| Perkedel | |
| Alternate Name: | Bergedel, bergedil, begedil, bakwan jagung |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Type: | Fritter |
| Served: | Hot or room temperature |
| Main Ingredient: | Batter (wheat flour, corn starch, egg), chili pepper, corn, carrot, seasoning |
| Variations: | Perkedel jagung (maize), perkedel tahu (tofu), perkedel ikan (fish) |
| Other: | As a side dish, generally served with soto ayam |
Perkedel are vegetable fritters from Indonesian cuisine.[1] Most common perkedel are made from mashed potatoes,[2] yet there are other popular variations, such as perkedel jagung (peeled maize perkedel) and perkedel tahu (tofu perkedel) and perkedel ikan (minced fish perkedel). It is called perkedel in much of Indonesia; However, it is called begedil in Javanese as well as Malaysia and Singapore. This could suggest that this fried dish was introduced by Javanese immigrants to Malaysia and Singapore.
Perkedel is believed to be derived from Dutch frikadellen,[2] which is actually a Dutch meatball or minced meat dish. This was owed to Indonesian historical and colonial link to the Netherlands. Unlike frikadellen, the perkedel's main ingredient is not meat, but mashed potato.[2]
Prior to mashing, the potato slices, however, are not boiled as that can cause the perkedel to be too mushy, but deep fried or baked instead. The mashed fried potato is mixed, as much as 1:1 ratio, with ground meat or corned beef.[2] However, sometimes common perkedel contains less or no meat at all. The mixture is then mixed with chopped scallion and seasoned with white pepper powder, then shaped into flat round patties and dipped in egg yolk or beaten egg, before being deep fried.
Other than mashed potato, cabe rawit, spring onion, shrimp, fish, peeled corn, or mashed tofu fritters are also common as perkedel ingredients.
Perkedel is a popular dish, either for a side dish or an appetizer. In Indonesia, it is usually served with nasi kuning as part of tumpeng, soto ayam chicken soup to common sayur sop (vegetable-chicken soup).[3]