Kue-Dadar Sriwidi – Eggplant casserole with mushrooms and avocado

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 m.-large eggplant(s), purple
• 1 liter of water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp citric acid, crystalline
• n. B. Palm oil, premium quality
• 2 lemons, juice
• n. B. Butter for the mold
• 6 m.-sized shiitake mushroom(s), dried
• 150 g white beech mushrooms (shimeji mushrooms), alternatively mushrooms
• 10 g butter, unsalted
• 100 ml coconut milk, creamy
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• ¼ tsp mace powder
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp chicken broth, instant or salt
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 3 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• n. B. Salt and pepper, black, freshly ground, to taste
• 1 large avocado(s), ripe (approx. 600g)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 2 m.-large tomato(s), fully ripe
• 75 g pepper, red, long (without seeds)
• 3 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 1 small chili pepper(s), green
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce, light, special
• ½ tsp mace powder
• 100 ml coconut milk, creamy
• 1 tbsp, leveled tapioca flour
• n. B. Salt, to taste
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

Recipe from Bali, Indonesia.

Pour hot water over the dried shiitake mushrooms and let them soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze out the soaking water and use later. Cut the mushroom caps into thumbnail-sized pieces. Discard the stems. For shimeji mushrooms, remove the lower part (substrate + mycelium). Separate the mushrooms, clean them with a brush if necessary (do not wash them!), and trim, halve, and use the long stems. Wash the eggplants, trim both ends, and cut them crosswise into approximately 1 cm thick slices. Soak in salted water for 15 minutes, remove, drain, and dry on a fresh tea towel, then cover with a second tea towel. After 10 minutes, fry in hot palm oil on both sides until light brown (be careful of splashing!). Squeeze the lemons and use the juice accordingly. Grease a 2-liter casserole dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices (about half) on the bottom. Melt the butter in a 1-liter saucepan with a lid. Add the mushrooms and sauté briefly. Deglaze with the mushroom soaking water. Add all ingredients, from pepper to chicken broth, and the lime juice, and mix. Simmer with the lid on for 2 minutes. Mix the coconut milk with the tapioca flour and add to the mushrooms. Bring to a boil and let it thicken. Add the celery leaves and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and pour over the eggplant slices in the dish. Distribute the remaining eggplant slices over the mushrooms. Mix the lime juice with the water and sugar. Cut the avocado in half, discarding the pit and skin. Remove the skin and cut the flesh into approximately 1 cm pieces. Immediately mix these carefully with the lime juice mixture and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Wash the tomatoes, quarter them, remove the seeds, and cut the quarters in half crosswise. Wash the chili peppers, remove the stems and seeds. Halve lengthwise and cut crosswise into approximately 1 cm long pieces. Trim both ends of the garlic cloves, peel, and halve lengthwise and crosswise. Wash the small green chili, cut it lengthwise, remove the seeds, and cut it into thirds crosswise. Discard the stem and seeds. Blend the tapioca flour and coconut milk until smooth. Add all the sauce ingredients, from tomato to coconut milk, to the blender. Strain the avocado pieces and add them to the baking dish. Pour the strained juice into the blender. First, blend coarsely for 30 seconds on the lowest setting, then blend finely for 60 seconds on the highest setting. Season the sauce to taste and pour over the avocado pieces. Place on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Arrange on serving plates, garnish, and serve. In Indonesia, Kue-Dadar Sriwidi with rice is a main meal for 4 people.