Simple and Quick Chicken Biryani

Here's the Chicken Biryani. It taste pretty good for my between feed food. The recipe calls for peas only but I only have frozen mix vegetable, so why not? ^_^... I also use the left over rice from yesterday. So there's a little tweak from the original recipe

Source: BBC Goodfood Cookbook

Ingredient
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 chicken wings
1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 cups of leftover rice
1/2 cup of chicken / vegetable stock
1 cup of frozen mix vegetable (mine was peas, beans, carrots and sweetcorn)

1. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper then fry for 5 - 8 minutes or until cooked. set aside.
2. Saute  onions until soften and fragrant, add the chicken and mix vegetable
3. Add the stock, curry powder and turmeric powder and let it simmer
4. Tip in the rice and mix well.-

Chicken and Vegetable A la Provencale

I was going to cook Briyani but I saw Simon's Bap Breads on their last day of expiration. Thus, I thought to make something that we can eat with the bread. We've got loads of vegetable in the fridge that demands to be cooked before they go spoil. So the easiest thing to cook is a quick Chicken and Vegetable with provencal herbs. We usually bought a ready to cook package from supermarket but just this once I want to try it from scratch. - Anyway, the recipe calls for chicken breast but I only have chicken wings so... no chicken breast no problem

Source: Pan-Cooked Chicken Dishes from Around the World (cookbook)

Ingredient:
2 chicken breast, skinned and boned (I use 6 chicken wings)
2 tsp of herbs de provencal (mix 1 tsp each of marjoram, basil, thyme and oregano)
1/2 Onions
2 garlic cloves
1 tomatoe, cut in fours and cubed
1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
2 carrots, cut half length wise and cut in medium chunks
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley (I used dried parsley)

Direction
1. Rub chicken breasts (or chicken wings or what ever you are using) with salt, pepper and the herbs.
2. Peel and finely chopped Onions and garlic
3. Heat the olive oil in the pan and fry the chicken breast for 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked to your liking. remove from pan
4. Add garlic and onion. Saute until fragrant
5. Put in the carrot chunks. you can add a little water  (4 tbsp) just to let the carrot a bit tender
6. Add the pepper and tomatoes. Stir until everything soften but still has a crunch to it
7. Add a little of the herbs mix, adjust the seasoning
8. Serve with toasted bread.

Cheesy Sweetcorn

It was a cold afternoon yesterday. I'm feeling peckish. So I checked on the cupboard but found none interesting. I then saw a can of sweetcorn and remembered the cheesy corn we usually buy in the mall. You know the little stand near the escalator in some malls selling steamed hot corn topped with cheese.
I made this without measurement. It's fool proof - nothing can go wrong. you can add or take awayanything you like. So thre you go... cheesy sweetcorn

make 2 glass

Ingredients:
1 can of sweetcorn
Handful of grated cheddar heese
2 tsp butter or margarine
2 tsp condensed milk

Direction:
1. Steam or boil the sweetcorn for 5 minutes or just to heat the sweetcorn
2. Drain the excess water then put the sweetcorn in a cup or glass
3. Add 1 tsp of butter or margarine to each of the cup
4. topped with grated cheese and drizzle with condensed milk

Best served steaming hot

Kacang Ijo Halia // Ginger Mungbean

I made this yesterday when Simon is busy catching up his dissertation deadline and I am 1 day away from my due date. Both of us are very anxious. Simon promised to finsih his dissertation before the baby goes into labour. Poor husband of mine is doing all he can to get ahead of time. Unfortunatelly, he started to feel unwell, a bit feverish. The temperature was dropping so it does feel a bit nippy. I suddenly remember that mung bean is good for health and having it with ginger will warm your body and provide extra energy.
I do not use exact measurement... so it's up to your liking for the taste

Ingredient:
2 handful of Mung bean
a big chunk (app. 3 tbsp) palm sugar - or ordinary sugar will also works
2 glass of water (app. 400ml)
1 tsp salt
2 cm ginger, crushed
Condensed milk to serve with

Direction:
1. Wash and boil mung bean with crushed ginger with 2 glass of water until the beans breaks and tender - feel free to add more water if the mung bean is not yet breaks and tender
2. Add Palm sugar and salt to taste.
3. To serve : ladle mung bean to a glass and drizzle condense milk to your desire.

Opor Ayam // Braised Chicken in Coconut Milk

I cooked this 2 nights ago just because I wanted to.

Ingredient:
4 piece of Chicken Drumstick and 4 piece of Chicken Thigh
4 lime leaves
2 bay leaves
1 lemongrass, bruised

400 ml very light coconut milk
200 ml thick coconut Milk
Salt, pepper and sugar to your taste
Cooking oil

Ingredient to grind:
8 shallot
4 garlics
5 candlenut
1/2 tsp coriander

1 cm galanggal
1/2 tsp cumin
1 cm ginger

Direction:
1. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper for 15 - 30 minutes. Then fry the chicken half cooked in hot oil. set a side
2. Saute ground ingredient, lime leaves, bay leaves and lemongrass until fragrant
3. Add the chicken and mix it well until chicken is fully coated with ingredient
4. Pour the light coconut milk, salt and sugar. Cook until coconut milk reduced to half and chicken tender
5. Pour the thick coconut milk... adjust the taste... and keep stirring until cooked

Kohu-Kohu // Ambon style Vegetable and Fish salad

3 weeks ago, I was craving food from home. Then I saw my sister in law food folder in Facebook and she made kohu-kohu... a traditional salad dish from Ambon. I immediatelly asked for the recipe and she sent me almost as soon as she get my message. Thank you usi Non...
Of course, I cannot find all the exact ingredient as we normally use in Ambon so she suggested some alternative. The taste is very very similar and cure my homesickness.

Ingredient:
1 pack of Smoked Makarel (1 medium fish), shreded
2 handful of fine bean, cut to 2 cm and blanched in hot water - In Ambon we use Kacang Panjang
1 handful of Beansprout, cleaned and blanched in hot water
a handful of basil leaves, cleaned and torn
1/2 coconut, grated - you can steam it for 15 minutes to avoid it getting spoiled too soon
4 Indonesian shallot (Bawang merah), grind
2 garlic, grind
1/2 tsp Salt

Direction:
1. Grind together shallot and garlic with 1 tsp of salt.
2. Put the blanched fine beans, beansprout, shreded smoked makarel, grated coconut and torn basil leaves in a bowl. add the grounded shallot and garlic. Mix together throroughly.
3. Adjust the taste of salt.

4. Ready to serve

Note : If you like it spicy, feel free to grind chili with the shallot and garlic

Ravioli with Roasted Squash and Sage Brown Butter

I was rummaging my old pic files and found this picture.
I cooked this for Christmas 2009 and I think I haven't posted it.
Since I am feeling heavy counting my the time to my-ever-so-close due date...
I think this is a great dish I wanted to eat today but not having the strength to cook it.

Source: RedBookMag March 2009 Edition

Ingredient:
1/4 portion of butternut squash - peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 tbsp Olive oil
20 frozen jumbo 4 Cheese Ravioli
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 medium Onion - Minced
15 sage leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Direction:
1. Heat oven to 475F. toss squash with oil on a baking sheet. Spread on even layer. Roast for 25 minutes. tossing once or twice or until browned on edges and tender.
2. While squash roasted, bring a large pot of salted water to boil
3. 5 minutes before squash is cooked, add frosen ravioli to boiling water and cook 3 to 5 minutes or according to package direction, until tender. Drain well -drizzle with little olive oil.
4. Whilepasta is cooking, melt butter in a skillet over low to medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, then add sage leaves and slowly cook until butter is golden brown and smells nutty and sage leaves are crisp. - watch carefully, sage turns golden to brown very quickly.
5. To serve arrange 5 or 6 ravioli on each plate and top with roasted squash and Parmesan.
6. Spoon brown butter and sage leaves over each serving and season with salt and pepper

Koyabu // Steamed Grated Cassava on Pandan Leaves Cone

This is one is one of my favourite. I don't think we can find Koyabu easily in Ambon anymore.
It is surprisingly very easy to make. I have made this few months ago but forgot to post it.
This is actually similar to Lemet. But lemet is fully wrapped in banana leaves while Koyabu usually put in Pandan leaves cone.  Also, I squeeze the water out of the grated cassave to get a much drier texture.

Ingredient:
2 Medium size Cassava, grated and squeezed the water out a bit
100gr coconut, grated - or to your liking. If you like more coconut, feel free to add
200 gr Palm sugar, cut to small cube - feel free to add if you like it to be sweet
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
Several Pandan Leaves formed into cone and attached with toothpicks.

Direction:
1. Mix together grated cassava, grated coconut, palm sugar, salt and vanilla essence
2. Take 1 tbsp of the dough and fill the pandan leaves cone
3. Steam for 30 - 40 minutes

Es Pisang Ijo // "Banana in Green Pancake Dessert"

I am so excited for this month theme of Masak bareng Yuuk!!! "Aneka Masakan Berbahan Dasar Pisang"
I thought of several different dishes but my sister's picture of Es Pisang Ijo she made in Holland got me drooling all over. Thus I decided to make my take of Es Pisang Ijo.

Es Pisang Ijo is basically steamed Banana wrapped in green pancake served with coconut milk thick custard and topped with crushed ice and milk drizzle. It's popular and delicious Indonesian Desert or snack.
In Ambon, Es Pisang Ijo is almost immediately  associated with Pemuda Bakery. The yumminess of Es Pisang Ijo Pemuda is indeed on my mind when I made my version. Only this is Es Pisang Ijo ala Helena's Kitchen in Brighton, UK.

LOL!!!... I was already a bit hungry when I made the green pancake and got very impatient when taking picture with a rumbling tum. One, because it smell and look delicious and because obviously I am Hungry. So here's the pictures and recipe.... Happy Cooking!!!

Ingredient:
For Green Pancake:
1 cup All Purpose Flour
11/2 cup milk or water mix with 3 tsp of Pandan paste or essence
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp of oil to grease the pan


Mix flour, salt, sugar and egg then pour milk. Mix well until there's no lumps in the batter.
The batter should be runny to make nice thin pancake.
Heat a non-stick pan, add few drops of oil to grease the surface.
Pour 1 ladle of pancake batter, swivel around to make pancake. Cook 1-2 min on each side.

For Thick Coconut milk Custard
400 ml coconut milk (I use canned one - 300ml mix with 100ml water)
25 gr Rice flour
4 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Pandan leaf, bruised and tied together

Put the Rice Flour in medium non stick pan with sugar and salt.
Add the coconut milk slowly while mixing it until smooth.
Put the pandan leaf in and continue stiring over medium heat.
When the batter thickened and smooth, take it off the heat.

For Banana
I use 2 ripe Pisang Tanduk or yellow plantains. much better if they are soft to the touch when you buy it.

Simply peel the banans, cut them in half or in three and steam for 5 minutes.

Topping
1 cup of crushed ice per serving
Cocopandan or Strawberry syrup
Condensed Milk

(Ps. I cannot find Cocopandan or Strawberry Syrup in Brighton so I made my own simple syrup. simply boil 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar. Add 2 drops of strawberry essence and 2 drop of red food coloring. Let it simmer for 15 min over medium heat)

How to Serve:
1. Wrap the steamed banana in green pancake
2. Put it on a bowl or deep plate and cut it bite size
3. Topped with Coconut Milk Custard and Crushed Ice
4. Pour Cocopandan or strawberry syrup
5. Drizzle Condensed milk on top

ENJOY a Blissful Dessert!!

Risoles // Vegetable and Meat Croquette

This is an entry based on inspiration from Novi Hamid Risoles. It was so yummy that I cannot stop thinking about it. So this morning, I decided to make my own take of Risoles. It was actually yummy (at least for my taste) especially for me who need to nibble every other hour. 

Risoles is slightly difficult to find the English translation... (anybody know???)...
It is basically vegetable and/or meat wrapped in savory pancake then rolled in breadcrumbs before frying it for a few minutes. Here's the recipe ........

Ingredient for Savory Pancake
100gr        All Purpose Flour
21/2 cup   Semi-skimmed milk (you can just use water )
1              Egg
1 tsp         Salt
Oil to drizzle the pan

Ingredient for the filling
5 small New Potatoes, diced small

1 medium Carrot, diced small
1/2 can of Corned beef

6 shallot, finely chopped

3 Garlic, finely chopped

a small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
2 tbsp of water

1 tbsp of cooking oil

Final Prepartion Ingredient
Breadcrumbs
1 Egg, whisked
Cooking oil for frying

Direction

Savory pancake

Mix all ingredient together beginning with flour and salt and ad the egg before adding the water.
The consistency of the pancake dough should be runny and not thick. It will make it easier for you to create the thin pancake.
Drizzle a little oil in a non-stick frying pan jut enough to moist the surface.
Pour a small ladle of dough and swivel the pan to make a round think pancake shape.

Filling
Heat the oil then add finely chopped shallot and garlic fry until fragrant.
Add diced potatoes and carrots, let them cooked a bit by adding 2 tbsp of water (you can add some more if the potatoes are still raw.
Stir in the corned beef then add parsley
Add salt, pepper and sugar according to your liking.

Final Preparation
1. Lay the pancake flat open and fill with 2 tsp of filling. Wrap and roll.
2. Dip and coat the pancake with filling to the whisked egg
3. Roll it in the breadcrumbs, making sure all is coated
4. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Make 13 Risoles.

Nasi Pulut Siram Gula // Glutinous Rice with Coconut and Palm Sugar Sauce

Aaahhh This is this morning breakfast. Remind me of Ambon.
Of course, the sugar I use is not Gula Merah Saparua. but it was OK.
I somehow cook the glutinous rice a bit too soft but all in all... it was yummy.

Ingredient:
250 gr Glutinous Rice
1 pandan leave
1/2 coconut, grated
200 gr Palm Sugar
2 cups of water

Direction:
1. RICE: Wash and soak glutinous rice for 1 - 2 hours. Then drain it and put in rice cooker with a little salt and pandan leave tied in knots. Add the water according to the direction of your rice cooker. But I might remind you not too put too much. Glutinous rice is often too mushy
2. COCONUT: Grate the coconut then steam it with a little salt
3. PALM SUGAR SAUCE : Shave the palm sugar or cut them in smaller bits. Add water and let it boil until the palm sugar chunks dissolve in water. You can add piece of pandan leave too to make it fragrant.

Serve it with glutinous rice topped with steamed coconut and drizzle with palm sugar sauce.

Tulang Domba Asam Pedas // Hot and Sour Lamb Bones

This is our last night dinner. The weather dropped few degree so it was a bit chilly. I still have the lamb bones I snatched from bargain shelves. A bunch of it for 50p... Uhmmm... I am still very happy with myself. lol!!!
Anyway, I do not feel like making curry or anything with coconut milk. Somehow i feel a bit too much, too fat and too rich. I want something light and yummy to heat up the evening.
I found a recipe at detik.com and modify it according to what I have left in the fridge. It is a great coincidence since we are planning our weekend getaway so I need to finish and clean the fridge.

I was not so convince at the beginning but tasting the result last night with my better half, it was YUMM-O... simon said he can't stop eating. LOL!! I know... I like it too...

Ingredient:

500g Lamb bones with bits of meat on it.
1 lt water
2cm galangal, bruised
2 bay leaves
6 shallot (the small indonesian shallot - not the big ones)
2 garlic - grind together with shallot

1 tbsp pickle jalapeno chilles
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 red pepper, cut into squares
1/2 green pepper, cut into squares
salt and blackpepper
1 tbsp cooking oil

Direction:
1. Boil the lamb bones with galangal, salt and bay leaves with low heat for about 1 hour. Or until the meat can gently come off the bones when pinched. Then put in the chopped carrots.
2. Heat oil and saute grind shallot and garlic until fragrant. Add the red and green pepper.
3. Put the saute shalot, garlic and peppers into the boiling lamb bones pan and cook through.
4. Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.
5. Ready to serve with steaming hot white rice.

Pisang Goreng Keju // Battered Banana with Cheese and Milk Drizzle

This morning I made myself a very satisfying breakfast which takes me back to Ambon again. Yesterday, we bought Bananas or what they called Plantain. This is the kind of banana we used to fried at home – Pisang Goreng. I love Pisang Goreng or Battered Banana especially when you add shredded cheese and a drizzle of condensed milk on top. Aahh it’s heavenly.

Having this dish in the morning, remind me of my mother-in-law, Mama Nona, in Waai. My father-in-law, Papa Ucu, planted bananas and many other yummy goods and when they’re ripe he brought them home from “kabong”. Then the next morning, the whole house will woke up to the smell of battered fried banana. Usually, some will be still sizzling in the wok and some already plated up on  the table together with an army of tea glasses filled with hot tea.

I think for most Ambonesse, they will have similar experience or memories. Either of their mother, grandmother or sister frying the banana at home or buying it from little girls who walk around the village with a tray of fried banana on their head. Of course for this, we don’t put cheese. Cheese is certainly not our culture, apart from it is an expensive stuff. But all the same, the smell and the taste of fried banana remind me of my homeland, to my families, to mothers and women who wakes up every dawn to busy themselves preparing breakfast for their loved one. I wish one day, I can be such mothers too.

This morning, Peanut have a taste of Ambon.

Serve 2 – 3 people

Ingredient:

2 Plantains (big bananas) à My fave, if I am in Ambon, is Pisang Abu-abu

3 tbsp of all purpose four

1 tsp of sugar

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ cup of milk or water à I used semi skimmed milk

1 cup of cooking oil

Topping if desire:

Shredded Cheese, best one is mild cheddar. In Indonesia we use Kraft which I presume a processed cheddar cheese.

Condensed milk to drizzle on top

Direction:

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, milk/water and baking soda until it formed a batter mixture.

Meanwhile heat the cooking oil in a deep pan or a wok.

Peel and cut the banana to the size you desire. I halved it lengthwise and cut into 3 parts.

Dip the banana into the batter and fry it in hot oil until golden brown

Take it out of the oil. Arrange on the plate. Scattered the Cheese on top of the bananas then drizzle the condensed milk on top of everything.

Enjoy!

Mie Siram Daging Cincang // Noodle with Mince Meat

This is our last night dinner. I am aiming to finish all our weekly supply before heading out for the next one. I have left over mince meat in the fridge and kinda craving to eat noodle. So I thought I will cook noodle and mince meat. Back in the days of us dating and still during the post-conflict period in Ambon, Simon and I usually have dinner of Mie Ayam (chicken noodle) from street food vendor in front of Kantor Pajak. So I think I will make my own take of Mie Ayam with Mince Meat. I love it, Simon loves it. We’re happy bunnies..

Serve 2

Ingredient:

250 gr Egg noodle

200 gr Mince Meat

3 garlic, finely chopped

1 stalk of spring onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce

1 tbsp of soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Cooking oil

Beef Broth:

A handful of Pok Choi

2 garlic, crushed

½ stalk of spring onion, the green part

400 ml of water

Direction

Meat:

Heat the 1 tbsp of cooking oil then autee garlic and spring onion until fragrant.

Put the mince meat and cook until it turn color.

Add oyster sauce, Indonesian sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper.

Add a little stock or water and let it cooked through and set it aside.

Beef Broth:

Make the broth by boiling 400 ml of water with a piece of beef or beef bones. Add salt, pepper and crushed garlic. Let it boil.

Wash and cut the pok choi. Before serving, put them in the boiling broth and simmer for 3 minutes.

Noodle:

Prepare the noodle as directed on the packaging. Usually boil it with some water for 3 minutes. Drain it and add tbsp of cooking oil to avoid them sticking to each other.

Serve with fried onion (I do not use) and sliced spring onion.

Greek Salad Omelete

This is my first entry to Masak Bareng Yuk!!

I’ve been wanting to join the event but always fall short on time, ingredients and self-confidence. I always find time to look at the round up result and they are all great. But this time I decided to beat all odds and brave myself to enter. This months theme is Egg based cooking and I happen to see an omelette recipe in BBC Cookbook that I wanted to try. Plus, my landlord always give us fresh egg from her hens almost every morning. So here it is…. I particularly love the taste of feta cheese in it. But I think Cheddar cheese will do just fine too.

Source: BBC GoodFood Cookbook

Ingredient:

4 Eggs

Handful of chopped parsley

1 tbsp of olive oil

¼ Red onion, chopped

1 large plum tomatoes, chopped

Handful of pitted black olive, halved

100 gr feta cheese

Direction:

1.      Pre-heated grill on high.

2.      Whisk eggs in large bowl with the chopped parsley, pepper and salt.

3.      Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, and fry the red onion on high heat until brown around the edges.

4.      Add the tomatoes and olives, stir and coor for another 1 – 2 minutes

5.      Turn the heat down and pour in the eggs. Leave it half cooked – about 2 minutes and scatter the feta cheese on top.

6.      Slide the Pan under the grill for 5 minutes until omelet is puffed up and golden. Serve straight away.

Note : Sliding the omelets under the grill is just to brown the feta on top. You don’t have to do this. Simply cover the omelet until cook will do just fine.

My Salmon Fried Rice

Simon, My Better-Half and I been going to Yo-Sushi twice and as I am crazy of Japanesse food, I reckon we'd have to keep going to this nice but slightly on the expensive side restaurant. Therefore, on our second visit, I ordered my favourite entree and really taste it to figured out what the ingredients they put in it. So here's my take on my favourite Salmon Fried Rice. It tasted very very close to the Yo-Sushi one. So I'm a happy bunny.

Serve 4

Ingredient:
1 slice of Salmon
2 serving bowl of sushi cooked rice - you can buy the sushi rice from Asian Store
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 cm or ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup of grated carrot
1 cup of sweet corn
1 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of mirin
juice of 1/2 lime
1 spring onion, sliced
cucumber and tomato for garnish 
Salt, pepper and sugar to season
1 tbsp Cooking oil

Direction:

1. Marinate the salmon with salt and lime juice for 15 minutes. Then grill them on oiled non-stick pan for 3 min on each side or until cooked. then crumbled the meat. Don't over cook the fish. Set aside
2. Heat the non-stick pan with the cooking oil. Saute onion and ginger until fragrant. 
3. Add carrot, sweet corn and Salmon crumble then season with salt, pepper sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and mirin. 
4. Put the sushi rice in and mix well. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
5. Just before serving, add sliced spring onion and garnish with sliced cucumber and tomato

Note: I've done this twice already and on my second plating I add sliced omelet to it. You can basically add whatever vegetable you want.

Bihun Goreng // Fried Vermicelli

I was cooking Ropa Vieja, a spaninsh meat dish that require several hours of slow cooking, so I don’t know what to cook for dinner. I remember having left over rice vermicelli from spring roll project last week in the cupboard. So I decided to make Bihun Goreng. Using the same ingredient and technique as the spring roll. I just don’t have to roll it in the sheet and fry them again. It turned out great for our dinner.

Ingredient:

200gr of rice vermicelli

½ cup of thinly chopped carrots

½ cup of peas

½ cup of  sweet corn

½ cup of chopped leftover chicken

½ cup of Prawn

1 cm of ginger

3 bulbs garlic

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Cooking oil

Direction:

·        Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and drizzle with oil to keep it from sticking. Using a kitchen shears, cut the vermicelli in a bowl to approximate shorter length. Set aside.

·        Grind together ginger and garlic with salt and pepper.

·        Saute the ground ingredients until fragrant

·        Add the vegetable, prawn and chicken. Stir well for 2 minutes.

·        Add the soy sauce

·        Stir in the rice vermicelli and mix well. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

Perkedel Jagung Udang – Prawn and Corn Fritters

Ingredients:

4 Sweet Corn Cobs – Take it out of the cob and crushed

2 Spring Onion

100 gr Prawn – I used Prawn Cocktail

2 Egs

4 Tbsp All Purpose flour

25 ml coconut milk

Salt and Pepper

Cooking oil

Ground to paste:

6 Shallots

3 Onions

¾ tsp ground coriander

Directions:

1. Mixed together corn, spring onions, prawn and eggs in a bowl.
2. Add flour, ground ingredient, salt, pepper and coconut milk. Mix well.
3. Take 1 spoonful and fried it.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Second project of the day! Simply because I am just in the mood for cookies. This time I do Peanut Butter Cookies so I can share some with my Landlord. He doesn’t fancy Banana so Peanut butter will do with the remaining ingredient I have. Beside having 2 kind of cookies makes it more fun to choose.

Source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar – ¼ c I just use granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Cream the butter for 2 minutes. Add the sugars, cream for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into the sugar butter mixture.
2. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork. Bake until light brown, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Banana, Pecan and Choc Chip Cookies

I saw 3 leftover bananas on the kitchen counter and they already have brown spots. I know for sure that the inside is still good but I just don’t like the taste of over-ripened banana. Since, both Simon and I were down with flu the last few days, I craved for cookies to nibble. There you go… why not banana cookies. I remember bookmarked a recipe from………… few days ago and decided to give it a go.

The recipe called only for Pecan but I add choc chip too… **Smiling**

Source : Simply Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup of sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 cups of flour

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves

1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180 C/ GM 4. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let it sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.
3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 25 Cookies

Ps. I still hasn't got the right crunch cookies at the end. It turned chewy but Simon loved them tho'.. Love you honey

Ayam Bumbu Rendang

I bought an additional reduce-to-clear chicken pieces from the store (can’t resist bargain ^_^). I have already made different recipe for the other half when I decided I wanted to use the left over coconut milk in the fridge. I thought of Opor ayam but not quite in the mood. So why not Rendang? I have an old recipe for Meat rendang but I thought Chicken will do as well. I don’ have a complete ingredient so I just make it up some of it as I go along. It taste OK though at the end.

Ingredient:

½ Chicken, cut to 6 pieces

1 tsp tamarind Paste

1 stalk of lemongrass

3 lime leaves

200 ml coconut milk (from canned coconut milk) mixed with 100 ml water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

5 bulbs Shallot

3 bulbs Garlic

1 cm Galangal

1 cm Ginger

2 Bird eye chilli – I used 1 green and 1 red chillies

Direction:

1. Grind together shallot, garlic, galangal, ginger and bird eye chilli.
2. Boil the chicken, coconut milk, ground ingredient, lime leaves, lemongrass and tamarind paste. Until chicken in tender.
3. Add Sugar and salt
4. Cooked until coconut water reduced – I add 50 ml water to cooked it further for the ingredient to be absorbed by the chicken

Roast Vegetable, chicken breast and Toast

My better-half love eating healthy and I was caught in Friday out-of-ideas for cooking. I remembered Simon enjoyed baked vegetable we had last month and decided to chop whatever veg we have in the fridge for a quick baked vegetable. Then, I thought of the 2 pieces of chicken breast in the freezer. I don’t really like chicken breast. I always thought it’s too dry to my liking. So I decided to roast the chicken.

Ingredient:
10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Red Pepper, squarely chopped
½ Courgette, sliced thinly
1 carrot, sliced thinly
½ Red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp of dried parsley
2 pieces of Chicken Breast
3 bulbs of Garlic
Salt and pepper

Direction:

1. Rubbed the chicken breasts with ground garlic, salt and pepper. Left it marinated in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Put the marinated chicken on a greased baking tray and baked in the oven Gas Mark 5 for 20 minutes. Or until chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.
3. Mixed the chopped vegetable with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried parsley. And popped it into the oven for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cooked through.
4. (this step is just for me because I hate dry chicken breast) Take the chicken out and sliced them up. Mix the slices with the chicken juices on the baking tray and returned to bake for 15 minutes.
5. Take the baked vegetable and scattered chicken breast juices on top of it. Serve it with buttered toast

Cap Cay Udang Dan Bakso Ikan – Vegetable Stir Fry with Prawn and Fishballs

We were invited by Mbak Dyah for Picnic with Indonesian families and friend on early spring time. It was going to be a potluck and each of us will bring one dish to complete the whole menu set. She asked whether we can bring Cap Cay. Whoooaaaahhaa!!! Never cooked cap cay before thus for the sake of challenge and adventure. Simon and I agreed to it. I browsed around for recipe and found a recipe here. I modify it by adding several ingredients.

Simon and I give it a try that night and make an improved version the next day but sadly, I didn’t have the picture of the cap cay we have on the actual picnic day. I am writing the second batch (the picnic batch) recipe here. The recipe is for 12 – 15 people.

Ingredients:

2 large carrot, sliced

¾  cauliflower, cut into florets

½ Broccoli, cut into florets

1 handful of Mange tout,  sliced

8 fish balls, sliced

1 cup of prawn

1 cup of button mushroom, sliced

6 clove garlic, crushed and mix with 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 cm ginger, finely chopped

2 spring onion, sliced

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tablespoon veg oil

1 tbsp cornstarch, diluted with water

extra 100 ml water

Method:

1. Heat the oil on a wok, add garlic, onion and ginger cook until fragrant.
2. In a separate pan boil water and blanced broccoli and cauliflower.
3. Add carrot, prawn and sliced fish balls
4. Add water, boil for 2 minutes, add mange tout and mushroom, cook again for 1 minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. Add in the broccoli and cauliflower.
6. Pour in the cornstarch water, and fish sauce, season with salt, pepper and last add spring onion, cook again for 1-2 minutes.
7. Serve.

Ps. The picture I posted is not the cap cay we cooked and bring to the Picnic. I have to hunt for the picture first. This is the pictrue of our Cap cay Tru-out the night before and we scrambled eggs into it.

Easy French Bread Pizza

Here’s a great quick supper for a lazy night for me and Simon. We call it our pizza night. The topping can varied according to what we have in the fridge or to our liking. And it’s just fun-do-it-ourselves food. Plus we don’t have to worry about added salt and preservatives in frozen ready made pizza.

Serve 2 people

Ingredient:
1 loaf of French Bread Stick halved
100g mince meat
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pepper - cut in squares
1 tomato – sliced
Salt and pepper
Cheddar cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Pizza topping to your liking – either tomatoes or pesto – we use both

Direction:

1. Sauté garlic and onion with olive oil until fragrant. Add the mince meat. Cooked through and season with salt and pepper.
2. Toast the halved French bread in the oven for 5 minutes
3. Take the bread out of the oven, spread the Pizza topping. Topped with meat, pepper and tomatoes.
4. Scatter grated cheddar and mozzarella on top.
5. Bake for further 10 – 15 minutes or until cheese melts. 
6. Serve 

Vegetable and Vermicelli Spring roll // Spring roll Sayuran dan Bihun.

Once Simon and I visited our friend, Rini Astuti, Simon’s fellow Chevening Scholar in London. I was 2 months pregnant, I think and was craving Indonesian food. Anyway, Simon was on his 1 day seminar and I was doing my London Museum trip. It was late in the afternoon and I was pretty tired when I get to British Museum. Rini’s apartment (very enviously) is located just opposite the museum. We all invited to her place and she served a great spring roll for us. I asked her the recipe which she gladly shared. It was actually very simple. 1 week later, we decided to do it ourselves. This has become our favorite snack and starter. Thank you Rini!!!

The chicken can be substitute with prawn or what ever leftover meat you have or just omit the meat. 

Ingredient:

15 ready to roll springroll sheets

200gr of rice vermicelli

½ cup of thinly chopped carrots

½ cup of peas

½ cup of  sweet corn

½ cup of chopped leftover chicken

1 cm of ginger

3 bulbs garlic

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Cooking oil

Direction:

1. Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and drizzle with oil to keep it from sticking. Using a kitchen shears, cut the vermicelli in a bowl to approximate shorter length. Set aside.
2. Grind together ginger and garlic with salt and pepper.
3. Saute the ground ingredients until fragrant
4. Add the vegetable and chicken. Stir well for 2 minutes.
5. Add the soy sauce
6. Stir in the rice vermicelli and mix well. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
7. Take 1 spring roll sheet and add 1 tbsp of vermicelli. Wrapped and roll. You can find the folding instruction on the spring roll wrap.
8. Deep fry the spring roll until golden brown. Serve with your favourite dip.

I am using Thai Spring roll dip bought from Asian store. Other fine choice can be Sambal ABC 

Long Awaited Post

Dear All,
Sorry I've been abandoning my foodie blog for the last few months. Some of you might already knows and some of you probably haven't. Well, I am pregnant and the first few months was a bit of nuisance and sureal experience. I can't tell you how blessed we are, me and my better-half, for this amazing gift entrusted to us. Thank you Jesus!
Since the 4th months of pregnancy my taste buds and energy had came back and I craved Indonesian food. I've been back full throttle now and have saved several recipe posts that I am eager to show. Amazing that I began to cook food I have never cooked before back home. This is also to keep my promise to share my recipe with some of my friends. Alright girls... Here it goes...

Helena Rijoly-Matakupan