BEAUTIFUL THURSDAY WITH A TOUCH OF HOLLAND - CRABMEAT BITTERBALLEN

Yesterday we had Moroccon Chickpea & Lamb Soup with Baguette for breakfast..today we moved to Europe..and let's stop at Holland to get a hints of the famous Dutch meatball "bitterballen". I had made so many entries on bitterballen and croquettes....my children love these Dutch meatballs so much... in fact is a MUST every times the children gathered at home.  I always have a ready stock on this...frozen and waiting for the time to deep fry.

Though bitterballens are more focus on leftover meats, however today I made a little twist instead of the usual red meat, I used crabmeat from last night leftover dinner. Well you can also call these crabmeat cake...but I preferred to call these bitterballen since I shaped it like a little golf balls.

Some context of "bitterballen"from WISEGEEK to those still searching for the answer as what bitterballens are all about.

Bitterballen, also called Dutch dippers, are a traditional staple of Dutch cuisine. They are roughly equivalent to meatballs or croquettes, but are deep-fried rather than pan-fried or baked. Considered a snack rather than a meal, these meat-based savories often appear on pub menus or on traditional menus as appetizers and may be served as hors d'oeuvres at parties and festivals.

There are a number of variations on the basic recipe, but in general, bitterballen are comprised of a ragout of meat, beef broth, flour, butter, parsley, salt and pepper. The meat is traditionally beef, but may be veal or chicken, and is either minced or chopped. Common recipe additives include nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion, mushrooms, diced carrot and curry powder. All ingredients are cooked together, then refrigerated until the mixture becomes firm.

Once workable, the meat mixture is rolled into balls and coated in a mixture of egg, milk and breadcrumbs. The bitterballen are then deep fried in fat or oil until crisp and brown and served hot. They are usually accompanied by a mustard dipping sauce. The recipe is almost identical to another Dutch snack staple called kroketten. The only difference is that kroketten are sausage-shaped while bitterballen are round.

Strong indicators exist that this dish developed in the same way that many recipes developed: as a way to use up leftovers, such as roast ox. The leftover meat was mixed with broth and bread to make a stew. During the Spanish occupation of the late 1500s and early 1600s, it is said that Spanish soldiers adopted the dish and began breading and frying the mixture into an early version of bitterballen. The first modern bitterbal is said to have been made by pub owner Jan Barendzbe's wife and introduced to bar patrons at his establishment.

The name of the dish literally means "bitter ball." This is not an indicator of the taste, but rather of the fact that these snacks were intended to be served with a bittertje, a small glass of a Dutch liquor somewhat similar to gin. They remain a popular accompaniment to alcoholic beverages in pubs and bars.

Traditionally, the dish appears only in locations that have a significant Dutch population, such as the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, Indonesia, Belgium and Suriname. The emergence of Dutch cuisine in the international arena, however, has led to a flurry of recipe variations on Internet cooking sites. The dish has also been made on television cooking shows.CRABMEAT 

BITTERBALLEN RECIPES

3 tablespoons of butter / 3 sdb mentega

5 tablespoons of flour / 5 sdb tepung

1 cup of chicken broth / 1 cawan stok ayam

1 cup shredded crabmeat / 1 cawan isi ketam

1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley / 1 sdb parsley cincang

1/2 teaspoon of salt / 1/2 sdt garam

freshly ground black pepper / sedikit lada hitam yang dihancurkan

1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce / 1 sdt worcestershire sauce (sos tiram pun boleh)

oil for deep frying / minyak secukupnya untuk menggoreng

2 egg whites, beaten until foamy / 2 biji putih telur dipukul

1/2 cup of fine dry bread crumbs / 1/2 - 1 cawan serbuk roti

Dijon style mustard / Mustard

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan add the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly until a thick paste is formed. Add the crabmeat, parsley, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce and combine thoroughly. Spread the mixture on a plate and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Heat the oil for deep frying. Form the veal mixture into 1 inch balls. Dip the balls in the egg white, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Deep fry a few balls at a time for 2 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve piping hot on wooden cocktail picks and pass mustard for dipping. 35- 40 balls

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Entah kenapa pagi ini saya rasa begitu tenang dan ceria sekali...mungkin cuaca sejuk begini melembutkan jiwa.....oklah semalam kita bersarapan dengan soup panas Magribi...hari ini kita jalan-jalan ke Europah pula...apa kata kita singgah Holland. Tempatnya cantik dan selalunya kalau ke Holland ini..menu istimewanya ialah :bitterballen"...bebola daging yang dimakan bersama mustard sauce. Sebenarya di Holland ini merupakan hidang petang atau lewat malam yang disediakan di pub-pub sambil dia orang minum-minum...tapi di rumah saya ianya tidak kira pagi, petang atau malam...sentiasa ada dalam fridge...saya gemar buat banyak-banyak frozen...kalau rasa hendak goreng....menu ini juga merupakan menu emergency saya jika ada tetamu datang secara mendadak.

Ini memang HITS kat rumah...anak-anak pun sekarang sudah pandai main ordernya nak bawa balik campus...dia orang pun pandai stok dalam fridge..kalau ada group study ramai-ramai dia goreng panas-panas makan dengan cili sos...crup...crup....ranggup dan sedap. Bitterballen mungkin agak pelik sedikit bagi kita..tetapi bagi kawan-kawan kita di seberang...ini memang makanan mereka..sebab pengaruh Belanda masih banyak di Indonesia. Biasanya bitterballen ini menggunakan daging...tapi kali ini saya pakai isi ketam lebihan semalam masak lemak ketam nenas. Korek isinya buat bitterballen..walaupun tidak sesedap daging tetapi sedaplah juga dengan cuaca sejuk sebigini kena dengan teh tarik panas...mak ai...memang dunia ana yang punya !!!!!

Next Post - Pari Air Asam

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