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.