Tag: easy

FUSION NASI KEBULI

main meal
Fusion Nasi kebuli

Fusion Nasi Kebuli is Indonesia’s unique take on Arabic Pilaf, reflecting the strong influence of the Arab descent community in Indonesia. Nasi Kebuli, a beloved dish, bears a striking resemblance to our own pulavs and the renowned Mandi Rice from Saudi Arabia. Traditionally, it involves cooking fragrant rice in a flavorful Yakni, whether it’s a chicken or mutton variant. However, the Sindhi community in Indonesia has introduced a delightful twist to Nasi Kebuli. They serve fragrant rice alongside a spicy, rich broth and a fiery sambal, drawing inspiration from the Hadhrami community’s culinary traditions, where broth is served on the side. It’s an intriguing fusion of flavors, and even though it might deviate from the traditional Nasi Kebuli, we’ve come to know and love it by this name over the years. Let’s just call it “Fusion Nasi Kebuli” and savor its delicious blend of influences.

**Ingredients:**
– 4 whole chicken legs with bone
– 2 liters of water
– 1 cinnamon stick
– 1 star anise
– 1 knotted Pandan leaf
– 4 cloves
– 4 bashed cardamom pods
– 1 stalk of bashed lemongrass (only the bottom hard stalk)
– 2 cups of basmati rice
– 2-3 tablespoons of ghee
– 1 sliced onion
– 2 bay leaves
– 1 cinnamon stick
– 1 star anise
– Salt to taste
– 2 teaspoons of garam masala
– 6 fresh red chilies
– 1-inch piece of fresh turmeric
– 1-inch piece of ginger
– 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
– 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
– 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
– 2 cardamom pods
– 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
– 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
– 2-3 tablespoons of oil
– 1 heaped tablespoon of thinly sliced garlic
– 1 cup of coconut milk
– 1 cup of shredded cabbage
– Bird eye chilies (optional)
– Potato crisps
– Fried cashews
– Raisins
– Lime for garnish

**Instructions:**
1. In a large pot, boil the chicken legs in 2 liters of water along with the cinnamon stick, star anise, knotted Pandan leaf, cloves, bashed cardamom, and bashed lemongrass. Simmer until the chicken is tender.

2. Remove the chicken and strain the broth (Yakni). Set the broth aside.

3. Wash and rinse 2 cups of basmati rice.

4. In a separate pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of ghee. Add the sliced onion and sauté until pale golden.

5. Add bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, and a star anise to the sautéed onion.

6. Use some of the Yakni to cook the rice. Season the rice with salt and 2 teaspoons of garam masala. Keep the rice warm.

7. To make the broth, grind the following ingredients into a fine paste: fresh red chilies, fresh turmeric, ginger, coriander powder, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, grated nutmeg, and desiccated coconut.

8. Heat a separate pot and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add the thinly sliced garlic and sauté until pale gold.

9. Sauté the paste in the oil until the oil releases.

10. Add about 4 cups of the Yakni broth to the sautéed paste. Once it boils, add 1 cup of coconut milk. Keep stirring.

11. Finally, add the shredded chicken and about 1 cup of shredded cabbage. You can also add few whole bird eye chilies at this point if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes.

12. To assemble, put some rice in a bowl, top it with the chicken broth. Add potato crisps, fried cashews, and raisins.

13. Garnish with a squirt of lime.

Enjoy your meal!

AYAM BAKAR KEMIRI AKA PAN ROASTED CANDLENUT CHICKEN.

main meal

AYAM BAKAR KEMIRI.
PAN ROASTED CANDLENUT CHICKEN.

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.

My dinner plate

SATE LILIT AYAM/CHICKEN

main meal, snacks

SATE LILIT

Sate, or satay, is a beloved dish in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Every province will have Thier own versions of it. Sate are loved by one and all, easily available and  almost all food stalls will serve these. Meat is normally skewered, Roasted and served with a peanut sauce.

Todays recipe is a Balinese version of Sate.
Sate lilit means wrapped around, not skewered, much like our desi  kebabs, only difference is, the meat is wrapped around slightly bashed lemon grass stalks, so you can imagine the intense fresh flavours. These Sate are not served with any peanut sauce. But served with a raw chiliie onion Sambal called Sambal matah.
Do try this simple and tasty recipe

SATE LILIT**

**Ingredients:**
– 300 g finely minced chicken
– 4 red chillies
– 3 candle nuts (slightly roasted) or cashew nuts
– 3 shallots
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 tsp chicken seasoning powder
– 1 stalk lemongrass (bottom white part only), finely chopped
– 1-2 tbsp oil
– 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
– 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
– 1.5 tbsp thick coconut milk
– 1 tsp salt
– 12-14 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and lightly bashed

**Instructions:**
1. Grind the red chillies, candle nuts, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and chicken seasoning powder into a paste without using water.
2. Cook the paste in a pan with oil over low heat until the oil separates and the paste is dry.
3. Mix the cooked paste with minced chicken, chopped kaffir lime leaves, grated coconut, coconut milk, and salt.
4. Take small portions of the chicken mixture and wrap them around the bashed lemongrass stalks.
5. Grill the wrapped chicken on a lightly oiled non-stick pan.

**SAMBAL MATAH**

**Ingredients:**
– 4 red chillies, finely chopped
– 5 shallots, minced
– 3 kaffir lime leaves, minced
– 1 lemongrass stalk (bottom only), minced
– Salt to taste
– 1/2 tsp sugar
– 2 tbsp very hot oil
– Lime (for finishing)

**Instructions:**
1. Combine all the finely chopped ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix in salt and sugar.
3. Pour hot oil over the mixture and mix well.
4. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy your Sate Lilit with Sambal Matah!

My Indonesian lunch plate for lunch

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.

AYAM SERUNDENG/ FRIED CHICKEN

main meal

AYAM SERUNDENG

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.

AUR JI BHAJI..SINDHI STYLE.

main meal

Aur ji Bhaji ( sindhi style)

This recipe , is of  a delicious stew made sindhi style. A  very very simple and easy recipe.
Today I was craving this, so made it. Aur( rai, mustard seeds ) imparts a very good flavour to this dish , hence the name. Feel free to use any vegetables in this preparation. Though I like using the basic, potato, carrot, french beans, whole shallots and wadi. Here I would like to point out that we don’t get wadi in Jakarta,  and though I can bring them from India, am not really fond of the dry wadis. So since years I have been  making fresh moong dal  kachoris and adding  to the stew at the last moment just before serving.
Now about Authentic recipes. Normally an AUR JI bhaji, will be differently cooked in different houses, there are sindhis who don’t use any tomatoes in the preparation and there are some like me who grew up eating this dish based on a tomato gravy. Have tried making both ways and both ways are delicious. So I cannot really say which of the 2 is authentic. 
Today I will share the tomato based aur ji bhaji.
You can serve this with rice or with phulkas. I love eating this with chapati torn in pieces and added to a bowl of aur ji bhaji..yummm.

Soak 1/4 cup dhuli hui moong dal for 2 hours, drain and grind with minimum water, add a piece of ginger and 1 green chillie while grinding. Season with salt. Mix  well.

Fry teaspoons of the mixture to get about 16 fresh wadi/ kachori.Keep aside.

Blanch 2 tomatoes, discard the skin.
Put in a mixer jar along with one roughly cut tomato.and a small piece of ginger.
Grind and strain the juice. Discard seeds.

Put tomato puree in a sauce pan, add about 3 cups of water, and vegetables.
1 carrot cut into batons
1 peeled and cut potato
About 15 peeled shallots
4 french beans(  cut each into 3 or 4)
Bring to a rolling boil.
Add 1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsps red chillie powder.
Salt to taste.
Once vegetables are tender, add a slurry of wheatflour.  Till the gravy is thick.
( 1 used about 1.5 tbsps in 1/2 cup of water).
Add freshly cut corriander leaves and let simmer while we make the tadka.

Heat 2.5 tbsps of oil in a small pan
Add 1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing
2 sprigs of tender curry leaves
1.5  heaped tbsp of finely minced garlic

Saute till fragrant, add to simmering gravy. Done.

To serve..
Add few kachoris in a bowl and pour hot gravy over them. Enjoy

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.