"Sayur" means vegetables. "Lodeh" is the sauce - something which, in this favorite dish from Indonesia, demands coconut milk. At his restaurant Tuk Tuk, Christian Adelius cooks authentic Indonesian cuisine.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
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Video: Cooking step-by-step, Sayur Lodeh, Indonesia
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Christian Adelius: "In Indonesia, you eat the food lukewarm."
Christian AdeliusImage: Lena Ganssmann
When you meet Christian Adelius, who was born in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta, you quickly get the impression that for him, good food is everything. He has always loved to cook and eat.He spends his free time exploring his neighborhood restaurants, and at least once a year, he flies back to Indonesia for a visit. There, the engineering economist goes on a journey of discovery to find new recipes and ideas for dishes that he can serve his guests in Germany. Since 2012, Christian Adelius has run Tuk Tuk, Berlin's oldest Indonesian restaurant, and for a long time, the city's only Indonesian establishment.
Tuk Tuk in Berlin's Schöneberg district
Tuk Tuk opened up in 1984 in a small side street in Berlin's Schöneberg district. Christian Adelius took it over in 2012, when the former owners retired, and continues to run the successful business.
50 Kitchens, one city: Indonesia
05:19
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Sayur Lodeh (Vegetables in lodeh sauce)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 onions
4 garlic cloves
2 t sambal oelek hot sauce
4 bay leaves
1 piece of galangal (Thai ginger), around 1 cm in length
1 l coconut milk
200 g bamboo shoots
100 g needle beans
100 g carrots
2 bell peppers
200 g tofu
50 ml oil
1 pinch of sugar
Preparation:
Peel onions, garlic, and galangal, and dice. Sauté in a pan with oil at low heat until ingredients turn golden brown. Turn heat to high and add coconut milk, then stir in sambal oelek, salt, and sugar. Slice needle beans, carrots, tofu, and bell peppers in pieces, and add to the pan after five minutes. Simmer for an additional ten minutes. Serve with rice.
Tuk Tuk prepares Sayur Lodeh
"Sayur" means vegetables; "lodeh" is the sauce - something which, in this favorite dish from Indonesia, means coconut milk. At his restaurant Tuk Tuk, Christian Adelius cooks authentic Indonesian cuisine.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
Berlin's Indonesian institution
The name Tuk Tuk refers to a village in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. The traditional décor in the restaurant is supposed to reflect the typical life in a village there. Many of the bamboo, hand-carved art and accessories were brought by Christian Adelius from his home there.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
Engineer, IT consultant, restaurant cook
"I like to cook, not only because I enjoy eating. During my student days, my girfriend who has since become my wife, would always ask me to cook for her. Men cooking is not a common thing in Indonesia; it's always the moms who cook. But I made cooking or testing out a new dish a hobby." - Christian Adelius
Image: Lena Ganssmann
Multi-faceted authenticity
"Indonesia is a country with thousands of islands. From west to east, each group of inhabitants has their own specialty. This diversity is one of the strengths of Indonesian cuisine." - Christian Adelius
Image: Lena Ganssmann
There's more to Indonesian food than Bami Goreng
Most Europeans know Indonesian food: the fried noodle dish or Nasi Goreng, fried rice. There's also sambal oelek, spicy chili paste. Yet Indonesian cuisine is rich in diversity, with culinary elements taken from Europeans, Arabs and Asians. The vegetable dish Sayur lodeh is a central part of the rice buffet, which offers several small dishes.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
Indonesian specialties
"In Indonesia, dishes are served lukewarm at the most, maybe because the weather is hot and humid; people don't want to eat hot food in that weather. But in Germany, the opposite is true and people are used to eating piping hot food. For me, it's important that we bring the authenticity of the Indonesian cuisine together with the wishes of the Europeans." - Christian Adelius
Image: Lena Ganssmann
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Restaurant Tuk Tuk
Großgörschenstraße 2
10827 Berlin
