Month: July 2022

Ayam /Chicken Nanking

main meal

AYAM NANKING/CHICKEN NANKING.

A fusion Indo chinese fried chicken dish which is crispy on the outside and silky on the inside, due to the combination of prawns and chicken. This is served with a light sauce, and some steamed vegetables on the side. There are 2 ways to make this..
The old fashioned way is to roughly mince chicken and prawns, mix together with spices..pat onto a banana leaf and deep fry.
The newer method is to thinly slice chicken breasts, apply shrimp paste and egg wash and bread the chicken.

I Prefer the old fashioned way
It is still served like this in old chinese restaurants. Some sources say that this dish originated in the city of Nanjeng in China. Hence the name chicken Nanking.
Its a non spicy  dish reminicent of olden days cantonese cooking.
Worcestershire sauce also known as KECAP INGGRIS ( english soya sauce) gives a good flavour here.Do try this recipe..

200 gms roughly minced chicken breast
( I used the underside of the chicken breast)
200 gms prepped shrimp/prawns.
( peel, clean and then weigh the prawns)
Roughly chopped.
1 heaped tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil.
1 heaped tsp white pepper powder.
1 tsp sugar
1 tsps salt
1/2 tsp msg..optional.
2 heaped tbsps tapioca starch powder or cornflour.
2 heaped tbsps all purpose flour.
1 big egg.
2 tbsps water.
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce.

Mix everything in a bowl and keep aside for 15 mins.
Take banana leaves and cut into rounds of 18 cms..approx.
Divide the chicken prawn mixture into 2(if you like it a bit chunky) or 3.(if you like it thinner)
And pat onto the banana leaves.
Heat a wok, add enough oil for frying the chicken.
When oil is hot..slide in the banana leaf .
After a few mins, it will seperate from the patty..remove and discard.
Continue frying the patty till crispy.
Remove and cut.
Serve on a platter with the sauce, french fries and steamed vegetables.
Sauce.
300 ml water
3 tbsps of tomato ketchup
3 tbsps worcestershire sauce
2 tbsps sugar.
1 tbsp sesame oil.
1/2 tsp salt.
1 tbsp cornflour( mixed with little water)

Put everything in a saucepan, bring to a boil and add cornflour slurry.

Ready to serve.

BUBUR KACANG IJO/ MUNG BEANS PORRIDGE

dessert

BUBUR KACANG IJO.

A very close cousin to our desi Payasam, this bubur( porridge) is made with green moong dal aka Kacang ijo( pronounced KA-CHANG).
Here in Indonesia Buburs are very popular, and made  with lot of pantry friendly ingredients..such as rajma, green beans, banana, glutinous rice, coconut etc. These are mainly made or sold for breakfast and tea time.
Todays recipe uses ginger as a flavouring as well as for healing and warmth.
Ginger is used alot in teas and buburs to aid in digestion and for warmth.
Have this warm and relish it. Soothing and delicious.  Perfect in the awesome rainy weather in India.

1 cup green moong beans soaked overnight or minimum 6 hours.
2 pandan leaves knotted or use 4 cloves.
100 gms ginger…peeled and bashed in big chunks.
1/2 tsp salt.
250 gms jaggery.( chopped or grated)
3 tbsps white sugar ..if required.( I used, as it yin to the yan of jaggery)😊
200 gms thick  coconut milk( I used a tetra pack)
100 ml water for coconut sauce.

Rinse the soaked moong dal
Add to a pan along with bashed ginger and pandan leaves.
Cover with enough water and boil  till soft and mushy.
( I boiled for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker)

Meantime take the jaggery in a pan and add 1/4 cup water. Boil till dissolved, and strain, to remove impurities.

Now take the cooked moong beans, another 2 cups of water, salt , jaggery water in a pan and cook further till it becomes thick. Keep aside.
To make the coconut sauce topping,
Put 200 ml thick coconut in a saucepan, add about 100ml water, a knotted pandan leaf( or 1/2 tsp vanila essence)  1/4 tsp salt.
Simmer on a low flame for 10 mins. Remove in a bowl.

To serve..
Put some warm  bubur in a bowl, top with 1 or 2 tablespoons of coconut milk..

No sugar is added to coconut sauce.
This helps in balancing the sweetness of bubur.😊



TELOR PINDANG ( INDONESIAN HARD BOILED BRAISED EGGS)

main meal

TELOR PINDANG( INDONESIAN HARD BOILED BRAISED EGGS)

Over the years I must have eaten these eggs a number of times, especially in restaurants where they are served mostly with set rice dishes. And have never given them a second thought
But this once I decided to make them at home since my mom and sister are here from India and are eggitarians.
PINDANG refers to a style of cooking.
Years ago when chinese labourers came to Indonesia, they married the local women and thier cooking merged to become pernakan style cooking.
These eggs are a cousin to the chinese tea eggs.
The traditional old fashioned way is to boil the eggs , peel them and reboil with guava leaves, onion peels, teak leaves, etc.
Not all of these are readily available, so onto an easier method which I saw on a local channel. Delicately flavoured, and a lovely brown look. These eggs taste good.
Today I will share the recipe for hard boiled Pindang eggs as well as the batik design ones.
The batik ones to tell you frankly, are very pretty no doubt. But one needs to patiently remove the egg shell without loosening the membrane as the design is stronger on it.
These eggs can  be served with fried rice, or even as starters with a home made chillie sambal sauce..
Do try out this simple recipe.
And pls excuse the not so perfect looking eggs, as this was my first time in making these eggs.

10 boiled eggs.
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp corriander seed powder.
50 gms chopped palm sugar( do try to get the dark brown gur)
3 tbsps Indonesian Kecap manis( sweet soya sauce)
4 fresh bay leaves
1 inch pc ginger
1 inch pc galangal
4 garlic pods.
1 tea bag.
750 ml water.

Shell 5 of the boiled eggs and place in a saucepan.
Take the other 5 eggs, and tap each with the back of a spoon, cracking the shell without peeling it.

Place these eggs in the saucepan along with the peeled eggs.

Take ginger and  galangal and roast lightly on an open flame till the skin is charred. Bash lightly to release flavours and add to the saucepan containing eggs,  add rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, add the tea bag.
Lower the heat, cover and let the eggs braise for 45 mins.

Shut the fire, and let eggs cool down in the water itself.
The longer you let them sit, the deeper the tinge on the eggs.

Remove the peeled eggs and either serve whole or cut into 2.
Peel the cracked eggs very carefully without lifting the inner membrane.
These make for a pretty plate..