Honey Lemon Glazed "Sunny Gold Chicken Karaage" Sliders

Sebagai seorang ibu dari anak remaja yang sedang dalam masa "doyan makan", saya harus mempunyai banyak ide untuk menyiapkan variasi cemilan di luar jam makan utama. Saya juga harus memastikan bahwa anak saya tidak kelaparan sepulang sekolah, di saat saya masih berada di kantor. Sejauh ini anak saya cukup mandiri, saya hanya perlu menyiapkan bahan-bahannya saja, lalu dia bisa mengolahnya sendiri. Membuat makanan sederhana seperti egg sandwich, nasi goreng atau omelette sudah biasa dilakukannya tanpa bantuan saya. Yes, I am a proud mom !

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 !!

Tuna Macaroni Cheese Balls for your kids

Many people asks me about my surface I use in my food photo. "Where did you buy them ? Did you paint them by yourself ? How to make the pattern as the ones you have ?" and so on. Okay, I always paint my own wooden surface for my food photos. I have plenty of boards with various types and sizes. I painted them according to my imagination and sometimes I combined more than one color. If I don't like the color or the pattern of my board, all I need to is re-paint it again with white paint then start again.  I prefer to make my own board because it looks more personal.

Cold Brew Coffee

Have you  heard a quote that says "You can't buy happiness, but you can buy coffee and that is pretty close" ? In some ways, some people describe that drinking coffee makes them happy or at least they drink a cup of happiness. Either the first one or the second one fits for you better, or you probably have your personal quote to show your love of coffee, but now coffee has become a culture, a ritual before a person start the day in the morning. We can see how coffee affects mood.

Healthy eating with Mix Lettuce Salad

I have been enjoying myself to eat salad lately. The flavor of all fresh veggies is great and surprisingly I like it a lot. Fresh, crunchy and has specific flavors and textures. Sometimes if I'm not busy, I made myself a special dish with toast, sauteed shiitake mushroom. To make it extra special, I combine protein like pan-seared salmon, chicken or sunny-side-up with my salad.

Chinese mantou with braised chicken

I have always enjoyed watching Jamie's 15-Minute Meals on TV every weekend. It never occurred to me that cooking show can be so entertaining, fun and left me with some new ideas brewing in my head. Watching Jamie cooking is like watching a boy playing with his toys on a playground. He can transmit joy through his cooking.

Guest Post : Fried Sweet Potato Balls for "Joy From Fasting to Feasting VII" event

My special Ramadhan guest post for Yummy Food before Ramadhan ends. Bola-bola ubi goreng or Fried sweet potato balls that you can enjoy as your iftar snack. Lubna Karim has been posting Ramadhan recipes on her blog for almost a month since the first day of Ramadhan. On its seventh year, Joy from Fasting to Feasting become a solid place for Muslim bloggers from different country to introduce their popular food or drink during Ramadhan. I salute you, Lubna and I hope I can participate again next year.

Almond sugar pastry cookies

When this blog was a little left behind and there was no new recipe post due to my busyness with my two latest posts on reviewing one restaurant and one bakery, and after everything is done, I feel like I need a break just to catch my breath. The reason why I posted two resto review posts in a very short time was because I was fortunate enough to be chosen by BBlog as one of food blogger to join with other bloggers to do the review and get paid for it :) Yes, I was so lucky !

Melt in your mouth : Chocolate panna cotta

Panna cotta are Italian words for cooked cream in English. The famous Italian dessert which is soft and silky in texture, light, so delicate and melt in your mouth ! Woosshhh....and it will gone in second, but the aftertaste will remain and you just can't wait to have another spoonful and put it in your mouth again and again.

Broccoli & Chicken stir-fry with oyster sauce

From what I saw on the movie, kids hate broccoli. They refuse to eat broccoli because its dark green colour and vegetable with dark green colour equals bitter taste ! But that's completely wrong. Broccoli tastes surprisingly quite good. Broccoli also has numbers of health benefit which are very good for our body, like prevent osteoarthritis, reduce cancer risk, diabetes and heart disease.

Never get bored with pancakes !

I could never say no to pancakes. Those flat and round cakes served with a scoop of ice cream, chocolate syrup, fruit jam, maple syrup or honey. The charm of pancakes has always successfully made me to try and eat them. In the mean time, I post my homemade pancakes. And on my next one will be about my culinary journey on a pancake and waffle restaurant in Jakarta. It's going to be pancake series this month, the last month of this year.

Keep calm & drink rose buds water

I really enjoy my time every weekend making myself a cup of rose buds water. It's a fragrant simple drink, enjoy it sip by sip while watching TV. It gives me a feeling of calmness, relaxation and soothing to my body. Especially on rainy days like these days. Rain accompanied by strong winds almost every day. Puddles throughout the city make the inevitable traffic jams everywhere ! One word to describe it, STRESSFUL !!

New blog name and Corn Pudding

Woohoo... I finally have a new name for my blog, Cooking Chapter. Few names came up in the way before I finally choose this name. Some of them are already being used by someone else and some are too long for a blog name. I want a simple and memorable name that represents me personally and my hobby. Until in the last minute, I was thinking about a book with chapters. And boom....the new chapter begin.... :)

Let's celebrate my happy moment with this beautiful corn pudding. Soft and delicate, lovely yellow color from the sweet corn. I just love them all. I really want to celebrate it in a decent way. But I am holding it off until early next year, in my fourth blogiversary. :)

Earlier last month, I made this pudding based on the ingredients I have in the kitchen, no recipe and no measurement. It taste good, though it need some adjustments in the recipe. But then I made it again with exact measurements and write it all down, so I could share it here.

Enjoy.....

 

Guest Post : Spicy Cheese Sticks for Sonia from "Oggi pane e salame, domani..."

My latest guest post for my Italian foodie friend, Sonia. A simple recipe that can be made by everyone. Cheesy, spicy, fried and I made it gluten free. 
 

Sonia offered me to write two blog posts for her blog Oggi pane e salame domani... (Bread and salami for today, tomorrow... , in English). The first post is about recipe and the other one will be about behind the scene. The complete story and recipe of Spicy Cheese Sticks can be seen on her blog. 

See you there... !

Tamarillo Smoothie

Juice or smoothie ? I misinterpreted the meaning of those words all along. According to some sources I've found on the internet, juice and smoothie are different and they produced from different machines.

Juice is fruits and/or vegetables extract. By using a juicer you will get fresh liquid from the fruits or veggies. It's because juicer separates juice from the pulp. While smoothie is a blended of whole fruit (please remove skin and seeds before you blend it in a blender) and/or vegetable (or could be a mix of fruit and vegetable). The consistency of a smoothie is thick and rich in fiber. Based on the above explanation, the drink I made this time is a smoothie.

Hi everyone, good to be back again here. Been away for some photography projects and still have an upcoming project with my friends. I can't imagine how to manage my time with another extra activities and responsibilities, the hectic and the busy schedule. But deep in my heart I'm happy and very grateful for everything. I wish everything will work out for the best in the end. Aamiin.

I had been coughing for days when I decided to make this smoothie. My energy had drained from my body after I finished the photography project with my friend. Lacking of sleep and skipping lunch break made my condition even worst ! Do you know that lack of sleep can make you a little bit foggy ? I've been there and that is so true. :D

To boost my energy and immune system up, I need vitamin C from natural sources. The richest vitamin C sources are of course from fruits and vegetables  We can find an easy and healthy way to enjoy mixed fruits through juice or smoothie. This time I made tamarillo smoothie with a little bit honey, milk and ice. So freaking fresh !! This one is an amazing healing drink.

Tamarillo or terong Belanda (Dutch eggplant) is an egg-shaped fruit native to South America. It has a unique flavor, a combination of tomato and passionfruit. Tamarillos are high in vitamin C and nutritious. 

Enjoy....
 

Freshen up your day with Honey Mint Lime Water

What do you want to drink in a hot summer day ? Personally, I do prefer something fresh icy cold drink with twist of fruits. Though so many artificial juice drinks out there, a homemade summer drink is much better and healthier. Because it doesn't consist artificial flavor, artificial color, artificial sweetener nor preservatives. So, it's safer for our body.

When I was a kid, my mom used lime juice and soybean ketchup for cough remedy. And, I use that method too to my son whenever he has cough. Like any other mother, I choose natural remedies for my family. I always keep in my mind to be more aware to the signs given by my body. Tired or achy, just go to bed early and take a nap. It's probably my body need a rest. Then I will feel fresh and better when I wake up.

If you're a hot spicy food lover, this drink will sooth your throat. Just like Sundanese foods I ate last week, sayur asem, deep fried salted fish, bean sprout stir fry and spicy shrimp paste sambal with squeezed lime. I ordered iced lime water for my drink, my son and I liked it. So, I made the healthier version by replacing sugar with honey. I checked some lime water recipes before finally making this one. I love how people combined lime water with ginger, lemon grass, soda, cucumber and fruit slices. Since this was my first attempt, I tried with only honey, mint leaves and no soda. It came out nice and I plan to make it again with a twist.

Enjoy......

Pickled water rose apples

Long time ago, pickling was used to preserve food for winter or to be carried on a long journey. Pickles have so many style depend on the country. Fruit pickles, vegetable pickles or a mix of fruits and vegetables. My version of pickle is one of the easiest, because I only toss everything and add chilies to make it hot.

I stepped my feet into the traditional market and I saw thousands of fruit in the carts. Rambutans, mangoes, water rose apples, pomelos and snake fruits have flooded the market. I absolutely wouldn't miss something rare like this.

I decided to make pickle with one of those fruits. I consider pickle is another way to enjoy fruit. Just simply raw and fresh, it also perfect for sunny day. In my family, my mum is amous with her cucumber pickle or we called it acar. I should tell you, she made the best cucumber pickle. The sour from the vinegar, the  flavor and the crunchiness from the cucumber,. Mum usually serve it with boiled noodles or fried bee hoon.

Enjoy.....

Resto Review : Tempura Cooking Class with Ten Ten Restaurant and my homemade Shrimp Tempura

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning in Jakarta. My camera bag was fully loaded with camera, lenses and other stuffs. Felt so much ready to meet my friends from idfb (Indonesian Food Blogger) at Ten Ten Restaurant, Plaza Indonesia. Boga Group once again sponsored food bloggers gathering with an event called Tempura Cooking Class by Ten Ten Restaurant.

It wasn't hard to find the Japanese tempura restaurant on Basement Level over there. A stylish, casual and warm place with Japanese style and ornaments. Before you move your step further into the restaurant, feast your eyes on some fake foods/drinks on the display near the entrance.

Ten Ten Restaurant comes with a concept, Tempura House, offer you more than 164 choices of menu. Salad, small bites, ala carte, main course, drink and dessert. Customers can choose one from 5 variant flavors of tempura (original, spicy, black pepper, curry and seaweed). The tempura is cooked with special technique in a special fryer machine. As a Tempura House, Ten Ten also has signature menu, Tendon - a bowl of dish with ebi tempura, kisu fish tempura, green bean tempura, sweet potato tempura, pumpkin tempura and oba leaf tempura on top and served with miso soup -

Find 2 outlets of Ten Ten Restaurant - Tempura House at Plaza Indonesia and Pondok Indah Mall 1.

When a group of people who loves to cook and eat meet in a good place with good foods, then nothing matter anymore. Together me and my foodie friends (Vania, Sefa and Elsye) cooked Tempura Omurice. Chef Dian let us impovised our Omurice in Omurice cooking competition. We didn't win, but we sure had so much fun together. Imagine this, four of us love to cook, we have food blog, but that time was our first time ever cook together in one place. :) As a bonus, we can eat our Omurice together. Yum...I love the Demiglace Sauce.

My natural lunch time alarm was ringing when Ebi Yose Katsu served on our tables. Continued with lunch and drinks orders. As the dessert, I was fortunate enough to try Cookies and Cheese Cup. Not too sweet, cheesy and creamy. Love, love, love it !

 Tendon Sauce (left) - Rika Fardani from BOGA Group (right)

 

Chef Dian Kusyanto shared tips and trick how to make good tempura and Tempura Omurice

Our team cooked Tempura Omurice on a Cooking Class

The appetizer, Ebi Yose Katsu (right)

I ordered Spicy Beef Kinoko Don (left) - Cold Green Tea (right)

 The other two main course, Tendon (left) - Tenbara (right)

Desserts, Foret Noire cup (left) - Cookies & Cheese cup (right)

That gathering is memorable, therefor I thank Ten Ten Restaurant for the good food, nice place and warm people. The knowledge I learned from there is a lifetime souvenir. That's why I challenged myself to make Shrimp Tempura at home. It's pretty easy ! The only bad thing is cooking shrimp tempura (preparation time included) take longer time than eating it !! :P

Please check the recipe below.