Tahu Tek-Tek: Surabaya's Tofu-Peanut Street Dish

Ingredients

• 400 g firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces, fried until golden
• 300 g lontong (compressed rice cake), sliced into rounds
• 200 g potato, peeled, cut into small pieces, deep-fried
• 150 g bean sprouts, briefly blanched or raw
• For the dressing
• 60 g petis udang (fermented shrimp paste; INDO-PETIS-01), loosened with water
• 120 ml water, warm, to thin the petis
• 150 g peanut sauce, prepared; blended with the thinned petis

Method

1. 1
   Fry the tofu pieces until the exterior is golden and the skin is set. Remove and drain. Fry the potato pieces in the same oil until cooked through and lightly coloured. Drain both on absorbent paper. The surfaces should be dry to the touch and resist gentle pressure.
2. 2
   Thin the petis with the warm water, working it with a spoon until fully dissolved into a dark, glossy liquid with no solid lumps remaining. Combine with the peanut sauce, stirring until the two are fully integrated. This is where the dish lives or dies: the ratio of petis to peanut sauce governs every mouthful — the dressing must carry the deep, briny funk of the petis without the peanut becoming subordinate, and neither element should taste raw or separate. Taste directly; the result must be at once fermented, savoury, and nutty, with a fluid consistency that will coat without pooling.
3. 3
   Arrange the lontong slices, fried tofu, fried potato, and bean sprouts on the serving plate. Pour the petis-peanut dressing over the assembled components.
4. 4
   Mix everything on the plate by tapping and pressing with a metal spatula in the manner of the street vendor — the TEK-TEK action — until the dressing coats all components evenly. The plate should sound with a light metallic tap at each stroke, and the dressing should be distributed with no dry patches visible on the lontong or tofu.