Mom’s perkedel kentang are crispy on the outside, soft and savory on the inside. Now with an easier method by steaming, pressure cooking if you don’t want to fry the potatoes.
I seriously couldn’t make this fast enough for my kids to eat. I thought I made a big batch that will last me at least two days and they disappeared in one day!
WHAT IS PERKEDEL
Perkedel is said to be an adaptation of the Danish frikadeller, which is a type of pan-fried meatballs. Indonesian perkedel has more potatoes than meat. Perkedel kentang or also known as bergedil or begedil in Singapore and Malaysia is a popular Indonesian side dish that is great to be eaten alone as snacks or serve with Soto Ayam. In my hometown, it is commonly seen served with soto ayam.
MOM’S PERKEDEL KENTANG RECIPE
My mom has a wonderful perkedel kentang recipe. Majority of perkedel sold by vendors usually only has potatoes without any ground meat, but my mom’s recipe include ground/minced meat and I love it. Sometimes she even put finely chopped shrimp in there.
WHAT TYPE OF POTATOES TO USE FOR PERKEDEL
I prefer to use Russet or Yukon potatoes as they have higher starch content but low in moisture. But again, there are some people who like to use waxy potatoes, which are low in starch but higher in moisture. It’s your call.
POTATOES CAN BE STEAMED, PRESSURE COOKED, OR FRIED
Mom is pretty adamant about having to deep fry the potatoes before mashing them to make perkedel. In the past, I’ve tried not to deep fry the potatoes before mashing them and boil or steam the potatoes, but I found that they fall apart easily when I fry them. But after several trials I finally able to make perkedel by steaming or pressure cooking the potatoes in Instant Pot.
COOK’S TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. If you choose to fry the potatoes, make sure you don’t fry until too crispy or it will be hard to mash
2. If you boil the potatoes, make sure you drain off any excess liquid after boiling and let them sit in the pot for few minutes to “dry up”. This is very important or the potatoes will be mushy and it affects the final texture of the perkedel
3. Make sure to chill the potato mixture before forming them into patties. This will ensure that the perkedel won’t break apart when you fry them
4. Fry over MEDIUM heat. If you fry over high heat, chances are the perkedel will disperse and fall apart
Easy Perkedel Kentang (Bergedil/Begedil)
Ingredients
For perkedel:
- 500 gr potato peeled
- 100 gr ground pork/chicken optional
- 1 stalk Chinese celery leaves finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Crispy fried shallots / bawang goreng
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch add more as needed
- ½ tsp salt or more to taste
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
For frying:
- Cooking oil for frying
- 1 egg beaten
Simple dipping sauce:
- 3 Thai chilies
- 1 Tbsp kecap manis
Instructions
If you steam the potato in the steamer:
- Cut the potatoes into large quarters and steam over high heat for 15-20 minutes or until you can mash easily with a fork. Drain off any excess liquid that is pooling in your steaming plate/tray and mash while the potatoes are still warm and then let the potatoes sit in the steamer for 10 minutes or longer to "dry up". This is very important because if the potatoes aren't dry enough, your perkedel will be too soft and fall apart during frying
If you pressure cook the potato in Instant Pot:
- Fill inner pot with 1 cup of water. Put a collapsible steamer rack inside the inner pot. Cut the potatoes into large quarters and place potatoes on the steamer rack. Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Wait 5 minutes and then release pressure. Unlock the lid and the potatoes sit in there for 10 minutes to "dry up". This is very important because if the potatoes aren't dry enough, your perkedel will be too soft and fall apart during frying. Then carefully remove the potatoes. Mash while they are still warm
If you choose to fry the potatoes:
- Cut the potato into about 1-inch piece. Deep fry the diced potato until cooked but not too brown or it will be hard to mash. Place them in a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork while still warm because it's easier to do so
Mix with other ingredients:
- Add the rest of the ingredients for perkedel and mix everything thoroughly. If the potato dough feels a bit too soft, you can add a bit more cornstarch, tablespoon by tablespoon as needed. Some potatoes have more moisture than the others. Shape into patties and put them in the fridge to cool down without covering (so there won't be any condensation forms because the mixture is still warm) for 1 hour. We don't want to fry them when they are warm as they will be fragile and break apart during frying
- If you plan to make this the next day, shape them into patties and cools down completely at room temperature then cover and put in the fridge until the next day when you are ready to shape and fry
Shape and cook:
- Lightly oil your palms with some cooking oil. Form the mashed potato mixture into balls (it's up to you how big you want it), then slightly flatten into patties, about 1/2-inch in thickness. Coat the perkedel in an egg you beaten earlier
- Preheat about 1-inch of cooking oil. When the oil is hot enough, lower the heat to medium. If you fry over high heat, the perkedel may break apart and also we want the meat to be cooked through inside. Deep fry until golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes and then flip over to the other side and fry until golden brown for another 2-3 minutes. Keep your eyes on them as they may brown faster if your perkedel is smaller in size. Place on absorbent paper towel and serve warm or room temperature on its own or with other dish
20 comments
Recipe worked perfectly. I gently boiled potatoes, let them dry out and cool, then pan fried for 20 mins before mashing. Chilling the potato definitely helped keep together when deep frying. I used celery heart leaves and finely chopped kaffir lime leaves to flavour the potato mixture, drizzled with kecap manis once cooked. Yum!!
I’m glad the recipe worked out for you. Yum…I bet it tasted even better with the addition of kaffir lime leaves!!
Hi! Is it possible to bake these in the oven instead?
Any suggestions how to modify & set temp/time?
Hi AZ, I’ve never tried baking them. You can probably try brushing some oil on the perkedel and then bake at 375 F (190 C) for 10-15 minutes each side. The cooking time is just for reference, You may need longer or may not.
I tried it for dinner yesterday. It was very yummy but it’s too soft, not firm like those selling at malay stalls. And I didn’t get the webby egg texture on the outside. I pan fried them, is it wrong? I must deep fry them? Thank you!
Hi Kay, the potatoes may have more moisture I think, that’s why they are softer. You can try to add a bit more cornstarch if you feel like the texture is too soft. Did you chill the patties before frying? for the webby egg texture, the pan frying won’t give you much of the texture, you will need more oil. You don’t have to deep fry, but at least half of the perkedel needs to be in the oil.
HI Marv, have you tried making this using an airfryer?
Hi Haikal, I haven’t tried it with an air fryer, I coat the perkedel with beaten egg before frying, so if I were to put them in the air fryer, I think after the egg, I need to coat it in another layer of starch for air frying, OR, skip the egg part and brush with a bit of oil and air fry them in the air fryer.
We made these and they were really yummy! Thank you!
You are amazing for making so many different varieties of food 🙂 The pleasure is mine! I’m happy to know that you guys enjoyed these too 🙂
I love begedil and really happy I found your recipe and tips. Some weeks ago I boiled the potatoes and was wondering why the begedil fell apart when fried. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom! I am Malay living in the Netherlands. I do have to mention that Dutch frikandel are sausage-shaped grounded beef. Perhaps what you’re referring to are Danish frikadeller? I’ve never tried those but I’m sure they’re amazing too.
I’m glad you found some of the tips useful. You are right, it should be the Danish frikadeller, not the Dutch one ha..ha..! Thank you for correcting that! I’ve never tried both in person too, I’m sure they both taste great!
Hi Marvellina, in your video, you used cornstarch, but it’s not mentioned in the ingredients list. How much did you use?
Hi Karen, sorry that I left that out. I used about 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Hope that helps!
I can’t find Chinese celery leaves here in the States. What can I substitute for that?
You can use regular green onion, flat-leaf parsley, or the leaves from regular celery works too.
Hello! Would you be able to share the recipe you used for the dipping sauce on the side? You might have mentioned it, but I can’t find it anywhere.
Hello, I basically just cut up some red Thai chilies and drizzle with some kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) 🙂 I hope that makes sense.
Any tips/info about storing them in the fridge or freezer? Thank you 🙂
Hi Antoinette,
I won’t freeze the uncooked perkedel because it will affect the texture after thawing, but you can definitely freeze the fried perkedel. I do it all the time. I fry all of them and then place them on a baking sheet line with parchment paper not touching each other for about 1 hour. They won’t be completely frozen yet. Transfer to freezer bag and they will not stick to each other anymore and save you some storage space. When ready to serve, you can reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350 F for 5-10 minutes or until heated through 🙂 That way you can make ahead and serve anytime you like. I hop this helps!