BUAH KLUWAK.

This is the dried Buah Kluwak with out the shell.
Sambal Buah KLuwak with Pork.


BUAH KLUWAK.

The ‘Buah Kluwak’ is a Malay or Indonesian word for a black nut. This nut is found in the Indonesian jungle. The nut has a very hard shell and on top of the nut you’ll see a soft slit about ½” wide.

Some say the Indonesians started to eat this nut, some say the Portuguese but who ever taste this nut will find it a ‘love or hate affair!’
You either love it or hate it!

There’s not much taste in the nut, but you do get bitter ones or good ones which are soft and taste? Well! You have to try it! Some say it’s like eating mud! some say it’s like eating chocolate!

For those who love this dish, would never say no to a buah kluwak dinner. During dinner you will hear a lot of knocking on the side of the plates, trying to knock out the soft meat from the nut.

There is a lot of work before you can eat this nut.
The nuts need to be soaked in ash and water for 3 days, then scrubbed clean and soak for 1 week with clean water, changing the water every day.

You have to try to cut a slit on the soft top part of the nut before cooking.
Now days, you can buy the nuts without the hard shell but eating it is not the same as when you have to do the knocking!
We cook this nut with pork or chicken Assam, and sambal too.

This is a NONYA style dish.
SAMBAL BUAH KLUWAK

2 packets buah kluwak (with out the shell)
Soak over night, with enough water to cover
Use prawns or dice pork.

Pound together, onions, garlic, buah keras, abit of blachan, dried chilies. You can find the recipe for the sambal in my earlier post.

Fry the pounded ingredients in oil with a sliced up big onion, add pork , then the buah kluwak and abit of the water, add 4 dried assam slices and simmer till the sauce is thick and the pork is soft.
Season with salt and a bit of sugar.

Sometimes, the grandmas with a lot of time on their hands would dig out the meat from the nuts, mix with mince pork and stiff it back into the nut, and cook a Assam chicken with the stuffed nuts!

Copyright©by gourmetchef.2005.