Smakelijk eten!!

By A.Britton, on June 23rd, 2010

The Netherlands, more commonly referred to by it’s unofficial name; Holland, is the next stop on our World Cup tour.

The Dutch see food as a means of life opposed to a luxury. Their diet has been heavily influenced by Indonesian taste amongst many other cultured dishes including Thai and Asian.

The Dutch are also known for their variety of cheese, (Gouda is one of the famous Dutch cheeses) which plays an important role in their diets. Starting in the 20th century, females were sent to housekeeping classes, learning to cook meals that were cost and time efficient as the priority.

Breakfast in the Netherlands is usually light, consisting of open faced sandwiches; toast with butter, jams or chocolate sprinkles called “hagelslag” (and with Dutch upbringing in my family, I can say it is quite the morning treat!)

With many residents traveling by bicycle, lunch is a good time to fuel up midday. Another open faced sandwich meal or buns and cheese.

“Bitterballen”; deep fried breaded meatballs, are commonly enjoyed with mustard and bread.

It is believed that the Dutch are to be credited for afternoon tea time. It is more common for the Dutch to invite guests to their homes for tea than it is for a full meal.

It’s 5′ O Clock somewhere, and when in Amsterdam “Borrel” (Dutch Gin), is enjoyed before dinner.

Dinner is very similar to the North American dishes, and usually the only hot meal of the day. Consisting of potatoes, vegetables and meat, and as mentioned a main part of their diet, usually completed by a milk based dessert. “Stamppot” is a traditional Dutch meal consisting of potatoes and vegetables mashed up and cooked together.
Your typical Dutch kitchen seems bare to the eye, but promotes cleanliness, which is very important to the Dutch culture. Counter tops and shelves are free of clutter, and you will find cleaning supplies neatly placed in tins, displayed as their main accessory items.

To get into the orange spirit for June 24th’s game, try pairing some Heineken with this tasty and popular Dutch Indonesian influenced dish, “Bami Goreng “similar to a Pad Thai, courtesy of IndoChef.com

Bami Goreng

Ingredients:
+ 350 gr. Medium Egg noodles
+ 100 gr. Diced Pork Fillet
+ 50 gr. Small Prawns
+ 1 medium Onion
+ 2 Cloves of Garlic
+ 1 Carrot
+ 1 Small Leek
+ 2 tsp. Sambal ulek
+ 1 tsp. Trassi (shrimp paste)
+ 3 tbs. Kecap Manis
+ 3 tbs. Oil
+ Pepper & Salt
* Optional: 1 egg

Preparation:
Boil the noodles, using the instructions on the packet. Rinse and set aside.
Heat your wok and add the oil. Stir-fry the diced Onion and Garlic for 1 min. Add the meat, prawns, trassi and sambal ulek and fry for a further 3 min.Add the finely sliced carrots and leek and fry for 4 more min. Add the Noodles and Kecap Manis.

Use pepper and salt as needed and stir-fry for a further 4 min.
(Optional sunny side up egg served atop noodles.)
Serve hot. Delicious with Hot Peanut sauce. (** add fried shrimp crackers called ” Kroepoek” (pronounced krew-pook) to complete the dish!)