Cooking Chapter: Arem-arem mie, Steamed noodle wrapped in banana leaves

Most of Indonesian people eat three times in a day; morning, noon and night. A plate of rice with selection of side dishes, vegetables, sambal and crackers is very common for Indonesian people even to eat in the morning before they start their daily routines. Rice as a staple food for several cultures and countries has been transformed into various kind of delicious and tasty dishes. In Indonesia, we have Nasi Uduk means fragrant rice cooked with coconut milk or Nasi Kuning that also cooked with coconut milk and turmeric to give yellow color to the rice and of course some herbs and spices. Not to mention Indonesian famous Nasi Goreng, super yum !!

But rice is not the only staple food in this world. In some region in Indonesia where local residents eat other staple foods instead of rice; such as sago in Maluku and Papua, cassava in Cirendeu Village, corn or sweet potato for Papua's highland ethnic group called Dani tribe.

If you think rice is too heavy, you could consider noodle as an alternative choice for your meal. Noodle generally made from wheat flour, egg, salt and water, therefore it's good to fulfill your body need of carbohydrate. A wide variety of noodle dishes also offered by food stalls or street vendors around neighborhood like chicken noodle, fried noodle, Mie Aceh, Soto Mi, Mi Celor or Mi Juhi. The using of noodle in Indonesian traditional cuisine has produced different kind of dishes according to each cultures and traditions in ethnic group or region.

I am a big fan of noodle as long as it cooked with real and fresh spices. Since I am a Javanese, I love love Mie Godhog or Javanese style boiled noodle. It traditionally cooked over charcoal stove. The aroma of garlic, candlenut and pepper paste while being stir fry, the soup made from chicken broth that elevates the flavor, and a spoonful of cucumber and chili pickle. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of my late parents were eating their favorite food, Mie Godhog, in my memory.

My creation of noodle which is very easy and simple, a breakfast idea, noodle-on-the-go, packed with meat, egg and veggies, easily grab and go for your busy morning, Arem-arem Mie or Steamed noodle wrapped in banana leaves. Arem-arem usually made from rice and stuffed with minced beef, chicken, diced vegetables or oncom, but I used noodle for this recipe.

This traditional snack is a complete parcel of carbs, protein, fiber and vitamin. Not too much, light and just enough to keep your stomach satisfied, enough portion to avoid your stomach from growling. Arem-arem mie is a perfect snack for outdoor refreshing picnic or any occasion. Banana leaf makes the food fragrant and infuses the food inside the banana leaf parcel with subtle and grassy aroma. Banana leaf is also healthy and give natural and traditional look to your dish. I like to have it as iftar snack on Ramadhan, eat it while it still warm with peanut sambal.