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Kakul Mekuah Recipe (Bali Freshwater Snail Soup) » Indonesia Eats

HomeIndonesian RecipesBaliKakul Mekuah Recipe (Bali Freshwater Snail Soup)October 30, 2010302ShareFacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsAppLinkedinReddItEmailPrintTelegramMixLINE

Bali Spiced Freshwater Snail Soup
Kakul is the Balinese term for freshwater snail. In Indonesian term, it’s known as keong sawah. As you may notice that Indonesia is a country with many dialects, I have known two other names; kreco in Surabayan (East Javanese) and tutut in Sundanese (West Javanese).

This recipe was adapted from the Bali Cookbook by Lonny Gerungan. Lonny is a famous chef in the Netherlands. I bought this book few months ago through amazon.ca. For you who are interested to learn about Balinese cooking and not able to speak Indonesian, this is a perfect guide for you since the book is in English and written by a Balinese native.

Thou I’m an Indonesian native, I still have to learn about other foods from many different ethic groups. I know more about Sumatran and East Javanese cookings since those two are where my ancestors came from.

Lonny has described how he loves this dish. It brings his childhood memories in Bali. As he explained we have to suck the meat out of the shells and when we have done it, nine out of ten, the meat off course will shoot right into our throat. The soup is fun to eat.

Anyway, this spicy soup goes for Masbar October 2010 with a theme “Variety of Balinese Dishes”. The recipe has been slightly changed from the original as I used more freshwater snails than the recipe was stated.

Kakul Mekuah
– Bali Style Frehswater Snail Soup –
serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb (454 g) fresh water snails
  • 2 1/4 tsp tamarind pulp
  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 3 tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1.2 L water seasalt
  • 7 salam (Indonesian bay) leaves

For the spice paste

  • 8 toasted candlenuts
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 1/2 tsp toasted terasi (dried shrimp paste)
  • 1 1/2 tsp white peppercorns
  • 1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 4.8 oz (135 g) peeled shallots
  • 0.7 oz (20 g) garlics, peeled
  • 9 cayenne peppers (can be substituted for bird eyes chilies), sliced
  • 1.4 oz (40 g or 6-cm long) fresh ginger, peeled 7 cm long fresh turmeric, peeled
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Methods:

To make the spice paste, if you use a mortar and pestle, chop shallot, garlic, ginger and turmeric first. Then, pound candlenuts, coriander, terasi and peppercorns to a fine paste. Add shallots, garlic, chilies, ginger and turmeric; pound again to a paste.

Rinse off the snails with cold water and drain them. Take the white parts of lemongrass, cut into 3-cm long and bruise them with side of a heavy knife.

Heat the oil in a wok and stri fry the spice paste for about 3 minutes. Add water and season with seasalt. Add snails, tamarind pulp, lemongrass, and salam leaves. Simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes. Serve with warm long grain rice.

Note:
If you live in Winnipeg and wonder where to get these freshwater snails, Young’s sells them in the frozen section. On the package, it was saying “rice snails and made in Vietnam”

FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsAppLinkedinReddItEmailPrintTelegramMixLINEPrevious articleRoasted Red Pepper and GarlicNext articleSambal Tumpang (Javanese Old Tempe Sambal)Indonesia Eatshttps://indonesiaeats.comAn Indonesian-born who lived in Winnipeg Edmonton, Canada for more than a decade prior to move to Edmonton in 2017. Indonesia Eats is a memoir of her homeland.

  1. Lia Chen October 30, 2010 At 10:28 AMThe soup looks very savory! Can't believe how many types of food from Indonesia that I even sometimes haven't tasted it before like this one. Thanks for sharing the recipe Pep 🙂 Have a great weekend too!Reply
  2. Masak Bareng October 30, 2010 At 11:29 AMtarimo kasih entry-nya yo…sruput2 keong seru jg kayaknya.. hihihihiReply
  3. [email protected]& October 30, 2010 At 5:21 PMThe snails in this dish also bring back my childhood memory when living in HK. There's a popular street food that cooked snails with chili. Quite different from the Indonesian one, very yummy as well.Reply
  4. tatabonita October 30, 2010 At 7:04 PMEhehehe, pertama aku binggung mangane yok piye, mosok dicutik'i sitok2 hehehe. Ternyata dislruput lan disedoti hihihihihi…. Nyenengno tapi kok rodok ribet yo mbak Pep lek dibayangno, pirang jam enteke 😀Reply
  5. Lori October 31, 2010 At 2:18 AMWe were amazed to learn about all the dialects when we visited Bali last October. Thanks so much for sharing this cookbook. It is going on my wish-list!Reply
  6. penny aka jeroxie October 31, 2010 At 5:10 AMYou are able to find fresh snails? Cool! I wish it is more accessible over here.Reply
  7. pigpigscorner October 31, 2010 At 6:47 AMI didn't try this when I went to Bali! Looks so yummy, looks like I have to go back to Bali again!Reply
  8. Indonesia Eats October 31, 2010 At 1:22 PM@Lia: I know, eh! Lately, I've explored the East Indonesian dishes since they are not as well known as the West parts (Sumatra and Java)[email protected] Bareng: [email protected]: Ah, I bet the HK style is delicious as [email protected]: bener tapi itulah seni memakan si keong [email protected]: I got the frozen [email protected]: there are many yummy recipes in that [email protected]: let's go there together. 🙂Reply
  9. Cooking Gallery October 31, 2010 At 10:32 PMI didn't know they eat snails too in Bali ;). Snails are something that I am still quite hesitant to try…. The picture looks great though, as usual Pep :)!Reply
  10. noobcook October 31, 2010 At 11:30 PMYou serve it in a mortar? Looks rustic. I think I will like this special dish 🙂Reply
  11. Little Corner of Min November 1, 2010 At 1:12 AMWould love to try this! I never get to eat any snail while I am in US.Reply
  12. Indonesia Eats November 1, 2010 At 3:54 AM@cooking gallery: this snail is different with the one that lives on the tree that we know as [email protected]: For the picture purrpose, it was just my idea to have a traditional look. @LCOM: try to look the freshwater snails at frozen seafood rack at the Asian or Vietnamese markets.Reply
  13. tigerfish November 1, 2010 At 4:14 AMNever tried freshwater snail before and never tried this soup before! I am intrigued!Reply
  14. Xiaolu @ 6 Bitterswe November 1, 2010 At 6:54 AMNever really tried snails except the ones cooked in chili sauce I've had in China. Those are really yummy so I'd give this a try given the chance. Looks great, Pepy!Reply
  15. bayuamus November 1, 2010 At 11:02 AMIt's amazing to follow your culinary adventure pep; and thanks for sharing. Interesting pic as always.Reply
  16. My Life, My Child an November 1, 2010 At 11:32 AMGw belum pernah makan keong lho Pep..rasanya gimana? slimy ga?Reply
  17. Indonesia Eats November 1, 2010 At 12:49 PM@Tigerfish: freshwater snail also has a health [email protected]: could you find freshwater snail [email protected]: It's always fascinating for me to learn about Indonesian [email protected]: yang ini gak seslimy bekicotReply
  18. angsarap November 1, 2010 At 7:03 PMThats looks really yummy, the only snail dish that I know of is the escargot. Will definitely try this one out!Raymundhttp://ansarap.wordpress.comReply
  19. Squeaky Gourmet November 12, 2010 At 2:01 AMWow would I love to try this!Reply
  20. Tika Hapsari Nilmada December 12, 2011 At 4:07 AMNyoba ah…nyari tutut dulu. :pReply
  21. Bulung Kuah Pindang Recipe (Bali Seaweed Salad) | Indonesia Eats February 27, 2013 At 10:43 PM[…] the first time I read the cookbook of Lonny Gerungan “The Bali Cookbook” years ago, I was quite skeptical how on earth I’m going to get that kuah pindang. His […]Reply
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