Indonesian Tofu Omelettes: Tahu Telur

Sambal oelek is an Indonesian relish or paste of ground red chilies; although some other countries have their own versions, including the U.S. In the U.S., it is easy to find in supermarkets, and likely even in some smaller grocery stores, and especially, of course, in Asian grocery stores, and it is not terribly expensive, although imported brands likely cost somewhat more. 

Tofu has had an increasing popularity in the U.S., and not just in Chinese restaurants, where it is typically listed as "bean curd," but as a distinct product itself, typically sold in rectangular cakes or blocks. Tofu by itself is not an exciting food, but it is good prepared with other flavorful food items, as tofu absorbs the flavors of these foods. In this dish, the tofu gets help by first frying it lightly, including it in an omelette, then adding a tasty peanut sauce. Nowadays, tofu is easily found in supermarkets, and, it isn't expensive. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

 

To make the omelettes: 

 

1/2 of one firm block of tofu, drained and cut into small cubes (about 2/3 inch square)

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 teaspoon salt

5 greens onion, chopped

2 tablespoons oil (peanut oil is good for this)

 

To make the sauce:

 

2 teaspoons peanut oil

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (red or yellow)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 medium Roma tomato, chopped

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (according to desired heat level)

1 tablespoon brown sugar (or palm sugar)

3 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 cup water

 

3 or 4 chopped green onions, for garnish

 

In a bowl, beat the eggs, then add the pepper, salt and chopped green onion; mix well. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet (I use a 12 inch skillet) over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and saute until just lightly browned. Add the egg mixture, pouring it to cover all of the tofu. Brown the omelette on both sides. For the sauce: In a separate pan, add the 2 teaspoons of peanut oil, then add the onion, then after 1 minute add the garlic and chopped tomato and saute everything until softened (use a fork to mash the tomato as it cooks). Lower the heat to low. Add the peanut butter, sambal oelek, brown sugar, kecap manis, soy sauce and water, stir very well to mix everything together. Heat until bubbly (if the sauce is too thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well after each tablespoon, until you get the preferred consistency). Serve each omelette with some of the sauce spooned over the omelette, then top each serving with some chopped green onion as a garnish. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sort-This word is related to "assort," "consort," "sorcery" and "desert" (the verb meaning "to leave or abandon a place, position or duty"), all Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "assert" and "series," also Latin-derived words borrowed directly from that language. "Sort" goes back to Indo European "ser," which had the notion "to put or join in a line;" thus also, "to put one after the other;" thus, "to put together, to connect." This gave Latin "sors," which had a wide range of meanings like: "allotment, lottery, share/portion, category, classification, status/class." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "sorte," meaning "classification. type, kind," and English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "sort(e)," with the meaning "a kind or type of something, "originally seemingly used of people and animals, but then expanded. The verb also is from the same ancient origins, and Latin "sors" produced the verb "sortire/sortiri," meaning "to share, to apportion, to divide (up), to draw lots," which passed to Old French as "sortir," meaning "to categorize, to classify, to allot," and English borrowed this verb as "sorten" in the mid 1300s, which was earlier than the noun. Interestingly, German borrowed the word too, as "Sorte," but from two sources; first, from Dutch/Low German, which had it from French; and second, southern German speakers borrowed the word from Italian.