This is one dish which is made at least twice a month at home. The creaminess of ground candle nuts, the caramalisation of kecap manis, The Heat of the Sambal it’s served with, balance with herbed rice so well. A very easy dish to make and eat. 😊. Make a side dish of TUMISAN. ( Indonesian stir fry vegetables) and you are sorted for a comfort meal. Try and use thigh pieces of chicken, with or without the skin.
THE PASTE.. (A) 10 candle nuts.. Lightly sautéed. 12 cloves garlic 6 shallots 2 cms fresh turmeric 1 inch pc ginger 1 tbsps coriander seeds, slightly roasted. Grind the above ingredients with 1/4 cup oil. Add 1/4 cup water if needed for a smoother paste. Put this paste in a nonstick pan and cook on low fire till it’s completely dry.
Now.. In a bowl, take about 8 medium size chicken thigh on bone. Add.. 1/2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp salt 1 tsp mushroom powder or msg(1/2 tsp) 1 tsp of black pepper powder. 1 tbsp oyster sauce. Paste of candle nuts…( A) Rub the chicken well, cover and keep aside for an hour.
Now take a non stick pan, Put the chicken pieces along with the marinate and cook till 80 percent done, while flipping periodically. Add about half cup water, mix and cover for few mins, till the water is almost finished, and chicken is cooked. Now add 4 tbsps of kecap manis, 1 heaped tbsp of margarine. Mix and cook till gravy is thick and coats the chicken. Serve with fresh chillie Sambal, some cucumber, and white rice. Finger licking good.
** in lieu of candle nuts maybe cashewnuts will do. ** if you don’t have kecap manis, try mixing soya sauce and honey together. **This recipe is adapted from a local Indonesian you tube channel.. Mrs Devina. I have just tweaked it a little.
Nasi kuning(or yellow rice) comes from the regions of jawa. Traditionally made during festivals and especially birthdays. In case it is made for a birthday, rice cooked with turmeric, herbs and coconut milk will be packed into a cone shaped mould and then inverted onto a base of rice in the form of a circle . The rice is then surrounded by various other food items, such as tempe( fermented soya cake), chicken, fish, fresh basil and cucumber. The person whose birthday it is slices off the top of the cone onto a plate without the rice disintegrating.. I have done a miniature nasi kunning plate to show you all.
Normally at home, we just put the rice, sprinkle some fried peanuts and fried onions, and surround with tempe, chicken in red sauce or tofu potato in red sauce, and sayur acar.( pronounced achaar) Fresh sweet basil is a must along with cucumber slices. Best eaten with hand. We can call this an Indonesian thali. Recipe is slightly long, but fairly easy to make. Do try it and enjoy.
YELLOW RICE Soak 2 cups of jasmine rice for 30 mins. Drain. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1 stick cinnamon, 2 fresh bay leaves, 4 kaffir lime leaves, 1 stalk of lemon grass( only bottom white part, bashed) . #( incase you don’t gave fresh herbs, use star anise, tej pata and cinnamon)
Saute for a few mins and add drained rice. Add 100 ml thick coconut milk And 100ml of water Mix well, add 2 tbsps grated fresh turmeric and salt to taste. When liquid dries up, transfer rice to a steamer and steam for 15 to 20 mins. Done. Keep warm.
AYAM MERAH( RED CHICKEN) 300 gms of boneless chicken..cubed 2 tomatoes .. cut into quarters 12 shallots 4 garlic pods..do not cut 4 garlic pods cut fine. 4 red chillies. 2 kaffir lime leaves Lime juice Salt and sugar to taste.
Take a pan, add chicken, tomatoes, whole shallots, whole garlic, and red chillies. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook till everything is soft. Remove chicken and keep aside. Coarsely grind the cooked tomatoes, onions, garlic and red chillies.
Heat 2 tbsps of oil Add chopped garlic and 2 kaffir lime leaves. Saute for few mins Add the red paste and cook till oil seperates. Add the chicken back, season with salt and a little sugar. Lastly add a tbsp of lime juice. Keep aside.
TEMPE ORIK 300 gms tempe, cut into small batons ( can use potato or paneer) Deep fry and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan Add 6 sliced garlic pods( slice, do not chop) 10 sliced shallots 1 inch bashed ginger 2 green chillies, cut at a slant 2 red chillies cut at a slant Saute for few mins, till onions turn golden brown. Add the fried tempe( or potato or paneer) Stir fry Add 2 tbsp of kecap manis( or honey) 1 tbsp tamarind paste. Salt to taste Stir quickly and shut flame. Keep aside.
SAYUR ACAR( VEGETABLE ACHAR) 1 carrot. 5 french beans 1 cucumber, unpeeled and seeds removed ( cut all 3 above mentioned vegetables into medium batons) 10 shallots cut into 2
Grind together with little water 3 roasted candlenuts or 4 cashews 1 inch pc fresh turmeric 1 inch ginger 4 garlic pods 4 shallots.
Heat oil in a pan, add paste and saute well. Add carrots, french beans, shallots, and cucumber…saute well, add 1/4 cup water and cook till vegs are done,and no water remains. Vegs should retain a bite. Shut fire and add salt, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tbsp of vinegar. mix well. Done. Keep aside..
OTHER INGREDIENTS sliced cucumbers Thai basil leaves Dried or roasted peanuts Fried onions.
Assembling Take a plater, line with a banana leaf. Pile rice in the center. Surround with tempe orik, cucumber slices, red chicken, sayur acar, basil leaves, sprinkle peanuts and fried onions . And serve. Can serve red chillie sambal too with some fryums.
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
Se..run..deng, refers to crispy floss. Normally the residue left behind after boiling chicken which has been cooked with ground spices and herbs. The chicken is removed after its tender and the stock is further cooked till all water evaporates…Reverse cooking😊. This residue is then deep fried or sauted untill its crisp. Normally this is sprinkled over the fried chicken and served with steamed jasmine rice, chillie sambal and some lalapan( salad) We all relish eating this with our hands, as the Indonesians do..Eating food with the hands is much favoured here. Now, crisp floss itself can be made differently using 2 or 3 main ingredients.. Coconut, galangal or candlenuts. Today I will share the coconut and galangal one .
I whole chicken with skin , cut into 10 pieces. Or use thigh, breast, anything.
3 kaffir leaf pairs. 3 fresh bay leaves 2 stalks of lemongrass…cut into 4 to 5 pieces, bashed. 60 grams galangal …grated. 1 bowl grated /scraped coconut.. about 150 grams. 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp mushroom seasoning or msg 2 tsps or to taste salt.
FOR THE PASTE..GRIND FINELY 2 inch piece ginger 2 inch piece fresh turmeric 10 shallots 8 garlic cloves 5 candlenuts or cashewnuts 1 tbsp corriander seed powder. 1 tsp white pepper powder 1/4 cup oil
Take a sauce pan or wok, add the ground paste and saute till fragrant. After 5 mins add the fresh herbs kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, lemon grass. Saute for a while. Add 1 tsp sugar About 2 tsps salt. 1 tsp mushroom seasoning or msg
Add the chicken pieces, mix well and add 2 cups of water..bring to a boil. Add the grated galangal and mix well.
Once mixed properly, add grated coconut.
and let chicken cook completely
The water should reduce to a thick gravy.
Remove chicken pieces and keep aside. Cook the gravy till really dry.
Heat oil in a wok, flash fry the cooked chicken .
In the remaining oil, add the semi dried gravy.. and fry on medium heat till light golden.. Remove and keep aside. This is the floss or Serundeng. Stir constantly so the semi solids don’t burn. ○ It took me about 15 mins to fry the floss, when the bubbles started disappering while floss was being fried and the colour was golden, I removed it on a strainer. It will be slightly soft, but should become crisp upon cooling. This can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and used as a topping .
To serve, put the chicken on a platter, sprinkle floss/ serundeng on top.
We enjoy eating this with steamed rice. Labu siam ( chayote) stir fried, some spicy sambal, and a lalapan( salad) of cucumber and fresh lemon basil. Try eating with your hand and relish every bite.
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.😊
This dish is a sibling of the more famous INDONESIAN GADO GADO. You can say its a filling salad which can be had hot, cold or at room temperature. We prefer it at room temprature. Unlike the gado gado, which is mostly all steamed vegetables, KETOPRAK consists of potato, tofu, rice vermicilli, bean sprouts , cucumber and sometimes LONTONG( rice cake) . Today I will share the recipe of LONTONG, Aka rice cake. Easy to make and very satisfying. A complete meal on its own and delicious. So basically we make the lontong first as it needs a good one hour boil on the fire. And while thats being done we prep the other ingredients. Here in Jakarta we sometimes buy the lontong from the wet markets. Readily available. And sometimes when time permits, we make them at home. Lontong keep well in the fridge for upto 2 days. Do try the recipe. Have included the photos in the comment section.
For lontong 1 or 2 cups of starchy jasmine rice. Wash and soak for 2 hours. Drain. ( we dont add salt or oil) Cut softened banana leaves into squares, take 2 squares one on top of the other and form a cylinder. Secure one end with toothpick. Fill the drained rice with a spoon in the banana leaf rolls., half way. And secure with a toothpick. Now fill a good sized pan with a lot of water, and submerge the rolls in it. Water should fully cover the rolls. Depending on the size of the rolls, and the size of the pot, you can boil them in upright or horizontal position. Cover and cook on medium heat for a good one hour. The rolls will be cooked by then. Remove and keep aside to cool. The size of banana leaf roll can be adjusted. ( picture in comments section) (Apologies for one photo which got deleted by mistake, the one with the rolls in the pan)
Preparation.. 2 big squares of tofu..soak in salted water, drain and deep fry whole. 2 to 3 boiled potatoes peeled and deep fried whole. 2 cucumbers, peeled 1 big bowl of beansprouts ..blanched and drained. 1 big bowl of boiled rice vermicilli. Some fried onions Khaffir lime or normal lime halves.
Peanut sauce..
100 gms fried peanuts with skin or without 4 kaffir lime leaves ( middle stock removed) 1/2 tsp white pepper Salt to taste Veg stock powder, or msg 1/4 tsp 3 bird chillies, 3 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
. 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., the kaffir lime leaves. Add some water and blend to a thick paste. 3. Heat 2 or 3 tbsps oil, and put the peanut paste. Saute for a while, and add palm sugar and tamarind water. Also add about one cup water and let it cook till oil starts seperating. Keep aside.
To serve.. In a platter, arrange the rice vermicilli, sprouts, cut the tofu , potatoes, and cucumbers ( at an angle) and lontong cut into thick discs. Top with peanut sauce and lime juice. Sprinkle some fried onions.( pls do not omit). Enjoy.
ASINAN SERUT OR LIQUID FRUIT SALAD Here in Indonesia, people love Asinans and Rujaks. Rujaks are cut fruits and raw vegetables, served with a thick palm sugar sauce.( will put up recipe soon) . An Asinan has fruit or vegetable,which are marinated in a tangy, spicy sweet syrup. And sort of pickled. These can be bottled and kept upto 2 weeks, depending on the fruits and vegetables used. Asinans vary from region to region. Todays recipe is ASINAN SERUT( Grated fruit Asinan )
The recipe I will share with you is an instant fusion Asinan. Fusion because I have added young coconut strips, which is not normally added, but I love the taste of it.😊 this recipe is very forgiving, you can add or omit any fruits, you can either chop the fruits or grate. You can use this as a palate cleanser, amuse bouche, between courses or even before meals to give your appetite an edge😊. Best served chilled.
1st step..syrup. Take 500 ml of water in a pan,( can use the water from coconut, as I have done) add paste of 3 red chillies( can reduce or increase as per your choice)
5 tbsps of sugar 3 tbsp of vinegar. 1/4 tsp salt.
Boil till sugar melts, for about 5 mins.
Cool completely. .
To this add 1/2 cup grated semi ripe mango 1/2 cup grated cucumber with the skin 1/2 cup young drinking coconut, cut into thin strips. 1/2 cup grated apple.
Mix everything and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Serve in small glasses Topped with some peanuts, and chopped red chillie.
IKAN KEMBUNG SAMBAL PETE. ( MACKEREL IN SPICY CHILLI SAUCE WITH STINK BEANS) Stink beans, bitter beans , twisted cluster beansthe names are enough to put people off. BUT, wait, these beans are so called bcoz of their distinct taste and odour,( A bit strong, but similar to raw asparagus which I admit is an acquired taste.) The bean it self has a buttery bite to it. And the beans healing properties are many. They are very good in cleansing the kidneys., so don’t shy away…do try them Very very popular here in Indonesia. Petai( pronounced Ptai) is mostly added to sambals or served as a side dish with rice, fish, chicken etc. Its truely delicious. Its normally just added in the last stage of cooking or eaten fried. In India Its called YONGCHAK, ( I googled this, and saw its found in MANIPUR.) Pls do enlighten me if you know more about this in India. Normally a single stalk will have about 10 to 12 beans, the outer covering is disposed and the beans are used.Every vegetable vendor who passes around will surely have many petai hanging on his cart. These bright green beans surely brighten up a dish. Ikan kembung is a distant cousin of the mackerel. Its not very fleshy, and has many tiny bones. But it fries very well and tasty to eat. Use any other fish if you want. Its the sambal which is so tasty..spicy, a little sweet and slightly tangy. Do try this recipe. Photo was a bit difficult to take..pls excuse the photography.
500 gms of ikan Kembung( chubb mackerel)..Make slits over the fish. Wash well, rub lime juice and salt over it and let sit for half an hour. Next rub some corriander powder and turmeric into the fish Heat some oil in a pan and deep fry the fish till crispy…( you can cover while frying to avoid spluttering. Keep the fish in a serving dish.
Sambal.( 1st step grinding) 7 red chillies 5 bird eye chillies 6 shallots 3 garlic pods 1 tsp salt 50 ml or 3 tbsps water. Blend all this .keep asaide.
Step 2. Heat 6 tbsps oil in a pan Add the blended paste, 1 stalk of lemongrass( slit and bashed), 3 torn kaffir lime leaves Cook this till oil seperates. Now add 10 whole bird eye chillies 1 big tomato sliced 1 tbsp jaggery or brown sugar 1/2 tsp sugar 50 ml or 3 tbsps water. Also add the Petai( remove from stalk, and remove the white membrane, slit the green beans into 2)
Now cook all this for 10 mins till the beans lose thier rawness. To assemble. Put the fish in a platter, and pour the sambal on top of the fish, garnish with cucumber and thai basil. Eat with hot white rice and some stirfry vegetables. Have shared some photos in the comment section.
( Tofu ,beansprouts and egg salad with peanut sauce)
ALSO KNOWN AS TAHU TELOR .
This delicious dish can be called a cousin to the famous gado gado salad of Indonesia. Easy to make and assemble. Having lived in Indonesia since 35 years, my taste buds have got used to the delicious food available here except for tofu or tahu as its known here. For me given a choice between tofu and paneer, paneer wins hands down anyday. But on the other hand, tofu and tempe are staples in the Indonesian diet, and a good source of protein . Both tofu and tempe are also present at afternoon meals in our home too. Fried, sauted, steamed..any which way. So, i have learnt to befriend tofu in some dishes. Growing up in India, we did not really know much about tofu, even with the advent of chinese restaurants, which started mushrooming all over India during the 1970’s., tofu was not part of thier menu. Chinese food was of course egg fried rice, hakka noodles and veg manchurian😊. The awesome chindian food, especially catering to the Indian Palette. Frankly speaking, I still love that particular chindian food which i definetely make it a point to have when in Pune. The spring rolls at chinese room are my favourite. Tofu is now easily available in India, and many people have replaced paneer with tofu in the new fad vegan diets. So on to today’s recipe..pls do try it. Best eaten with warm sauce.
Ingredients. Tofu/ paneer 300 gms cut into small cubes. 3 eggs 100 gms fried peanuts with skin or without Plus 4 tbsps fried peanuts. 100 gms beansprouts, blanched. 4 tbsps chopped celery 4 tbsps finely chopped spring onions 4 kaffir lime leaves ( middle stock removed) 1 big cucumber slit and chopped in semi circles. 4 tbsps fried onion 1/2 tsp white pepper Salt to taste Veg stock powder, or msg 1/4 tsp 3 bird chillies, 3 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
Method 1. 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., the kaffir lime leaves. Add some water and blend to a thick paste. 3. Heat 2 or 3 tbsps oil, and put the peanut paste. Saute for a while, and add palm sugar and tamarind water. Also add about one cup water and let it cook till oil starts seperating. Keep aside. 4. Now beat 3 eggs, season with salt and pepper. Add tofu cubes to the eggs and mix. Heat 1 tbsps of oil in a wok, slide in a laddle of the egg and tofu mixture., you can do it it in batches.( I got about 8 small omelettes) Stir for a bit and let semi set. After a while flip it over. Slide onto a serving platter. Top with cucumber, beansprouts, peanut sauce, celery leaves,spring onions, fried onions and some fried peanuts. Serve warm. Enjoy.
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