Category: snacks

Mini Sushi Cakes

snacks

MINI SUSHI CAKES.
Trending now on social media is the sushi bundt cake. Inspired  from that I made single serving mini sushi cakes.

Good startrs at a party , tasty and pretty .

2 cups cooked jasmine  rice.
2  tsp vinegar
2 tsp black sesame seeds.
2 tsp powdered sugar
Salt to taste.
Mix the rice, vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds
Keep aside.
( make sure you don’t add any oil while cooking the rice) we want the rice to be a bit sticky.


I small can of tuna flakes in brine.( got about 110 gms of tuna flakes)
Strain off liquid.
2 tbsps japanese  Mayonaise( I used kwepee, Which is slightly more sweet than normal mayo.)
Otherwise add 1 tsp honey to the mayo.
2 tbspChilli sauce,
2 tbsps finely chopped spring onions.
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tbsp chopped cilantro.
2 tsps lime juice.
Salt to taste.
Mix the above and keep aside.


Very finely sliced cucumbers.
Nori flakes, and togarashi for topping.
Additional mayo and chillie sauce for drizzling over.
Nori sheets cut into squares for the base of the sushi cake , while plating.

To assemble.
Take some of the rice and pack firmly into a greased mold.( I used silicone molds)
Top with cucumber slices, then the tuna mixture,
Put more rice and press firmly, using a small spatula.
Demold onto a nori square and garnish with nori flakes and togarashi.
Drizzle some mayonaise and chillie sauce.
Best served chilled

.

JASUKE…

snacks

JASUKE
JA..( jagung..aka sweetcorn)
SU…( susu…aka milk)
KE…( keju…aka cheese)

This very simple starter is a popular street food In Indonesia.
Made with just 4 ingredients, comes together  very quickly. Easy to make and eat. The sweetness of corn,  condensed milk , and saltiness of Cheese are a good balance for each other..surprisingly a very tasty dish.

When I was growing up in Pune, India, corn was something we associated with the rainy season, where corn sellers would roast the corn on a coal fire, fanning it to cook quickly, and at the same time sending the fragrance of roasting corn into the air, thereby drawing more people to come buy their wares.😊. Then the roasted corn was rubbed with half a lime which was dipped in red chilli and salt…oh mouthwatering, can literally taste the tangy spicy corn. Much later came the association of corn to the very popular sweet corn soup.😊

1 sweet corn.( boil and remove the kernels)… I got about 225gms of corn.

While still hot add 1 tbsp of butter( I used salted butter.)
1/4 tsp salt
And about 1/4 cup of condensed milk.
Mix well and arrange in shot glasses.
Top generously with grated cheese.
And a dollop of chilli sauce.
Can serve chilled or at room temperature.

KUE BANGKIT/ SALJU AKA COOKIES..EGGLESS.

snacks

KUE BANGKIT/ KUE SALJU aka COOKIES.

Bangkit…feast, Salju..snow.
Both names go. Normally served at feasts or festivals, Salju or snow because these are normally white.But recently saw a local you tube channel and was drawn to these pretty colours.
These absolutely melt in the mouth, light airy cookies are a must try. Very very popular here in Indonesia. The origin is from malaysia and some parts of Indonesia. Ramadhan is a very popular time for these cookies. Biscuits or kue kering are a very very popular constant in Indonesian culture. Hampers of prettily packed biscuits are a sight to see.
Back to the recipe, these biscuits are gluten free. Very very light. While baking, once slightly golden on the bottom, and very light to hold . Remove and cool.
Baking time 30 minutes to 40 mins . Depending on your oven.
As you first take a bite, you will the powdery texture, next you will feel the smoothness and the sweetness.
Unique textured biscuits..
Happy Ramadhan.

INGREDIENTS
500 gms tapioka flour
90 gms margarine.
150 gms powdered sugar
4 pandan leaves .( optional, but these do give a very subtle flavour)
1 tsp vanila essence or 1/4 tsp vanila powder.
40 gms milk powder.
100 ml of coconut milk.( I used a tetra pack) add few drops of food colouring, and mix.

Take a wok or frying pan, add the tapioka flour, and chopped pandan leaves. Saute this flour on low heat till the flour is really hot and feels lighter. At this point the pandan leaves should be crisp and easy to snap. Cool the tapioka flour completely. Sift in a strainer to remove any lumps. Cool.
In a mixing bowl, add margarine and sifted sugar, mix with a spatula untill its a smooth paste, add milk powder and mix and fold once more.

Add sifted tapioka in batches
Alternately with coconut milk.

Go in with your hands and mix with your finger tips…untill the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

This will not be moist. It will be dry mix.

Take a mold( picture in comments) add the mix and press in , scrap off excess..
Remove gently onto a baking mat or tray.

Bake in a pre heated oven, at a very low mark.. I used the 150 mark.
This kue or biscuit is very different in taste, its powdery, melt in your mouth, and yummy.

Very popular during Ramadhan.

A must try…😊

FUYUNGHAI aka fried vegetable omelette

main meal, snacks

FUYUNGHAI

This super easy egg dish is probably known to most of us. Probably invented by some innovative house wife who wanted to use up the vegetables and meat in her refrigerator. 😊
Very easy to make and comes together very quickly.
There is no hard and fast rule to make this, but its good to follow some guidelines. Its a basic Fried Egg omelette with some vegetables and protein tossed in, and some flour to bind it all together.
This dish is almost on all menus in old fashioned chinese restaurants in Jakarta. Here it is served with a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Fried till the outside of fuyunghai is crisp while the inside is soft . It is normally served with white rice. Do try this recipe😊

1/3 cup finely chopped carrots
1/3 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions
100 gms very finely minced chicken
50 gms prawns minced.
3 eggs
4 heaped tbsps cornflour
2 heaped tbsp flour..maida.
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp chicken seasoning..
1 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp msg or sugar.
( I added finely chopped bird eye chillies for an extra punch)

Mix all this together in a bowl.

Heat about 400ml of oil in a wok or frying pan. On medium heat, pour in half the egg batter, Keep splashing oil on it( as we do for Poories) .let cook on one side till crisp, gently turn over and fry till crisp. ( used two spatulas to do it gently).

Put into a platter, cut into wedges or squares.
Pour hot sauce on it.
Serve with rice for a complete meal or just as a starter.

Sauce..
Blanch 3 tomatoes
Blend in a mixer, and strain.

Now heat about 2 tbsps of butter.
Add 1 sliced onion
2 tsps minced garlic
Add 2 tsps sugar
And saute till onions become limp.
Add about 1/3 cup boiled green peas( I used frozen).
Pour in the tomatoes puree, season with , salt to taste, 1/2 tsp pepper.
Add about 2 tbsps of tomato ketchup.
1/4 cup water. Now add 1 tsp of vinegar.
Check seasoning and add some cornflour slurry to slightly thicken the sauce. The sauce shd be sweet and sour, so please adjust seasoning.

This Recipe is for 2 Fuyunghai.
Enough for 4 ppl people.😊

Fusion deviled eggs.

snacks

FUSION  DEVILED EGGS

A very easy simple recipe, which I just happened to see on a instagram reel.
Saw and liked the concept. Ingredients were not mentioned, but sort of guessed. And the outcome was pretty good.  A good chinese twist to our simple hard boiled eggs. Here I have not used the egg yolks. Used them  for another recipe, and gave some to my pet african grey  parrot who enjoys eating eggs.  I have used minced chicken to fill up the hard boiled shells. Do try this simple side dish…

5 eggs boiled, peeled and halved.
( we will not use the yolks)
To enable the halved eggs to sit without wobbling, I took off a silver from the bottom.

To make the filling
125 gms finely chopped underside of chicken breast.
1 red chilie.. chopped
1 spring onion…use only the white part
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1 tbsp chopped corriander leaves
1 tbsp chopped garlic
Salt to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ajinomoto…optional.
1 egg white..lightly beaten.
Put all the above in a food processor and blitz till mixed well.

Make 10 ball with wet hands..

Put each ball into the boiled egg shells and put in a slightly greased frying pan.

Pour over the sauce, cover and cook for 10 mins. Done.
Serve hot or cold.

Sauce..
1 tbsp chillie oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 sprig minced curry leaves.
1 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 tsp sugar.
1 spring onion..finely minced.
1 tbsp chillie sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce.
1 tbsp chopped corriander leaves
1 green chillie..cut into thin rings
1 red chillie cut into thin rings
A pinch of salt.

In a bowl, add..chillie oil,  vinegar, chillie sauce, soy sauce,  garlic, sugar, salt,  spring onion, corriander leaves, green and red chillies….mix well. Pour hot sesame oil on top, and 1/4 cup hot water. Mix.

Heat sesame oil, plus 1 tbsp normal oil in a small tadka pan..add minced curry leaves.. and pour into the bowl  with rest of ingredients.

CHICKEN BOXING/CHICKEN LOLLYPOP WITH SALTED EGG CREAM SAUCE

snacks

Chicken boxing/lollypop  with salted egg cream sauce.

Salted eggs are also know as TELUR ASIN in Indonesia, and are found in most south Asian countries. We can say pickled eggs.
Usually Duck eggs  are soaked in brine for  about 15 days ,sometimes the eggs are covered with a damp charcoal paste. But mostly they are soaked in brine. The salt thus penetrates the shell to give a salty flavour to the eggs, the whites have a gelatinous texture, while the yolks normally get a rich umami flavour. Once out of the brine,
, they need to be boiled or steamed. When using the eggs, they just need to be cut in the middle, and the egg scooped out.
Todays recipe uses the yolks of the eggs, to give us a delicious creamy sauce.
Do try this out if you can.
Salted eggs are also sometimes made with normal brown hen  eggs.

These egg yolks have a rich umami flavour and taste amazing.

6 boiled salted duck eggs, cut into half and yolks removed.
( whites can be added to any other dish..maybe fried rice).

4 cloves garlic..finely chopped.
5 bird eyed chillies finely chopped.
2 sprigs of curry leaves , most chopped finely..some left whole.
1/3rd  to 1/2 cup of  milk.
1 tsps sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ajinomoto.
3 tbsps butter.
1 tbsp oil.
1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

In a bowl, add the egg yolks and mash with the back of  a spoon, untill its a fine paste.
In a pan add the  oil and butter and  the garlic, chopped chillies, curry leaves, salt, pepper, sugar, ajinomoto. Mix for a minute. Now add the mashed egg yolks, and mix. The mixture will start foaming.
Add the  milk , mix well and  once heated through
. Pour into a bowl . Sauce is ready.

For boxing chicken aka chicken lollypop.
About 10  chicken wings, the ends discarded, cut into 2 at the joint, , here I have used only the front drumettes.   Give a cut the bottom of the drumette and pull back the meat  and form sort of a ball. .( pictures in comments)

Grind 4 cloves garlic, and a little ginger with salt and pepper to taste., add a squirt of lime juice., mix this paste with one egg and whisk. Tip in the chicken, after few mins remove chicken from egg mixture, shake off excess, and roll in corn flour.  Deep fry.
Serve these wings with salted egg sauce.

☆.you can also serve this sauce with  small pieces of fried chicken. Or even french fries

☆Salted egg chips are really trending now.
Have shared some pictures in comment section.
☆.. to those who cannot find salted eggs easily,,please do try with normal boiled egg yolks.
☆ using cornflour to dust the chicken makes  it crispy as there will be no formation of gluten.

COMBRO ONCOM

snacks

COMBRO..pronounced CHOMBRO.


This is an Indonesian snack made with cassava and oncom( pronounced onchom) . Oncom is made using by products used in the making of tofu and tempeh. Typically sold in wet markets, its trademake orange top is actually mold . This is a staple in javanese cuisine. On its own its rather bland.
But cooked with spices its delicious.
It has a very sponge like texture and its very light weight.

Today’s recipe is a crocket made with cassava stuffed with a oncom filling. This is a popular sundanese snack from west java. 

Oncom can be replaced with tofu, tempeh or our own soya nutri flakes.
I have made these crockets with a veg keema / nutri flakes many times with delicious results

Do try

I kg  Singkong ( CASSAVA)
Peeled , washed and grated very finely.
We use a special very unique grater for this purpose.( photos in comments)
It is a wooden board with tiny pins all over the surface.
You can use any grater.
After grating the cassava, add salt to taste and 2 heaped tbsps of Tapioca flour or cornflour, and mix well.
Make about 15 balls, stuff each ball with some filling, and shape into oval crockets.
Deep fry and serve with bird eye chillie.

Filling.
200 gms of oncom crumbled,
OR 200 gms of nutri flakes( weight after rinsing or boiling and water completely squeezed out)

Grind to a paste
4 garlic pods
10 shallots
7 to 8 red chillies.

Heat 3 tbsps  oil in  a pan, and add
1 lemongrass pc and an inch of galangal ( bashed to release flavours, )
Plus few fresh bay leaves.
Saute for a minute and add the red paste.
Saute till oil seperates, add crumbled oncom or soya flakes.
Add salt to taste.
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or 1 tsp sugar.
Cook on low heat till all ingredients come together and dry up.
Cool and use as stuffing.

KETAN SERUNDENG aka sticky rice cakes with coconut flakes

snacks

KETAN SERUNDENG..
( STICKY RICE CAKES WITH SAVOURY COCONUT FLAKES)

Ketan is a hearty snack quite popular in Indonesia.Ketan is usually made from glutinous rice. Rice is soaked and steamed  in steps, usually with an addition of coconut milk. The steamed sticky rice is then quickly formed into balls and rolled in either plain or flavoured coconut flakes, and served with a spicy peanut sauce.
Coconut which is grated and cooked with a spice paste, is called SERUNDENG, this has a long shelf life if stored in the fridge.
Serundeng is used as a topping on yellow rice, served on the side with other dishes and usually a staple at many homes. You can actually call it the podi powder of Indonesia..
Ketan is usually served as a starter or snack.
Glutinous rice or beras ketan can be used to make a sticky sweet porridge also.

Today I have made it in 2 colours, one white and one blue. The blue ketan is made using butterfly pea flower. Soaking these dried flowers in hot water gave it a lovely indigo colour.  Do try this recipe if you can source GLUTINOUS RICE.

250 gms beras ketan( glutinous rice)
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup water.
1 tsp salt
10 gms of dried butterfly pea flowers, soaked in half cup hot water.( about 1/4 cup) strain when water cools down.

Wash and soak the ketan for 4 hours.
Drain the ketan and put in a hot steamer.
Steam for 15 mins.
Remove into 2 bowls.
To one bowl add 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix and keep aside for 15 mins…the liquid will be absorbed by then..
To the other bowl of ketan, add 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 tsp  salt and 1/4 cup blue liquid from the strained flowers. Keep aside for 15 mins.

After 15 mins put both the soaked rice back into the steamer and steam for 20 mins.
Remove into 2 bowls, make balls while still warm.
Roll the blue ketan balls in plain grated coconut.
Roll the white ketan balls in serundeng.
Serve with peanut sauce.

To make serundeng.
Grind together..
3 garlic pods
5 shallots
4 to 5 red chillies
1 tsp corriander powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
6 shredded kaffir lime leaves.
1 tbsps grated gur.
Small pc of fresh turmeric.

Take a pan, add 2 tbsps oil
Add ground paste and saute till cooked.
Add 1 cup grated and steamed coconut.
Saute till well mixed.
Cool and pulse in mixer to get semi powdered mix.

For white coconut..
Grated and steam coconut for 10 mins.

Tip…we normally grate and steam coconut. To keep handy in the fridge.
It does not go sour , using this method.

Peanut sauce..

100 gms fried peanuts with skin or without
1/2 tsp white pepper
Salt to taste
Veg stock powder, or msg 1/4 tsp
6 bird chillies, 6 red chillies
3 pods of garlic
30 gms palm sugar( I have boiled the palm sugar with little water , and strained to get rid of impurities.)
3 tbsps tamarind pulp or juice of 1 lime.

. Saute the red chillies, bird eye chillies and garlic in 2 tbsps oil.
2. In a mixer jar, add fried peanuts, chillies and garlic. Add salt, pepper and veg stock powder. Add some water and blend to a thick paste.

Egg chicken rolls

snacks

CHICKEN EGG ROLLS OR AYAM GULUNG DADAR TELOR.

This very simple , light and tasty snack comes together very very quickly.  Basically minced chicken is applied on a thin omelette and rolled , steamed and then panfried after cutting.
A no fuss recipe to make and eat😊
Please do try making this.

1st step
Beat 3 eggs lightly and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare 3 thin omelettes and keep aside.

# just cook lightly, don’t overcook the omelettes.

2nd step.
Put 200 gms of boneless chicken in a food processor.
Add 1 spring onion finely chopped
1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
2 tsps sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 tsp salt.
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or 1/4 tsp msg.
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
Run the mixer till chicken is minced well.
Add 1 egg, and run the mixer once more.
Remove into a bowl.

3rd step
Take one omelette, apply 1/3rd of the chicken paste evenly all over the surface.
Roll gently.
Repeat for all 3 omelettes.
Keep the rolls in a hot steamer, seam side down, and steam for 15 mins.

4th step.
Cut the rolls at a slant to get oval pieces.
Dip all the cut pieces into cornflour.
Dust off excess cornflour.
Heat a frying pan and add about 5 to 6 tbsps of oil.
Heat oil, and add the egg chicken roll  pieces.
Pan fry till golden.
Serve hot, with a sauce of your choice.

Kue Bolu Sakura

snacks

KUE BOLU SAKURA
These cute little steamed cakes are a pleasure to see and eat. A no hassle recipe , which comes together quickly. These cute cakes are named after the sakura flower, because of the moulds they are made in.The texture of kue sakura  is very light and airy.
These  sweet cakes are  Included in the vast KUE  varieties available all over Indonesia.
KUE MANIS  to an Indonesian is what MITHAI  is to an Indian. Kue are small bite sized sweetmeats usually  made of rice flour, coconut milk, sugar etc and are mostly steamed. Milk is rarely used.
In todays recipe, I have also added a spice mix called SPEKUK. This spice mix has its origins from the Dutch colonial Era, and is used in some traditional cakes and biscuits here.
Familiar to the Indian taste buds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, cloves and aniseed are blended together,  with cinnamon and cloves being the dominant flavour. 
Use this mix to flavour your biscuits and cakes instead of vanila for a change.
Do try these little treats, use any tiny moulds if you can’t find the same. Any will do.

KUE BOLU SAKURA.

1st step..
Heat 125 gms of sugar with one tbsp of water to make a rich caramel.
Slowly add 250ml of hot water, and boil till caramel dissolves.
Remove from heat and cool completely.

2nd step.
Mix together dry ingredients
200 gms of  flour
25 gms cornflour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp spekuk spice mix
Sift and  keep aside.

Melt 75 gms margarine and keep aside.

3rd step.
In a mixing bowl add
2 eggs
125gms sugar

Beat till  sugar dissolves, and soft peaks form.
Add the caramel water slowly and whisk till mixed.
Now add  the sifted flour, beat once more till mixed.
Finally fold in the melted margarine.or butter.
Pour into lightly greased moulds and steam for 15 mins. Make sure the steamer is already hot.
( to prevent steam from dripping onto the kue, we normally tie a napkin on the lid)
The fragrance of spekuk will waft thru your kitchen, as the kue are being steamed.
As you open the lid, the kue looks quite puffed up, they will shrink within mins.

Cool for a few mins and remove from moulds.
Done. Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee .

Spekuk spice mix.
2 tbsps ground cinnamon
2 tbsps ground nutmeg( I grated it)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground aniseed
Blend everything together and use.
Store the remaining in the refrigerator.