PARE VEGETABLE

Ingredients

thinly sliced 400 grams of pare (bitter melon)
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoon of oil
thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic,
thinly slice 5 grains of red onions
red chilies 3
1/2 teaspoon of cooked shrimp paste
salt to taste
50 grams chives, cut into 2 cm
100 grams wet anchovies, fried to dry

How to Cook

Sprinkle pares slices with salt, squeeze until the water comes out, clean, wash and drain.
Heat oil, stir-fried garlic and onion until wilted.
Stir in red pepper and shrimp paste, stir well.
Add pare, chives and salt.
Cook while stirring until there is no broth left.
Lift and sprinkle fried anchovies on top.

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RENDANG - Steewed Beef -

INGREDIENTS

5 whole cloves

1 whole nutmeg, slightly crushed in a mortar and pestle

6-8 red Holland chiles, or 3-4 Thai chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped

6 small shallots, roughly chopped

5 candlenuts or macadamia nuts

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 (2") piece fresh or frozen turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped, or 1 ¹⁄₂ tsp. ground turmeric

1 (2") piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 (2") piece galangal, peeled and thinly sliced

2 lb. boneless beef chuck, cut into 2" pieces

7 fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves, plus 4 very thinly sliced, for garnish

3 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, smashed with a mallet, and tied into knots

2 sticks cinnamon

2 ¹⁄₂ cups unsweetened coconut milk

Kosher salt, to taste

How to cook

Pulse cloves and nutmeg in a food processor until very fine. Add chiles, shallots, nuts, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and galangal; purée until a slightly smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. Transfer paste to a 12" nonstick skillet with beef; using your hands, mix together.

Add 7 lime leaves, lemongrass knots, cinnamon, coconut milk, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally to prevent coconut milk from scorching, until the consistency of thick pea soup, about 1 ¹⁄₂ hours. Continue to cook, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until sauce and beef turn a dark caramel color and the sauce coats the beef, 2 ¹⁄₂-3 hours. Discard whole spices before serving; garnish with thinly sliced lime leaves.

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Sayur Bayam Bening (Spinach Soup)

| Published Monday, January 11, 2016

Sayur Bayam Bening

Sayur Bening Bayam is a clear Indonesian soup made with a variety of vegetables and always includes spinach. It's dead simple to make and serves as a healthy appetizer or light dinner.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 cups water plus more if needed
One 2-inch piece galangal or ginger—peeled, sliced, crushed and wrapped in cheesecloth or put in a tea ball
1 pound carrots, coarsely chopped
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 pound spinach, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste

How to cook

In a stockpot or saucepan, heat the coconut oil over medium, then add the shallots. Sauté until softened, about 4 minutes, then add the broth, water and galangal. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low and simmer until fragrant, about 6 minutes.
Add the carrots and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the galangal. Add the tomatoes and return to a simmer, then add the spinach; remove from heat once the spinach is bright green. Add the fish sauce and season with salt and white pepper to taste, then serve.

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Perkedel

| Published Saturday, January 9, 2016

Perkedel

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes (about 450 g) – peeled and cut into small cubes
1 garlic clove
2 small shallots
1 candlenut aka kemiri or buah keras (omit if not available)
1 stalk spring onion – finely chopped
2 stalks coriander – finely chopped
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp chicken powder
1 egg for coating – lightly beaten
Vegetable oil for frying

Full instructions:

Using a mortar & pestle or food processor, grind the garlic, shallot, candlenut and seasoning to a paste.
Cook the paste in a lightly oiled pan until fragrant and set aside.
Using a wok or deep frying pan, heat oil (approx. ⅓ inch level from the base) until hot.
Carefully add in the diced potatoes and deep fry until light golden brown. They should be soft in the inside.
Transfer the potatoes into a large bowl and mash them fine bits.
Add in the spice paste, spring onions and coriander and mix until well combined. Give it a taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
Using your hands, mold and form round patties approx. 2-inch size. If you are not using right away, cover and store them in the fridge.
Coat the patties gently in the beaten egg and deep fry for 2 minutes until golden brown, turning occasionally to ensure even browning.
Serve warm.
Wrap unused portion with cling wrap and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

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Ayam Bakar

| Published Friday, January 1, 2016

Ayam Bakar

INGREDIENTS

1 x size 14 Chicken

Marinade

½ cup ABC Kecap manis

1/3 cup Coconut Milk

4 Kaffir Lime Leaves, thinly sliced

1 Cinnamon Quill, crushed

1 Green Chilli, finely chopped

1 Tblsp Fresh Ginger, grated

½ tsp Salt

30g Palm Sugar

¼ tsp Black pepper, freshly ground

¼ tsp Chilli Powder

To Serve Banana Leaves

Steamed Rice, Lime Wedges, Mango Sambal

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lay chicken breast side down on a chopping board, using kitchen shears cut along both sides of the backbone.

2. Lay chicken flat and cut through the breastbone to form two halves.

3. Turn chicken over and make a cut in each leg and breast in the thickest part.

4. Place chicken into a shallow dish.

5. Combine marinade ingredients together and mix well. Pour marinade over the chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours up 24 hours. Turn chicken occasionally.

6. Cook chicken on a pre-heated BBQ or Grill basting well for 25 – 30 minutes. If cooking in the oven pre-heat oven 190c and roast for 40 minutes, basting occasionally.

7. Rest chicken 10 minutes before serving on a banana leaf with steamed rice, mango sambal and salad. Drizzle with a little extra Kecap.