Babi Pongteh

You can use different types of pork. Such as stewing meat, pork belly or another slightly fattier pork.

Preparation - 10 minutes

Cut the pork into smaller pieces. If you're using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them first in hot water until they have softened.

Peel the garlic cloves and shallots. Finely chop the shallots and 4 garlic cloves and leave the remaining 4 garlic cloves whole.

Finishing the Babi Pongteh - 2 hours + 30 minutes

Heat a little oil in a dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pan and fry the shallot, finely chopped garlic and the cinnamon stick for a few minutes. As soon as the cinnamon scent is released properly you can add 2 tablespoons of bean paste.

Fry the bean paste briefly and then add palm sugar and soy sauce.

Add pork pieces and fry for 10 minutes until nicely browned. Add the whole garlic cloves along with the whole shiitake mushrooms.

Add 300 ml water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, put the lid on and let it simmer gently for about 1. 5 to 2 hours.

If the meat is still not tender enough, you can add extra water and let it simmer a bit longer. If the sauce is still too thin, you can let it cook for a while without a lid.

Season with salt and/or soy sauce. Keep in mind that the bean paste and soy sauce are already quite salty.

Serve with rice, cucumber salad, atjar tjampoer and emping, enjoy!