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.
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.
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. â—‹ 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.
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.
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.😊
I have been wanting to share this amazing recipe for sometime now. PEPES refers to food, mainly chicken, fish or tofu, marinated in spices and steam cooked in banana leaves.( something like the parsi patra ni machi) The marinade will include fresh herbs, and mostly lemon basil, which is the star here. Some tart flavours like green tomatoes or BLIMBING WULUH( Also known as bilimbi, tree sorrel . This is an edible sour fruit.) , truely bring out the freshness of this dish. So these pepes are normally eaten hot with steamed rice. . You can either wrap them in rectangles and seal the edges with a toothpick, or pack them like pyramids. Will add a video in comments section.
Fun facts.. Kemangi or lemon basil is a very close cousin of our tulsi. Its mostly served in a lalapan, which is a raw salad consisting of torn cabbage leaves, green or red tomato wedges and Daun kemangi..these are eaten raw with any cooked chicken or meat dish.
Today I have used both..green tomato as well as Blimbing wuluh. Just for your idea. The main idea is to add tartness to the pepes.
Ingredients
1 chicken with bones cut into small pcs ( about 700 gms) I cut the chicken into 12 pieces…
Marinate with juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.
Keep aside for 15 mins.
CHOP AND GRIND TOGETHER
10 pods garlic 12 shallots 8 candlenuts or about 10 cashewnuts 6 red chillies 1 inch piece of fresh turmeric 1 inch piece of galangal. 1/4 cup oil. Blend untill its a fine paste.
Now take a wok, add this paste and another 1 to 2 tbsps of oil, saute on a low heat till cooked, fragnant and colour changes from yellow to reddish brown. Cool this paste. Which will now look dry. Once cool, mix in the chicken along with the marinade. Add some salt, msg( if using) and coat the chicken pieces nicely. Add the spring onions and all the basil leaves, mix properly . Ready to pack.
OTHER INGREDIENTS .. Big squares of banana leaves 2 to 3 stalks of spring onions cut into chunks Some lemon grass, bashed and cut slantingly. Some fresh bay leaves. And lots of Daun kemangi aka lemon basil or thai basil . These basil leaves are small and very fragrant. About 50 gms of leaves and tender stem. 2 or 3 green tomatoes cut into wedges. ( or use blimbing wuluh aka blimbi fruit) Bird eye chillies as needed.
To assemble.
Take 2 sheets of banana leaves one on top of the other( check comments section for photos). Put one or 2 fresh bay leaf Add sliced lemon grass, top with chicken pieces, along with spring onions, basil leaves. Again top with green tomato wedges and some bird eye chillies. Pack the banana leaf in such a way that there should be no leakage of juices.
Steam these packets for about 30 to 40 mins.
Have hot with steamed jasmine rice.
You can make indivual packets with one or 2 pieces of chicken inside.
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.
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.
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)Â 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.😊
The holy month of Ramadhan all over the world, has different traditions for breaking the fast, one thing common will be sweetmeats, whether its dates or a glass of sharbat. Here in Indonesia, people will mostly drink hot sweet black tea to be followed by various KOLAKS. Kolaks are mostly soupy, palm sugar and coconut milk based. Various things are added, like jack fruit or banana, or sweet potato etc. Mostly served warm as the people here believe that breaking a fast with something cold will surely harm the stomach.😊 Kolaks are made with many twists. Here at home during Ramadhan helpers make different types of sweets. Will share some more recipes soon. Today I will share kolak made with sweet potato dumplings. CANDIL ( pronounced Chandil) is balls of sweet potato. Hence the name. Easy to make and light on the stomach. No oil goes in the preparation.
Step 1 Peel and chop 500 gms of sweet potato ( I have used orange sweet potato) Heat a steamer and steam cook the sweet potatoes. Avoid boiling them . Once cooked, ( it took about 15 mins in my steamer) remove into a plate and mash using a fork. Put in a big bowl along with 150 gms TAPIOKA flour. Add a pinch of salt and mix the warm mashed pototes with the flour. Knead into a smooth ball. Divide and roll into small balls. Work quickly, I had help doing these, so it took about 10 mins for 2 of us .😊 I got about 75 small balls( good enough for a nice big bowl of kolak) keep aside.
2nd step. In a sauce pan, add 200 ml of coconut milk( I used a tetra Pack) and 100 ml of water. Put in a knotted pandan leaf. ( or use 1/2 tsp of vanilla powder) 1/2 tsp of salt Simmer, stirring continuously for 10 mins…keep aside.
3rd step. Heat 600ml water in a saucepan Add 200 gms of chopped palm sugar ( jaggery) 1 tbsps of sugar 1/2 tsp of salt 1 knotted pandan leaf Or you can add a little vanila essence at the end. Boil till palm sugar dissolves, strain the water into another pan to get rid of impurities. Boil once again and add a slurry of 2 tbsps tapioka flour mixed with 50 ml of water. Bring to a boil and keep aside.
Final step. Take a big pot, put about 1.5 liters of water, bring to a rolling boil and add the sweet potato balls. They will sink and rise within 5 mins. Keep on boil for another few mins, strain off the water, and add the balls to the palm sugar syrup. Give one boil and done.
AASSEMBLING. Put few balls and palmsugar syrup in a bowl, drizzle few spoons of coconut milk on top…and enjoy warm.
Tip… to get things done faster, I put the sweet potato to steam on one stove, made the palmsugar syrup on another, and the coconut milk on another. 😊so I was done within 45 mins.
**The bland coconut milk balances the sweet palmsugar syrup.
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