Version from Indonesia
makaroni schotel — Indonesia
An Indonesian baked macaroni casserole enriched with cheese, egg and minced meat, its Dutch-derived name meaning simply a baked dish.
- 20 min
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 6
- Servings
- Easy
- Difficulty
Makaroni schotel is an Indonesian baked macaroni dish, its name borrowing the Dutch word “schotel” for a dish or casserole, cooked with eggs, milk and cheese into a firm, sliceable bake rather than a loose, saucy pasta.
It is reported across Indonesia as a home-baking staple and a common item at bakeries and school canteens, reflecting the wider Indonesian-Dutch culinary exchange from which several baked and stewed dishes with Dutch-derived names are said to descend.
To prepare it, boiled macaroni is combined with sautéed minced meat, onion and garlic, then bound with a mixture of eggs, milk and grated cheese. The mixture is packed into a baking dish, topped with more cheese and sometimes sausage slices, and baked until the top sets firm and turns golden.
What distinguishes this dish from typical Western macaroni-and-cheese preparations is its firm, sliceable set, achieved through the egg binding, which lets it be cut into portions like a cake rather than served as a soft, spoonable bake, and its frequent seasoning with nutmeg.
Preparation
Boil the macaroni in salted water until just tender, then drain.
Sauté the onion and garlic in butter until soft.
Add the minced meat and cook through, seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Whisk the eggs with the milk and half the grated cheese.
Combine the macaroni, meat mixture and egg mixture in a baking dish.
Scatter the remaining cheese and sausage slices, if using, over the top.
Bake in a hot oven until the top is set and golden.
Let it firm up for a few minutes before cutting into slices to serve.
