To kick off this new feature, we challenged Grant Achatz of Alinea—recent recipient of three Michelin stars—to come up with a recipe using the southeast Asian seeds called kluwak kupas. Achatz got to choose the next chef and the next ingredient, that chef will issue the next challenge, and so on.
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We settled on kluwak kupas—the seeds of the kepayang tree, also known as keluak nuts, buah kelauk nuts, and kluwak nuts—and cleared the shelf of them at Golden Pacific Market (5353 N. Broadway, 773-334-6688). Large and irregularly shaped, they sort of resemble Brazil nuts, with a hard shell and a softer nutmeat. Pungently caroby smelling, they’re traditionally used in southeast Asian cooking, especially the Peranakan spiced chicken dish ayam buah keluak. Oh, and they’re poisonous unless they’ve been soaked or boiled. (All kluwak nuts sold in the U.S. for culinary use have been processed so they’re safe to eat; most, including the ones we bought, are already shelled as well.)
Video by Michael Gebert/Sky Full of Bacon
He and Schoettler were happy with the finished product. “It’s a little funky,” Achatz said. “But it’s very festive, very warming.”
Kluwak Tom & Jerry
400 g chopped kluwak kupas (pulsed in a food processor)
2 g salt
