The Holy Crab Jakarta launched their takes of Balinese cuisine. Now Bumbu Genep and Sambal Matah are available in their menu.
“We want to introduce the experience of eating seafood with Balinese spices mix,” said the owner and executive chef Albert Wijaya.
Bumbu genep are spice mix made from Bali. According to the legend of Bali, bumbu genep or base genep are a balance mixture of six tastes. They are saltiness from kencur, astringency from galangal, bitterness from turmeric, pungency from ginger, sweetness from onion and garlic, and acidity from lime juice.
“In Bali, bumbu genep is used to marinate chicken, beef, or pork. Since we use this mixture for seafood, we use twelve kinds of spices. We add lemongrass and shrimp paste. Lemongrass is known for its fragrance and fresh taste so that it will add balance to the flavour. Shrimp paste will also strengthen the taste of seafood,” said Albert.
Sambal matah is a famous relish from Bali. Sambal matah adds the kick to seafood with its unique taste. The generous amount of onion is smothered in hot oil to cook it a bit. After that, it is mixed with lemongrass, shrimp paste, and other spices and seasoning.
“In my opinion, sambal matah and seafood is actually an exotic pairing for Jakarta people’s taste bud. I often see it paired with fried duck, but not with seafood. That is where the idea to introduce this pairing comes from,” said Albert.
Udang Sambal Matah
To make the local feast even more authentic, The Holy Crab also adds Indonesian river shrimps and blue crabs. Special river shrimps are brought to Jakarta from rivers in Borneo and Sumatera while blue crabs are caught eastern part of Indonesia such as Borneo, Celebes, and Moluccas.
“Although the theme is Balinese, we use seafood from other regions to meet our quality and quantity standards,” said Albert.
If you demand premium seafood for your feast, you can order King Crab. This premium catch must be ordered a week before. It is rather expensive; the price is started from 1.5 million rupiahs per kilogram. However, Albert claimed that it is the best seafood you will ever try.
“It is sweeter and juicier with long and fibrous meat. It will remind you of very tender crab stick. It is actually so good that it almost can’t be expressed with words. You have to try it by yourself,” said Albert.
The Holy Crab Lunch Menu, Shrimp or Crab Rolls
To top all of the new stuffs, now The Holy Crab is also opened for quick and affordable lunch.
For rice menu, there are three kinds of menu which are Mixed Seafood Dirty Rice, Jambalaya, and Creole Rice. Mixed Seafood Dirty Rice is rice with hint of garlic topped with seafood mixture with Cajun spice. It is served in small skillet and we can see the greyish colour that comes from garlic mixture.
If you like tangy flavour, Jambalaya will be a right choice for you. It is rice cooked in tomato paste and mixed seafood until it is soft and creamy. For Louisiana food freaks, Creole Rice can be a perfect choice for you. Garlicky rice with Cajun-spiced sauce served with choice of shrimp or crab.
However, if you are more a sandwich person, you can try three kinds of sandwich in the lunch menu. Burger lovers can try Crab Cake Burger, a burger sandwich with firm and moist crab cake inside or Crispy Fish Burger with a battered fried fish inside the sandwich. Both of them are served with generous amount of The Holy Crab signature Cajun fries.
You can also try Shrimp or Crab Rolls, sandwich roll with chunks of seafood choice inside the slightly heated bun. It is served with Cajun Fries and Cream Soup. All lunch menus come in affordable price, ranged from 55-145 thousand rupiahs.
Tags: the holy crab, king crab, bumbu genep, sambal matah, lunch menu