Rissole Indonesian Style (Risoles)

For Risoles wrapper

150 g all-purpose flour
1 egg
200 ml milk
salt

For filling

150 g minced beef or 150 g chicken
3 small potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour, mixed with a little of water
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 beef bouillon cube
sugar, to the taste
1 cup water

For dipping

1 egg
breadcrumbs

Wrapper: take a bowl then combine the flour, salt and egg. Gradually add the milk whisk them to make a smooth texture. When it's done, heat up non-stick pan. Take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture, pour to the pan and make it thin (just like how you make crepes). Cook it with low heat. When the edge of the skin is dry and you can peel off easily, it means it is cooked. Set aside.

Filling: heat up the wok, then sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant. Add the meat and mix them well for few minutes. Then add carrots, pepper, salt, celery and 1 cup of water. Cover. When the carrots are half-cook, add the potatoes. Continue cooking until they are tender and add 1 tablespoon of flour mixed with water to make the filling thicker. You can add a little of sugar to adjust the taste.

The Risoles: take one Risoles's wrapper then add the filling in the bottom. Leave the bottom few cm's clear. Lift the wrapper over the top and tuck it in under the filling. Fold over the left side, and then the right side and roll it up to form a tube. Repeat until all the wrappers are finished.

Dipping: dip the rissoles into beaten egg then coat them with bread crumbs. Deep fry them with low heat, set aside and use the tissue paper to absorb the oil.

Serve with fresh green bird's eyes chillies or chili sauce.

Bananas in Sweet Coconut Milk (Pengat Pisang)

2 large bananas
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peel the bananas and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a boil. Add the sugar and cinnamon, stirring to dissolve.

Add the bananas. Bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 3 - 5 minutes, until the bananas are tender but not mushy. Serve hot, sprinkling extra cinnamon on top if desired.

Indonesian Spice Cake (Spekkuk)

2 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
1/2 teaspoon clove, ground
4 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
1 pinch salt
3/4 lb butter, unsalted (3 sticks)
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs, large
3 egg yolks, large, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit; grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, resift the sifted flour along with the baking powder, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and salt; resift one more time, then set aside.

In another bowl, beat the softened butter until it is soft and very pliant, about one minute, gradually add the sugar and beat on high speed until it is pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Beat in the 4 whole eggs by hand, one at a time, until the butter and egg mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture in 3 equal parts, beating on low speed (or stirring with a wooden spoon) until the batter is smooth and the flour is well combined with the butter and eggs; add the lightly beaten egg yolks and the vanilla, and continue to beat or stir until they are well mixed into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it until the surface is even; then place the pan in the middle reack of the oven and bake about one hour, test with a wooden pick; this cake will nearly double in size as it cooks.

Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, when cool enough , invert the cake onto a wire rack to finish cooling; then transfer the cake to a serving platter and sprinkle the top with sifted confectioner's sugar.

Sweet and Sour Salad Jakarta Style (Asinan Betawi)

400 g carrots, shredded or thinly sliced
400 g cabbage, finely sliced
250 g cucumber, cut into small pieces
200 g bean sprouts
400 g lettuce, shredded
400 g tofu, steamed and cut into small pieces
400 g pineapple cut into pieces
Noodle crackers, fried

Marinade sauce :
100 g sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sliced red chilies, blended
2 tsp vinegar
200 ml boiled water

Peanut sauce :
50 g peanuts, fried
25 g dried shrimps
2 tbsp sliced red chilies
50 g sugar
1 tsp salt
200 ml boiled water

Marinade sauce :
Put sugar, salt, red chilies, vinegar, and water in a bowl, mix together.

Put cucumber, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, tofu, and pineapple into the marinade mixture, let stand for 15 minutes drain.

Peanut sauce :
Blend peanuts, red chilies, and dried shrimps into a paste. Add sugar, salt, and water into the paste, set aside.

How to serve:
In a salad bowl, arrange lettuce, marinated vegetables, and tofu on top.

Pour in the peanut sauce
Serve with fried noodle crackers.

Coconut Cake (Kue Pancong)

250 grated coconut
250 g rice flour
1 tsp salt
600 ml coconut milk, cooked
1 slice single cheese

In a bowl, mix well grated coconut with rice flour salt.
Pour coconut milk gradually while kneading, set the dough aside.

Heat a 'kue pancong' pan, grease with oil, pour the dough into the pan.
Cook until done at moderate heat.

Take out from the pan and arrange on serving dish, topping with shredded cheese and serve.

Stir Fried Papaya and Cassava Leaves (Tumis Daun Pepaya dan Singkong)

150 g cassava leaves
100 g papaya leaves
400 g chicken liver, boiled, cubed
100 g anchovies

Spices:
3 tbsp sliced shallots
2 tbsp sliced garlic
3 tbsp sliced red chilies
3 tbsp sliced green chilies
1 tbsp sliced galangal
2 salam leaves / bay leaves
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cooking oil

Deep fry also chicken liver and anchovy.

Boil cassava leaves and papaya leaves in a pot together at medium heat until done, remove from the pot and drain.
Slice the vegetables about 2 cm each.

Blend all spices into a paste, saute the paste with oil over medium heat. Pour 50 ml water, and season with fish sauce, stir well.

Adds teri, chicken liver, and sliced vegetables, stir thoroughly.

Spoon onto a serving dish and serve.

Fried Spicy Tomatoes Egg Noodles

500 grams fresh egg noodles
4 tablespoons cooking oil
2 (100 grams) stalks chinese greens, cut into 5 cm length
2 (20o grams) tomatoes, quartered
1 cup (50 grams) Thai bird’s eye chilies
1 stalk spring onion, cut into 2 cm lengthwise
2 stalks chinese celery, chopped finely
1/2 cup beansprouts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup hot water

Heat oil in a wok over high heat, cook chilies and tomatoes for one minute.
Toss in greens and quickly cook for 10 seconds. Add the noodles and beansprouts.
Season with salt, white pepper and soy sauce.

Add spring onion and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add hot water. Mix well and cover for one minute.
Remove from heat, garnish with sliced tomatoes and serve warm.

Beef Soup Bandung Style (Soto Bandung)

250 g beef brisket
100 g boiled soy bean, fried
125 g white radish, thinly sliced
3 tbsp sliced celery
3 tbsp fried sliced shallots
3 tbsp sliced green union
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
2000 ml water
2 1/2 tbsp sliced shallots
1 tbsp sliced garlic
1 tbsp peppercorn
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sliced ginger
Sweet soy sauce

Chili paste (Sambal):
Red capsicums
Salt
Vinegar

put water and beef in pan, boil until the beef tender and the stock remains 1000 ml. Take out the beef, cut into small pieces.

Blend shallots, garlic, pepper, salt, and ginger into a paste. Add this paste into the boiling stock. Add lemon grass and green onion.

Add the pieces of beef and white radish into the boiling stock and keep cooking until the white radish is cooked.

Serve the hot soto in a bowl. Add fried soybean, sprinkle with celery and fried shallots. Serve with sweet soy sauce and sambal cuka.

Sambal: boil the red capsicums. Drain and blend, add salt and vinegar, mix well.

Ramen Noodles Omelette (Dadar Telur Mie Instant)

1 pack of instant ramen noodles – any flavor (55gr)
2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons parsely, finely chopped chopped
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Tomato sauce / sweet chilli sauce

Drop ramen noodles into boiling water. Cook for 4 minutes (or according to the package instructions)

Drain the water and the instant powdered stock included in the package. Mix well with a fork till

Heat up an 8″ non-stick pan and drizzle cooking oil on it. Quickly stir fry chopped onions over medium heat for 2 minutes till they are translucent and toss in the tomatoes. Cook for another 1 minute

Put in the noodles and chopped parsely into the pan and mix well with the other ingredients – cook for another two minutes

Try to arrange / distribute the noodles evenly across the pan and also arrange the placement of the tomatoes. Pour the egg mixture slowly by circular motion starting from the outer edge of the pan. Try to cover all surface. If you can’t, don’t worry about it. Just swirl the pan around slightly before the egg sets and it will fill up the empty spaces

Lower heat and cook for 4 minutes. Slide a flat spatula under the omelette and quickly flip over and cook some more till both sides are browned

Serve with your choice of topping sauce or just put your favorite shredded cheese.

Dry Curry Chicken (Rendang Ayam)

100 grams red chilies
65 grams (12) shallots
25 grams (6) cloves garlic
25 grams (6) candlenut
10 grams (1/8 cup) coriander seeds
4 dried chilies, soaked with hot water and pat dried
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon whole white pepper
1/4 fresh nutmeg

Other ingredients
1,2 litre coconut milk, pressed and strained from 4 freshly grated coconut
1 turmeric leaf (alternatively, substitute with a pinch of turmeric powder)
3 kaffir lime leaves
10 salam leaves
4 stalks lemongrass, halved and pounded to release juice
50 grams galangal, pounded to release juice
2 whole cardamom
1 star anise
3 cloves
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 kilogram chicken, cut into medium size pieces
1 medium size potatoes, peeled and quartered

Grind spices for paste into medium-to-fine paste

In a big heavy stainless steel pot, cook half of coconut milk, spice paste, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, salam leaf, lemongrass, galangal, cardamom, star anise and cloves over low heat for 10 minutes

Add sugar and salt. Increase heat to medium. Cook for 5 more minutes
Pour in the rest of coconut milk and potato. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour,

Stirring constantly to avoid burning till the coconut oil starts to separate from the milk. The dish should be simmering slowly with small bubbles. Cover partly to avoid splatter.

Toss in pieces of chicken. Cook for another hour. Season with more salt and sugar if desired. If potatoes are used, add potatoes at this stage. Cook for another half an hour.

Serve warm with steamed rice.

Dayak-Style Shrimp (Udang Bumbu Kalimantan)

2 lbs medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 medium red chilies (sliced)
1 medium shallot (sliced)
1 garlic clove (sliced)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (dissolved in water)
1/4 cup water
1/2 inch gingerroot (sliced)
1 teaspoon salt
1 small tomato (chopped)
steamed rice (to serve)

Saute shrimp in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat for 2 minutes, then set aside.

In small food processor, blend shallot, garlic, chiles, sugar, tamarind liquid, ginger, salt and tomato to form a paste.

Heat remaining oil in pan, then stir-fry paste over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add shrimp, cook 2 minutes more.

Serve warm.

Braised Banana with Palm Sugar and Coconut Gravy (Kolak Pisang)

100 gr palm sugar (or brown sugar)
2 (200 gr) medium sized sweet potatoes, cubed
4 (450 gr) ripe cooking banana
4 pandan leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup thick coconut cream
1 cup thick coconut cream, diluted by 2 cups water

In a medium saucepan, add diluted coconut cream, pandan, banana pieces, sweet potato cubes and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat and stir constantly for 10 minutes

In a smaller saucepan, melt palm sugar with 1/2 cup of the coconut water from the first boiling saucepan. When fully melted, strain the liquid to remove foreign objects / insects (very possible to find dead flies trapped in the palm sugar block)

Add the palm sugar syrup and the rest of the thick coconut cream into the saucepan, lower heat

Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, serve warm or cold.

Spicy Shredded Balinese Chicken (Ayam Pelalah)

250 g breast chicken meat
1 tbsp margarine

4 tbsp sliced shallots
2 tbsp sliced garlic
1 tsp sliced kaempferia galanga
1 tsp sliced galangal
5 candlenuts
1 tbsp sliced turmeric
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sliced lemon grass
1 tbsp sliced red chilies
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sliced shallots
1 tsp sliced garlic
1 tbsp sliced shallots
1 tsp sliced garlic
1 ripe tomato, sliced

Blend all spices into a paste, add shallots, garlic, red chilies, and tomatoes.
In a bowl, toss chicken with the seasoning and mix well, let stand for a few minutes.

Grill the chicken until done and turn lightly brown, keep the remaining seasoning.
Shred chicken into fine strips.

Put margarine in a wok, saute the remaining seasoning until fragrant. Add the shredded chicken and stir well.

Transfer into a serving dish and serve immediately.

Banjar Clear Soup (Soto Banjar)

Soup
1 whole chicken. cut into 4 pieces
1,5 litres water
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 spring onion, chopped
2 chinese celery, chopped
10 shallots
5 cloves garlic
1/2 whole nutmeg
5 cm cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 pods cardamon
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Condiments
100 gr mungbean noodles, blanch with boiling water for 2 minutes
3 hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges
50 gr beansprouts, blanch with boiling water for 1 minute
deep fried shallot flakes
frikadel potatoes (recipe here)
sweet soy sauce
2 limes, cut into wedges

Chili paste
5 red chili
10 thai eye’s chili
5 candlenut,
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Wrap nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon with a piece of cloth (preferably some type of muslin). Set aside.
Grind shallots and garlic into fine paste. Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil over high heat for 2 minutes. Toss in the spices in muslin.
In a big stock pot, add the water and the spices from above, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add pieces of chicken into the pot. Cook for another 20 minutes.
Remove chicken pieces. Shred the meat and get rid off the bones.
Set aside.

To prepare the chili paste, put all the ingredients in a spice grinder and grind them into paste.

To serve, ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Add mungbean noodles, beansprouts, shredded chicken, bitter-nut crackers, perkedel potatoes and hard boiled egg wedges.
Sprinkle some shallot flakes and a couple of dash of soy sauce with squirts of lime juice before serving.

Add chili paste moderately and mix everything up.
Serve with warm rice

Grilled Rice with Basil and Lemongrass (Nasi Bakar)

2 kg rice
9 stalks lemongrass
9 salam leaves
100 gr kaffir lime leaves
250 gr lemon basil leaves, picked and washed clean
300 gr galangal, quartered and crushed
1/4 cup salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4 tablespoons cooking oil

Remove the upper stalk of lemongrass, use only the lower 5″ of the stalk.
Wash and cook rice. Leave in a container till completely cool, for at least six hours.
Heat cooking oil in a big saucepan (big enough to contain the cooked rice) over high heat.
Saute galangal, lemongrass and salt for 5 minutes till fragrant and lower heat.
Add kaffir lime leaves, salam leaves and lemon basil. Quickly stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Toss in sugar, chicken cubes. Mix well for a couple of minutes until the leaves start to wilt.
Add the cooked rice, combine with the rest of the spices.
Remove from heat.

Wrapping
Lightly rub the banana leaves with a wet kitchen towel. Dry thoroughly.
Cut the banana leaves into 10″ x 12″ squares
Scoop two cups of rice and place in one end of the banana leaves, it is ok to include the herbs. That would give the rice an extra kick. The guest will remove them later
Roll up the banana leaves to resemble a sushi roll
Close the right and left opening with a couple of toothpicks
Grill over open charcoal fire for 3 minutes each side until the banana leaves turned brown
Take care not to grill too long as it will burn the rice
Serve warm.

Spicy Dip with Shrimp Paste (Sambal Balacan)

1/8 cup cooking oil
1 (120 grams) medium size tomato, halved and seeded
5 (20 grams) shallots
10 (75 grams) red chilies
8 (25 grams) green chilies
1/2 tablespoon (5 grams) shrimp paste (belacan / balacan)
2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar (gula melaka / gula merah)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lime

Heat 1/8 cup cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Fry tomato and shallots till soft and brown for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Next fry chilies until they turn a shade lighter for one minute.

Drain the oil, leaving only 2 tablespoons of oil on the skillet and turn down the heat. Fry the shrimp paste quickly, break the paste using the spatula for 2 minutes. Remove from heat for later use.

Pound the chilies and shallots in a mortal using pestle hard and slowly for 8 minutes. Add tomato halves (skin removed), shrimp paste, palm sugar and salt. Pound till everything mixed well for 5 minutes.

Squeeze lime juice into the mortar and mix well with spoon. Serve with selections of fresh and boiled vegetables.

Coconut Rice (Nasi Lemak)

For coconut rice
4 stalks lemongrass
80 gr galangal
5 salam leaves
7 kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon salt
700 ml coconut milk
5 cups rice

Wash rice with cold water
In a pot, add rice, coconut milk, salt, galangal, salam leaves, kaffir lime leaves and salt
Boil for 20 minutes – until all liquid is absorbed by the rice
Move the rice to a steamer. Steam for 20 minutes
When the rice is dry and fluffy, it is done. If not, steam longer

For condiments
250 gr (1 1/2 cups) peanuts
100 gr (1 1/3 cups) anchovies
100 gr genom crackers
100 gr red and white crackers
200 gr (1 pc) cucumber
200 gr cabbage
250 gr string beans
3 eggs

Deep fry peanuts, anchovies, and both type of crackers
Cut cabbage and string beans into bite sizes and blanch with boiling water for 2 minutes
Make thin omelette and cut julienned
Serve with the coconut rice

For Chili Shrimp Dip
50 gr (1/4) tomato
20 gr (1/4 cup) bird’s eye chili
50 gr red chili
40 gr (10 pcs) shallot
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 lime
5 gr shrimp paste (“belacan”)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Boil tomato, chili, shallot and garlic for 5 minutes
Toast/pan fry shrimp paste/belacan for 3 minutes
Grind all ingredients using a spice grinder for 1 minute till medium fine
Serve as dip for the vegetables and coconut rice

Fried Soybean Cake (Tempe Goreng)

Get one block of soybean fermented cake, slice accordingly.
Sprinkle some salt on the soybean cake slices
Heat one cup of oil in a small frying pan.
When you can spot some smoke coming out of the surface of the heated oil,
the oil is ready to take in the soybean cake.

Deep fry in batches till brown and slightly dry.
One minute each side is plenty.

How to prepare Spicy Chili and Soy Dip

1/3 cup (30 gr) Thai green small chili
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
Using mortal & pestle, grind both ingredients for 3 – 5 minutes.

Mix one teaspoon of the chili paste with three tablespoon of light soy sauce in a bowl.

Set aside the rest of the paste for future use. If refrigerated, the chili base paste can last for a couple of weeks.

If one teaspoon is too strong / too spicy, reduce the amount of paste or dilute furthermore with soy sauce.

Corn Fritters (Perkedel Jagung)

400g can sweetcorn, drained
1 small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
4 green shallots, sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tbsp plain flour
vegetable oil for cooking

Combine corn, chili, shallots, coriander, salt, egg and flours. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Drop spoonfuls of mixture into oil and cook until golden brown.

Serve with chilly sauce.