In the Kitchen with Chef Chris Moes

by Pingkan Palilingan
8th September 2016
Along with the launch of The Dutch's new menu, we talked with Chef Chris Moes, the Executive Chef of The Dutch, who happily shared us the age-old recipe of one of his favourite dishes, Beef Succade.

Not even a year since it was established, The Dutch’s celebrated charcuterie and beer on tap pairing have garnered massive appeal among Jakarta’s food enthusiasts. Of course, what keeps this restaurant thronged with steady stream of crowds is largely due to Chef Chris Moes’ time-tested culinary chops. Lending his Dutch origin to the restaurant’s name, Chef Moes’ dishes up authentic Dutch cuisine aside from hearty European fares at The Dutch.

“Dutch cuisine is simple and honest,” says the chef who has worked in the kitchen since 16 years of age. After working in numerous restaurants, including the reputable De Kas restaurant in Amsterdam, he decided that it is time to embark on a new experience. Thus, he moved to Indonesia.

“There are a lot of influences between both countries [Indonesia and Netherlands]. In my opinion, the best Indonesian food outside of Indonesia is in Holland,” says Chef Moes, particularly fascinated by the gastronomic relationship both countries share.

Chef Moes has been working closely with The Union Group, one of the most well-known F&B groups in Jakarta. His past work with the group before The Dutch was for a restaurant named Canteen, located in The Pacific Place Mall. However, it seems that his position at The Dutch serves him right, especially considering his longstanding experience in Dutch cuisine.

In conjunction with the recent launch of The Dutch’s new menu that boasts yet another glorious bunch of hearty, tummy-warming dishes, Chef Moes is delighted to share us a special recipe: Beef Succade, a Dutch-style braised beef that is served with ‘hutspot’ (a mix of carrots, potatoes and onions, cooked in gravy).

Asked what makes this dish special to him, the chef answers, “My mother would usually cook this on Sunday nights for the whole family. It is a great memory and every year when I go back to Holland for holiday, she will cook it for me.”

To enjoy the dish a whole lot more, just like with any other of his cuisines, it is recommended to pair the Beef Succade with “a cold beer or a good glass of red wine,” as the chef suggests. That’s why, The Dutch also releases the “One Metre Beer”, a tasting board selection of their available beers on tap, to go with practically any dishes on the menu. This way, one can at least pair the food with all the available beers while trying to discover his/her favourite pairing. Or, there’s always the option of asking the waiters for suggestions — say, “What goes well with ‘Filet Américain’? Heineken or Kilkenny?” — although there would probably be no answer to it as any types of beers would undoubtedly pair up excellently with all Chef Moes’ creations.

 

The Beef Succade recipe is divided into four parts: creating the Beef Succade, Dutch ‘hutspot’, red wine gravy, brussel sprouts and roasted onion.

 

Beef Succade:

 

1kg                  Beef top blade steak

400ml             Red wine

2l                     Beef stock

5 strings         Thyme

3 pieces          Bay leaf

50g                 Butter

300g               Shallot

20g                 Garlic

1 teaspoon     Black pepper corns

 

Directions:

  1. Take the beef top blade steak and remove the fat and muscle tissues.
  2. Cut the top blade steak into 250g per portion.
  3. Season the beef with salt and black pepper.
  4. Heat the stove and put the butter in.
  5. Wait until the butter turns into brown then put the beef in the pan. Make sure you brown the beef.
  6. When the beef turns up with a nice brown colour, remove from the pan then put in shallot and garlic in the similar pan. When the shallot and garlic is browned, pour red wine into the pan.
  7. Next, add thyme, bay leaf and black pepper corns and simmer until it becomes syrupy.
  8. Pour in beef stock, add the beef and bring to boil.
  9. Once it boils, lower the heat and wait until it simmers. This will take around 3 hours. After 3 hours, make sure to check whether the beef is tender already.
  10. Take out the beef and reduce the sauce until it becomes thick and glossy. Season with salt, black pepper and add a splash of red wine vinegar.
  11. Strain the sauce and use the sauce to heat up the beef before serving.

 

Dutch ‘Hutspot’:

 

1kg                  Peeled potato

600g               Peeled white onion

600g               Peeled carrot

150g                Butter

 

Directions:

  1. Peel the potato and wash with water. Do the same thing with the carrots.
  2. Cut the potato in half and slice the carrots.
  3. Peel the onion and slice thinly.
  4. Put the potato in a pan and fill with water so the potatoes are submerged. Season the water with salt.
  5. Put the sliced carrots on top of the potato, then top them all with the sliced onions. The idea is to boil the potatoes and carrots and steam the onions.
  6. Put the lid on and boil for around 45 minutes. Check whether the potatoes are done with a fork.
  7. Then strain everything and let the steam escape for around 10 minutes.
  8. Now put the mix back in the pan and set the fire to low. This is done to dry the potatoes, carrots and onions from excess water. Wait for 15 minutes until they are dry.
  9. Then mash the mix in the same pan and add butter.
  10. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Brussel sprouts:

 

  1. Cut the brussel sprouts in half and wash.
  2. Put in salted water in a pan and boil. Once boil, add the brussel sprouts.
  3. Boil for another 2 minutes. When finished, move the brussel sprouts to iced water (to stop the cooking process and maintain the green colour).
  4. Before serving, panfry or grill the brussel sprouts. Season to your own preference.

 

Roasted onion:

 

  1. Take 2 whole white onions, cut them in half but keep the skin on.
  2. Season with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
  3.  Now put the onion to a roasting tray, with skins up.
  4. Next, roast them in the oven on 160 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.
  5. When done, take out the centre part of the onion and peel off the skin as well as the two outer layers of the onion.

 

Assembling the dish:

  1. Heat the beef with the sauce.
  2. Put a good portion of the hutspot on a plate and put the beef on top of it.
  3. Pour the sauce around the hutspot.
  4. Arrange the brussel sprouts circularly on the plate.
  5. Put the roasted onion on top of the beef and garnish with some chopped parsley.

 

The Dutch new menu is available everyday. Featured on the photographs are Beef Succade, the One Metre Beer and the new menu: introducing ‘Filet Américain’, Chicken Liver Pâté, Poffertjes, as well as The Dutch’s terrific Sausage Platter. For more information on their menu, visit their website at www.dutchjkt.com