Tag: #ratisfusionkitchen.

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

MANSAF PILAF RICE..VEGETARIAN VERSION.

main meal

Mansaf pilaf rice..Vegetarian Version

This pilaf comes from the middle eastern region of Jordan. Also considered their national dish. Normally cooked in JAMEED( yogurt sauce) with minimum usage of spices.
This is a version I came across on the net long back( would like to credit the blogger, but sadly unable to find it, glad I had jotted down the recipe though)
,I have adapted a bit to our liking. The taste is not very far from Indian cooking.
Served with a garlicky yogurt sauce. Its a comfort food.
The non vegetarian version uses lambĀ  mostly.
My version of mansaf pulav tweaked to a slightly Indian taste..šŸ˜Š

2 cups of Basmati Rice..washed and soaked for an hour.

Cook the rice as usual adding

1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cinnamon powder
2 tsps salt.

THE VEGETABLE LAYER
Heat 2bsps oil
Add..
2 finely chopped onions.. saute till pale gold.
Add puree of 2 tomatoes( blanched)
Add 1/4 cup of soya granules( boil, and saute inĀ  little oil)
Add one chopped green paprika.
Add 1 brinjal cut into small cubes
( soak in slightly salted water, squeeze and saute lightly in little oil)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Mix everything well.. add little water and cook tillĀ  a thick gravy is left
1 tsp black pepper powder or red chilli powder.
Add 2 tsps of BAHARAT SPICE( recipe given below)
Salt to taste.
When done, keep aside.

GARLIC LABAN MOUTBOUK

Whisk 1 cup of thick yogurt with
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp besan.
( adding these will prevent curdling)

Heat 2 tsps oil and add 1 heaped tbsp of finely chopped garlic.
Saute till pale golden
Add whisked yogurt
And heat on low till you see bubbles appearing.
Shut the flame and season with salt.

To assemble..
Heap rice on a platter and top with the vegetables, drizzle some laban moutbouk on the top and garnish with roasted almonds, pumkin and sunflower seeds. And sprinkle some of the Baharat powder on top.

To make Baharat spice

Mix 1/2 tsp each

Cinnamon powder
Cumin powder
Corriander powder
Clove powder
Nutmeg powder
Black pepper powder
Ginger powder..

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

.

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 theĀ  stock is further cooked till all water evaporates…Reverse cookingšŸ˜Š. This residue is then deep fried or sautedĀ  untill its crisp.
Normally this is sprinkled over the fried chicken and served with steamed jasmineĀ  rice, chillie sambal and some lalapan( salad)
We all relishĀ  eatingĀ  this with our hands, asĀ  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
Ā  8 garlic cloves
5 candlenuts or cashewnuts
1 tbsp corriander seed powder.
1 tsp white pepper powder
Ā  1/4 cup oil


Take a sauce pan or wok,Ā  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 addĀ  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.
ā—‹ 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 becomeĀ  crisp upon cooling. This can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and used as a topping .

To serve,Ā  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 ofĀ  a delicious stew made sindhi style. AĀ  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,Ā  and though I can bring them from India, am not really fond of the dry wadis. So since years I have beenĀ  making fresh moong dalĀ  kachoris and addingĀ  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.Ā 
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.

Bangkitā€¦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 tipsā€¦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 tryā€¦šŸ˜Š

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. šŸ˜Š
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 recipešŸ˜Š

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.šŸ˜Š

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 inĀ  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 greenĀ  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 chickenĀ  with bones cut into small pcs
( about 700 gms) I cut the chicken into 12 pieces…

Marinate withĀ  juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp salt andĀ  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) andĀ  coat the chicken pieces nicely.Ā  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

Capcai ( chaap chai)

main meal

CAPCHAI
Pronounced.. chaap chai.

This is a simple stew, which we eat regularly at home. Especially when we have been eating out a lot. A very simple healthy non spicy dish which is really tasty.
Have it accompanied with egg fried rice to make a one dish meal. A very forgiving dish, which makes use of a lot of vegetables…( good way to clear out your fridge.šŸ˜Š)
You can make it vegetarian, or add chicken, or prawns.Ā  Just make sure to cut the vegetables at a slant. So they can cook evenly and fast.

3 options to have this dish.
1.. Poured over fried rice.
2.. Poured over a mix of boiled noodles and deep fried boiled noodles.( also called IFUMIE) similar to chopsuey.
3. Poured over fried or steamed wontons( including a picture in comments.)

Just make sure its made on a high flame. And try to makeĀ  it near serving time, so the vegetables look fresh and not limp. VegetablesĀ  should have a crunch..

1 carrot..peeled, sliced at a slant .
1 potato , peeled , quartered and slicedĀ  at a slant.
4 baby corn, sliced at a slant.
1/2 cup of broccoli flowerlettes .. soaked in salted water.
1/2 cup pakchoi or mustard greens roughly chopped.
10 snappeas…baby sweetpeas whole.
1 big dry shitake mushroom ( boil in water untill soft).. then sliced.( retain about 1 cup of the water)
1 onion cut into big cubes
1 bell pepper..green or red or yellow, cut into big cubes.
1/2 cup quartered mushrooms( fresh or tinned)
1/2 cup chinese cabbage roughly chopped.
OPTIONAL…I ADDED SILKEN TOFU.
2 to 3 tbsps vegetarian oyster sauce.
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper powder
Salt to taste.
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or MSG.
About 2 heaped tbsps cornflour mixed with some water to make a slurry..use as required.

To be ground to a paste..
3 seedless red chillies
6 garlic pods
1 inch piece of ginger.

Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan and add the paste. Saute till fragrant and add the white pepper and salt.
Now add carrots, potato, corn, mushrooms and mix. ( IF ADDING CHICKEN , ADD NOW, BONELESS CUBED )

AddĀ  3 cups of HOT WATER.( including reserved water from shitake mushrooms)
Let the vegetables boil for about 5 mins, and add the oyster sauce, sesame oil, msg.
Now add onions, bell pepper, snap peas, chinese cabbage , pok choi, and broccoli.

Bring to a rolling boil for few mins only.Ā 
Now add enough cornflour slurry to thicken the stew. Check seasoning and serve immediately.