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 !!

Guest Post : Ayam Pop from My Lil Kitchen

A dear friend of mine who is also one of the administrator of idfb (Indonesian Food Blogger), Wulan Sucipto, shows her love for Indonesian food through her post here on my blog where she agreed to be a guest writer.

Let me introduce you to the talented woman, an Indonesian who lives in Australia, a mother of 2, a photographer, a cook and the author behind "My Lil Kitchen". She has written four cook books and have been published throughout Indonesia. Last, we both are Scarllett magazine contributor under Recipe section.

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.

Indonesian fern curry

Exploring the diversity of traditional Indonesian food has always been a fun and nice thing to do. I enjoy every learning process in each and every food that I cook. The outcomes were not always successful, but I learned from those failures. Things I will never experience if I never give myself a try to cook it. I have to admit that food photography and being married have made me learn how to cook properly. I'm eventually falling in love with these cooking activities. 

Grilled aromatic rice wrapped in banana leaves

Continuous rainfall for the last several days has caused heavy flooding in some places around Jakarta. I had to cancel my appointment with a friend due to this situation. I think it's a lot safer if we stay at home at the moment. Alhamdulillah, my home is not affected by the flood and everything seems pretty normal from here. Staying at home in the rainy weekend pushed me back into the kitchen and cooked a special dish for whole family. I make Nasi Bakar / Grilled aromatic rice which is very simple and delicious. If you have leftover rice, this is a recipe you can rely on and serve a new variation of rice dish other than fried rice. Even my son can eat two parcels in one go !

My Ramadhan special guest post on Yummy Food

In this holy month of Ramadhan, let me wish everyone a very happy, peaceful and blessed Ramadhan. May Allah shower His countless blessings upon us in this holy month. Aamiin. Serving special homemade meals for family is a fun thing to do. How we can gather as a family and enjoy iftar meals together. I do enjoy my free time during weekend to cook our family favorite food. Only to see beautiful smiles on my hubby's and my son's face then tell me how they love my homemade dishes. 

One of the famous Ramadhan blog event I know is Joy From Fasting to Feasting hosted by Lubna Karim from Yummy Food. On its sixth year of the event, Lubna asked me to do a special post for her. And I made this special Sweet potato balls with coconut sugar syrup for her. An Indonesian traditional snack that is often eaten as iftar meal. Please check the complete story and recipe over her blog. See you there !

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.....

Kalimbu / Steamed cassava cake stuffed with banana

For the third time, I'm hosting the famous and the grandest food photography event, "Does My Blog Look Good in This ?". It's widely open to all foodie blogger to submit their best food/drink photos. If you haven't send your photo yet, you still have plenty of time before the closing date on January 20, 2013. Somehow, it's a good way to find new food bloggers out there with beautiful images.

Rain and windy days have made the temperature much cooler than usual. The wind was blowing through the trees in front yard and passed the breeze into the house. It was so hard not to pull back my blanket over my head and go back to sleep. I feel so grateful that I'm still able to enjoy this amazingly beautiful day shared with my loved ones.

Cassava root is rich in carbohydrates and it's also a good source of energy. In the country where I grew up, Indonesia, cassava is considered as the primary ingredient of snacks and desserts. Tapai or tape or peuyeum or fermented cassava is the result of cassava fermentation and it can be cooked in many variations of cooking process. Bake, grill or deep fry. In fact, fermented cassava can be mixed into beverages or desserts.

The first recipe I post early this year is a simple Indonesian traditional cake. Kalimbu is steamed cassava cake with banana wrapped inside the grated cassava then coated with shredded coconut from an ethnic group in South Sulawesi, Bugis. The using of cassava in Indonesian traditional cake is very common. If we dig a little deeper, we'll discover some similar cassava cakes in every regions in Indonesia. We have Mata Roda from Malang , Putri Noong from West Java, Songkolo Bandang from South Sulawesi or Putu Tegal.

In West Sumatra, we could find the authentic souvenir made from cassava, it called Keripik Balado or Keripik Sanjai or Cassava chips. Believe me, it's not just chips but more than that. It coated with  sticky spicy red sauce that will make you ask for more and more.

Enjoy....

Guest post : Ayam Penyet / Crushed fried chicken with sambal for Lisa of "From my Lemony Kitchen"

One more guest post from me on From my Lemony Kitchen. How lucky I am to have finally found the recipe of this sambal since I had it for the very first time maybe five years ago and I had been trying to make the sambal all this time.

This special request came from Lisa, she wanted Ayam Penyet for the guest post. Since I love Ayam Penyet for lunch and I had never been to make it by myself, I took the chance. I won't let myself ramble away for now. Please kindly visit and check the complete story also the recipe of Ayam Penyet (Crushed fried chicken with sambal) on From my Lemony Kitchen.

Bye now... :)

Guest Post : Pindang bandeng Betawi on Love and other spices

After a delay of several months (yes, months !!), I am finally able to fulfill Farwin's request to be a guest writer on her blog. Something came up between the line due to our busy schedules. She had written a post few months back with Coconut Jaggery Crepes with Kithul Treacle. The post is beautifully written together with lovely photos.

My interest in Indonesian culinary is getting bigger as I learn how to cook, then I started to like and enjoy cooking. I've mentioned once that I love doing a guest post for my friends especially when they want me to cook traditional foods from Indonesia. I love to try new recipes and explore Indonesian cuisine. This is the reason I cooked a traditional dish from Betawi/Jakarta, Pindang bandeng Betawi (Betawinese style milk fish stew in soy sauce). It was my first to cook pindang bandeng Betawi from scratch.

For the story and the recipe, please head over to Farwin Simaak  from Love and Other Spices. See you there !

Remake : Indonesian Rice Pudding

I posted this recipe a year ago, but I think it's good to bring it up again. Same recipe, but this time with new photos.

The holy month, Ramadhan, is just about to come. The month where all Muslims spend one entire month in daytime fasting. We need to ensure that we are in a good health, in a way physically and mentally well-prepared to face Ramadhan.

Like any other Muslim women, I also have plan what to cook during the special month.  I like something simple for Sahur (early meal we consumed before dawn). Otherwise, I cook something sweet and special for iftar (fast-breaking at dusk). Even though we could find seasonal food vendors in every corner of the street during Ramadhan, a homemade snack is taste much better.

My favorite iftar drink is coconut ice. I will always enjoy every sip as it washed down my throat. A tradition of fast-breaking in Ramadhan is when good foods are served for the whole family member. People go home early from the office so they could break their fast at home with family.

Indonesian rice pudding or bubur sumsum is one of iftar snack that we commonly find on Ramadhan. It's sweet, light and easy to make. I usually stick to only few recipes which we (me, my hubby and son) love. Dish that I would definitely make it again and again on Ramadhan. Martabak goreng (crepe-like dish with egg filling) with cuko sauce, kolak (fruit in coconut milk) or biji salak (sticky rice balls in sweet coconut sauce) and of course coconut ice. :) I'm sure you have your favorite food to be served to your family as well. Iftar will never be the same without homemade.

Enjoy...

idfb Challenge #5 : Sate / Satay (Sate asem betawi / Sour beef satay)

Satay or Indonesians usually call it sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat served with a sauce (wikipedia). Satay is very close to Indonesians' hearts and I think it's everybody's dish. Cooking satay over charcoal is very unique and add taste to the satay. The only satay I know when I was a kid was Sate Madura. It's chicken satay with peanut sauce, it tastes sweet and smells good. Then when my father bought a portion of goat satay, he let me to try it. Goat satays served with chopped shallots, sliced chilies sliced tomato and sweet soy sauce. Definitely yum ! After that, goat satay was listed on my satay list.

My husband was the one who introduced me to Sate Padang (West Sumatran Satay) long time ago before we got married. Sate Padang was our favorite dish on our date. :D Sate Padang has strong taste of spices, and that's one of the reason why I love it. Married with one kid, now the three of us love the same satay.

 

idfb (Indonesian Food Blogger) is running its 5th challenge. I'm so lucky to be able to host this event. Digging deep into Indonesian traditional foods through challenges. Couldn't think of any fun ways to learn and enjoy Indonesian traditional dishes at the same time. Have you take your part ?

Enjoy....

My craving for tahu petis (Deep fried tofu with prawn paste filling)

Petis udang or prawn paste is made from fresh prawn shells. It's popular in East Java, Indonesia and some of Asian countries, we add it to the dishes in order to create unique flavor. I should tell you that this prawn paste has strong fishy smell, so not everyone loves foods with prawn paste mixture inside.

I'm over excited to post this recipe on my blog. Why ? Due to my craving for tahu petis and I cooked it totally out of the blue. My hubby's friend gave me petis paste for free and it has been kept in my fridge for a week or so. Then I was lucky enough to find a tofu seller on my way home after morning jog. So yes, it was without preparation. One other thing .... *grinned* I just couldn't wait to use my new planks.

If you think I bought it, you're wrong ! I found it abandoned in an alley. Call me crazy, but I think those planks were screaming out for help. Hence, I brought it all the way from market place to my office and I brought it home. I washed and scrubbed those planks and sun dried them for 2 days. Now they look pretty ! Time and weather have made them look very natural. However, it worth the pain in my biceps for bringing those planks from market place to office and from office to my home :D

Enjoy ....

The simplest tempe chips

What else would you ask for a super quick and simple snack ? It has to be chips *no doubt. How chips would save the day in a minute when you're hungry. No matter store-bought or homemade chips, it's still enjoyable whenever you need.

The famous fermented soy beans, tempe, is widely available in Indonesia. From traditional market to supermarket, we can find and buy it. We could also make a homemade tempe. If I want to make tempe, first I need to order tempe yeast from the tempe seller in the market and he will bring my order the next day.

He also sells tempe in many shapes, such as  block, triangle and tube. It wrapped in banana leaves or plastic  bag. I remember a different kind of tempe called tempe gembus which made from soy pulp. My grandma used to marinate the tempe gembus and fry them. I eat it as is with bird eye chilies. My dad likes to make sambal from tempe bosok or rotten tempe. It's very traditional on its way. The more I remember the memories about food that comes from the village where my dad grew up, the more I realize I miss those foods.

There are many varieties of tempe chips in many flavors. I bought cheese flavored tempe chips when I was in Bandung. Very innovative ! I used my basic fried tempe recipe for this tempe chips. I don't use any flour or egg. That's why I call it simple chips. I simply sliced the tempe very thin to make the chips crispy. Have a nice try everyone !

click to enlarge

Enjoy....

Guest Post : Spicy oyster mushroom in banana leaves / Pepes jamur tiram for eCurry

I'm always excited when someone asks me to do guest post. Particularly when that someone is my friend. Today, I'm guest posting Spicy oyster mushroom in banana leaves for Soma Rathore at eCurry. The method of cooking by wrapping the food in banana leaves into parcels called pepes or pais in Indonesia. It has several names depends on the regions. I inherited this family recipe from my mother-in-law. Tasty food that is easy to cook. To read more of the story and recipe, please hop over to eCurry.

Enjoy...

idfb Challenge #4 : Sambal Pencit / Unripe mango sambal

Did I ever mention that I like hot food a lot ? For me, eating without sambal is not complete ! It's like something is missing. During my childhood, making sambal for family dinner was my responsibility. Shrimp paste sambal (sambal terasi), tomato sambal (sambal tomat), tempe sambal or tofu sambal (sambal tahu). The last two are my dad's recipes. His tempe sambal and tofu sambal is the best. :)

Grinding chilies together with sambal ingredients using mortar and pestle is still my preference rather than using blender. It's traditional yet the sambal has a specific texture. The basic ingredient of sambal is, of course, chili. Mixed with any of various ingredients, like tomato, shrimp paste, kaffir lime, shallot, garlic, peanut, etc. Each region has its own sambal with particular style.

Pencit is Javanese language for unripe mango. Sambal pencit or unripe mango sambal can be eaten with grilled fish, grilled duck or grilled chicken. I remember of a restaurant that sells grilled fish with tomato sambal and sambal pencit. I love the combination of sour from unripe mango, hot from chilies and a little of sweetness from sugar.

This post is my entry for IDFB Challenge#4 "Sambal" and IFP (Indonesian Food Party)

 

Enjoy.....