I make no claim of authenticity with this recipe.  It was created as a vehicle to combine five Indonesian recipes in one.  Indonesian meals often consist of a variety of small dishes while American families often prefer one big thing.  This is that thing.

1 cabbage

Vegetable oil

3 tomatoes

3 jalapenos

10 shallots

½ a lime

½ C peanuts

19 garlic cloves

3t sugar

½ lemon

2 T rice vinegar

½ C wine

3 carrots, shredded

1 stalk celery, minced

½ T sesame seeds

2 scallions, sliced

1 inch ginger, grated

1 ½ lb of Tempeh, or mixed ground beef and pork

5 curry leaves

2t tamarind paste

2t brown sugar

 

Plunge a whole cabbage into boiling water for 5-7 minutes until the leaves are pliable. Using thongs, remove the cabbage but leave the pot of water on the stove just in case. You don’t want to make the outer leaves mushy by overcooking, but sometimes the inner leaves need another plunge.

Under a broiler, brown tomatoes, one jalapeno and three shallots, turning occasionally, until black spots appear on all sides. Puree in a food processor with the juice and zest of one lime.  Season with salt and pour out into a bowl.

Warm a little vegetable oil in a saucepan.  Add three minced shallots and three garlic cloves to soften.  Add peanuts and one cup of water and simmer for 20 minutes.  Empty into the food processor.  Add a pinch of salt, one teaspoon of sugar and the juice of half a lemon and puree into a smooth paste. Set aside.

Clean out the saucepan and warm more oil, add one minced jalapeno, three minced shallots, three ground garlic cloves and cook until soft.  Add the rice vinegar, and cook for a minute until reduced.  Add wine and cook until reduced by half.  Add shredded carrots, one teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Turn out into a bowl and fold in sesame seeds.

To finish the sauce, warm a little more oil in a large frying pan and heat two minced shallots, one grated garlic clove, one minced celery stalk and soften.  Add tomato mixture, season to taste, add scallions and keep warm.

In the saucepan, heat one shallot, one chopped jalapeno, two grated garlic cloves and 1 inch of ginger, grated.  Add tempeh or ground meat and five curry leaves.  Cook until done.  Add tamarind paste, ¾ of the peanut sauce and brown sugar.

Carefully peel off each cabbage leaf and remove the core if tough.  Depending on the size of the leaf, place 1-2T of each of the meat mixture and carrot mixture on one side and wrap up into a neat little package.  Place in a baking dish.  Top with the tomato sauce and bake for a half an hour.  If peanut sauce is too thick thin it with a little water and drizzle over the rolls before serving.

Cooking time: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 4