Tag: #pedas

NASI KUNING JAWA

main meal

NASI KUNING JAWA

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.

Pepes Ayam aka Indonesian steamed chicken.

main meal

PEPES AYAM

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.

I got 6 packets of pepes.





Ketoprak..

main meal

Ketoprak..
( pronounced KAT..O..PRAAK)

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.

Soaked and drained rice
Make the roll

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.