five minutes so their surface moisture escapes. Mash them while still warm until mostly smooth. If you boil them instead, drain them very well and let them sit uncovered in the hot pan for a minute; perkedel forgives many things, but watery potato is not one of them.
- 2
Fry the shallots
Warm 3 tablespoons oil in a small pan over medium heat and fry the sliced shallots until golden and crisp at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain. Stir the grated garlic into the hot shallot oil for 20 seconds, just until fragrant, then scrape that oil and garlic into the mashed potato.
- 3
Season the mash
Crumble the fried shallots into the potato, then add the spring onions, celery leaf, salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and 1 beaten egg. Mix gently but thoroughly. The mixture should hold when pressed in your palm; if it feels slack, add 1 tablespoon flour or potato starch and let it stand for five minutes.
Fresh nutmeg matters here. The pre-ground jar tastes dusty beside the warm, resinous scrape of a whole nutmeg, and this dish is small enough that every spice has to pull its weight. - 4
Shape the patties
Shape the mixture into 16 small patties, each about 5 centimetres wide and 2 centimetres thick. Set them on a plate and chill for 15 minutes if the room is warm or the mixture feels soft. This little rest is not ceremony; it helps the egg bind and keeps the patties from sighing apart in the oil.
- 5
Dip in egg
Beat the remaining egg in a shallow bowl. Dip each patty quickly into the egg, coating both sides and letting the excess drip away. You are not breading them. The egg is a thin skin, enough to turn gold and protect the soft potato inside.
- 6
Fry until golden
Pour neutral oil into a heavy frying pan to a depth of about 1 centimetre and heat over medium-high heat. Fry the patties in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden with crisp edges. Keep the oil lively but not angry; if the patties darken before they firm, lower the heat. Drain on paper towel and serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef Tips
- •Use floury potatoes, not waxy ones. You want a mash that dries and binds, not a salad potato that stays slippery under the fork.
- •Perkedel kentang can take a little cooked minced beef if your family version expects it. Keep it modest, about 100g browned and cooled, because the potato is the point.
- •Serve with sambal, ketjap manis, or a sharp cucumber pickle. The fritter is rich and soft inside, so it likes something bright beside it.
Advance Preparation
- •Shape the patties up to one day ahead and refrigerate them covered; dip in egg only just before frying.
- •Cooked perkedel keep for two days refrigerated and reheat best in a dry frying pan or hot oven, not the microwave, which softens the crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 55g)
Calories
100 calories
Total Fat
6 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
25 mg
Sodium
160 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
2 g
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