Tag: salad

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

Asinan serut or liquid fruit salad

main meal

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.

Enjoy this refreshing liquid salad chilled.

Grilled Sindhi Dal Sandwich

main meal
The dal sandwich

Grilled Sindhi Dal Sandwich

This Sindhi Speciality, usually sold in carts in Ulhasnagar area, is a grilled vegetable sandwich using raw vegetables and boiled potatoes…Boiled moong dal is usually poured over it and garnished with chutneys, and some sev. A complete meal on its own, and very low on oil usage.  There are many variations for the filling, but I prefer incorporating raw vegs along with boiled potatoes.Do try it out.

A sandwich, when we were children, meant either chutney with sliced tomatoes or a boiled potato toaster, which I loved. My mother would put lots of chillie, onion, kotmir and some dry masalas in boiled mashed potato, make a sandwich and toast it using a stove top hand held toaster, not forgetting the liberal use oil used to make it crisp. We happily ate those along with tomato sauce. Never once asking… where is the protein in this meal?😁😁

Ingredients and method for dal
1 cup of yellow moong dal
( soaked for 4 hours, and boiled with 1 tbsp of crushed garlic and salt)
Boil till soft and mushy, don’t mash it up too much, leave a little bite to it.
Adjust consistency. We want it easily pourable. Not too thin nor thick
Keep aside.
Ingredients  for Sandwich
6 slices of bread
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup shredded raw beetroot
1/2 cup finely sliced green paprika( capsicum)
Tomato slices
2 boiled  potatoes.. peeled and sliced.
Some chaat masala.

Mix cabbage, carrot, beetroot and paprika.
Onto a bread slice place tomato slices and top with the raw shredded vegetables, lastly place boiled potato slices , sprinkle chaat masala and cover with another slice of bread.
Grill the sandwich with oil or butter applied.
I grilled on a stove top with a heavy cover, brushing oil to get it crisp.

Other ingredients
Green chutney
Khatti meethi tamarind chutney
Chaat masala, red chilli powder
And some sev and corriander leaves.

Assembling
Cut a grilled sandwich into half
Place on a plate
Pour HOT dal on it.
Top with green chutney, tamarind chutney, dry masala and sev.
Enyoy your wholesome meal

* make it at serving time. Eat immediately.

Watermelon and cottage cheese salad

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Watermelon , one of the most loved fruits all over the world,this wonderful fruit, quenches our thirst and hunger at the same time and has very  few calories.. a boon for anyone on a diet. This fruit which is more than 91 percent water, is a god sent on a hot humid day, as it keeps us hydrated. Watermelon has been used in cocktails or mocktail with amazing results as it blends well with almost all flavours as well as lending its pretty red colour . Using it as a ingredient in salads also produces amazing results, the use of feta cheese in an  chilled italian watermelon salad is awesome specially if its sprinkled with chopped mint leaves… hmmmmm.

Today, the recipe i will share with you is a fusion of the east and west cultures, it is a simple salad using just few ingredients but it makes for a good centerpiece at any party, and a good appetizer before any meal. For me, watermelon brings back those lovely memories of the hot and dry Pune summers.  The vendors at the market  and roadside with their carts full of this luscious emerald green skinned fruit heralded the beginning of summer for us, which in turn meant half days at school.  Walking home at 1 pm in the hot heat,  we could hardly wait to reach home, where my mom would have drawn the curtains, making our home oh so cool, the fan whirring at full speed and the best site, my mom cutting cold watermelon and giving us heaped platefuls of cold cut watermelon sprinkled with salt. A good way of keeping our electrolytes in balance. Miss those good old carefree days.. brings to my mind a beautiful song sung by late kishore kumar, koi lauta de mere beete hue din, of course i always have an appropriate hindi song for any situation..:) because of my love for old hindi songs, but will keep that topic for another post. Do try this recipe and don’t forget to serve it chilled. and do give this post a like and share it with your friends.

Ingredients..

Half a seedless watermelon

1 bowl of hung curd

1 tbs of whole caraway seeds ( shah jeeri) gently roasted

few strands of saffron, soaked in a tbsp of hot water and  ground to a paste

half cup of grated cottage cheese(paneer)

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp of finely grated lemon rind

finely chopped cilantro, and few mint leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp of honey.

method..

Take a melon baller spoon and scoop out small balls from the watermelon

Put the balls in a strainer for 15 mins till excess water drains out

Meantime , in a bowl, mix together the hung curd, saffron, honey, salt pepper, lemon rind and lemon juice  to get a amazing sunny dressing.

Now arrange the watermelon balls in a pretty dish, sprinkle the grated cottage cheese (paneer) and half of the chopped  cilantro and mint leaves and gently mix.

Finally pour the yogurt sauce over the balls, and sprinkle generously with the roasted caraway seeds and remaining chopped cilantro and mint leaves…enjoy.