Henk's Hot Kitchen

'Indonesian food made easy' is the aim of Henk, an expatriate Dutchman living in Britain. He spent four years at catering college and now works as a trucker for Sainsburys. Like many Dutch people, he adores Indonesian food, and is commited to introducing its less familiar dishes. Spelling and punctuation are not Henk's strong points, but the meaning is clear and the layout reasonably good. The speed is very impressive given that the site is highly illustrated. There are several options when accessing information: the menu strips at top, bottom, and side of the screen, or the listed sections in the centre of the page.



Special Features



Recipes lists around 40, many photographed, some with step-by-step photos and diagrams. The dishes, which all serve four people, are contributed by Henk and others. Latest additions to the site are highlighted, and content ranges from well-known items such as gado-gado and sate to unfamiliar ongol-ongol (a dessert) and loempia (a snack).



Ingredients is a good section, but needs to include several more of the ingredients required for the recipes, such as the tauge, tahu kuning, emping and krupuk listed as components of the Javanese mixed vegetable salad. Henk thoughtfully includes as many variations of ingredient names as possible, and suggests some substitutions with an honest assessment of how good they are.



Menus suggests ways to combine and serve dishes for a balanced traditional meal.



Indonesia gives a brief but highly informative introduction to the Indonesian Republic, its history, geography, and dining traditions.



Other Features



Conversion chart, guestbook, mailing list, book sales through Amazon, and many links to a variety of cooking-related sites, especially those on Asian and Oriental cuisines, and some for Dutch expatriates.