Spicy Fish Fritters (Perkedel Ikan)

500g boneless fish fillets
4 green shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp root ginger, chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 egg
1 tbsp cornflour
Cooking oil

Dipping Sauce:

1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sambal ulek

Combine shallots, garlic, ginger; fish, soy sauce, kecap manis, egg and cornflour in a food processor. Process until mixture comes together and is smooth.

Using wet hands shape mixture into small patties. Mixture tends to be wet so cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok. Cook patties for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden. Combine ingredients for dipping sauce in a small dish. Serve fritters with dipping sauce.

Fried Carrot Balls (Gorengan Bola-Bola Wortel)

350g carrot, peeled and sliced
1 egg, beaten
2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
3/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sesame seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking oil, for deep frying

Place the carrot in boiling salted water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and mash well. Place the ginger in a garlic crushed and squeeze the juice into the mashed carrot. Add the spring onions, sesame oil and egg and season to taste.

Shape the carrot mixture into small-sized balls. Roll the balls in the combined flour and sesame seeds, shaking off the excess. Heat 3-4 cm oil in a pan; add the carrot balls and coo in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden.

Remove the balls from the pan, drain on paper towels, then return to the oil and cook for another 30 seconds. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Fried Red Soya Beans (Lentho)

100 g of red soya bean
50 g of tapioca flour
30 g granted coconut
1 teaspoon coriander
3 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
A pinch of pepper
salt to taste

Bring to boil red bean. Cook until its soft enough. When it's cooked, take out from the water and let it cold.

Grind or blend the shallots, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper into paste. Add the red bean and smashed coarsely.

Add the tapioca flour and the granted coconut. Mix well all the ingredients.

Form into oval small dough. Fry in deep wok over medium heat until crispy. Remove from the wok and serve.

The Perfect Sunny-Side Up Fried Egg

Even if you don't cook much, it's not hard to fry an egg, right? Yes and no. It's the simple things that get us pretty heated about the best technique. It is possible to prepare a sunny-side up egg to perfection (tender cooked-through white and runny yolk). Here are five tips to get there:

1. Squash your impatience; go zen. Sunny-side up eggs need slow cooking over low heat.

2. Use medium heat to get the pan hot. If using cast-iron, heat it dry, then add olive oil and butter (for nonstick, heat the pan with the fat in it).

3. Turn the heat low and crack the egg in. If it splutters noisily, cool the pan off the heat briefly. Cover the skillet and cook the egg slowly, about 2 minutes. No browning. Check it. If the white around the yolk looks loose, cook it, covered, another 30 to 60 seconds, but check often, because you don't want the thin film of white covering the yolk to turn milky white.

4. Some pros recommend basting the whites with fat from the pan to help cook them through. That's fine, but tilting the pan to scoop up some hot fat makes the egg slide, too.

5. To make landing the egg foolproof, hold the skillet over the plate (hopefully with a piece of toast waiting for it).

Fried Stuffed Tofu (Tahu Isi)

6 medium tofu, cut into triangle, fried half done

Filling
150 gram of minced beef/chicken/prawn
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 carrots cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Flour Mixture
100 g flour
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp coriander, pan-broil
3 candlenuts
2 cm kaempferia galanga (kencur)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
125 ml water

Heat the oil in deep wok and fry the tofu until brown in both sides. Set aside. When they are already cold, scoop out the middle part to make a hole for filling.

Filling: in remaining oil, stir fry the onion and garlic. Add the meat, stir well until brown. Then add carrots. Pour some water, just enough to make the carrots tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. When it is about to be done, mix corn flour with small amount of water and pour it to the filling, this will make the filling becomes a bit thicker. Cook about 10 minutes until water is absorbed.

Take a spoon of it and stuff it into the hole of tofu one by one until all is done. Put aside.

flour mixture: In a small bowl mix all ingredients. Add a little water if necessary.

Dip the stuffed tofu into flour mixture before frying it, you will get a crunchy fried tofu skin.

Deep fry stuffed tofu under medium heat until golden brown. Serve with green bird chillies or chilli sauce.

Chicken Mushroom Noodles (Mie Ayam Jamur)

250 grams dried egg noodles, cooked and set aside
Chinese Cabbage
meatballs, optional

Chicken Mushroom Mix:
2 chicken thigh fillet, cut into small piece
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
150 gram champignon
3 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
50 ml oil
2 tbs water
½ cube chicken bouillon
a pinch of sugar

Garlic Oil:
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs soy sauce (kecap asin)
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tablespoons oil

The Soup:
Chicken bones
½ cube of chicken bouillon
1 stalk spring onion
250 ml water

Heat the oil, and fry the chicken meat half-cook. Set aside.

Grind or blend shallots and garlic, sauté until it's fragrant, add the champignon and chicken. Continue cooking. Pout a bit water into the mix, sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), chicken bouillion and sugar. Stir well. Cook until its thickening.

Make the garlic oil : heat the oil, then add the garlic and fry it until slightly brown. Don't over burn it! Add the soy sauce, and sesame oil.

The soup: boil the bones to make a broth, then add the chicken bouillion, and spring onion.

Set a plate with 1 tablespoon of garlic oil, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, salt and pepper. Put the cooked noodle into a plate and mix thoroughly. Add cooked Chinese Cabbage. Add 3 tablespoons of chicken mushroom, garnish with fried shallot and fresh cucumber. Serve with the soup and meatball.

Fresh Vegetables Pickles (Acar Mentah)

1 small cucumber, cleaned, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
3 shallots, peeled, thinly sliced
6 fresh bird's eyes chillies, cleaned, thinly sliced (optional)
3 tbs of vinegar
2 tbs sugar
1 1/2 warm water
1 tsp salt

Mix water with vinegar, sugar and salt. Add the vegetables. Refrigerate 4-5 hours before serving.

Beef and Bean Sprouts Soup with Rice Cake (Lontong Balap Surabaya)

100 g beef meat
3 shallots or half of medium red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 block beef seasoning
250 g of bean sprouts
1 stalk of celery leaf
2 tbs of fried shallot
500 ml of water
Pinch of pepper

Lentho
100 g of red soya bean
50 g of tapioca flour
30 g granted coconut
1 teaspoon coriander
3 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
A pinch of pepper
salt to taste

Sambal Petis
1 cloves of garlic
5 bird's eyes chillies (optional)
2 tbs of dried shrimp paste (petis udang)
1 tbs of water
1 tsp of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

Other Ingredients
Lontong (rice cake)
200 g fried tofu
Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 tbs of fried shallot for garnish

The broth: Boiled beef meat with 500 ml water until you get the beef broth. Take out the meat.

Blend or grind the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat the oil and sauté the paste until fragrant.

Add the fried paste into the broth; then beef seasoning. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the celery and the bean sprout. Let it cook for few minutes.

Lentho: Bring to boil red bean. Cook until its soft enough. When it's done, take out from the water and let it cold.

Grind or blend the shallots, garlic, coriander, salt and pepper into paste. Add the red bean and smashed coarsely. Add the tapioca flour and the granted coconut. Mix well all the ingredients.

Form into small dough. Fry in deep wok over medium heat until crispy. Remove from the pan. Cut into pieces before serve.

Sambal Petis: Fry the garlic and the chillies. Set aside. Grind them with dried shrimp paste (petis udang). Add the water and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), mix them.

To Serve: In a plate or bowl, cut lontong (rice cake) into small pieces, add the bean sprout, lentho, fried tofu and garnish with fried shallot. Pour broth, and drizzle with sweet soy sauce. If you like it spicy, add sambal petis.

Can we store frozen food long-term just anywhere in our freezer?

The door of the freezer is a handy place to store frozen items, but not necessarily the best place for long-term storage. The temperature near and on the door fluctuates every time the door is opened.

Although the food may remain frozen, the freezing process could be slowed, opening up the possibility for larger ice crystals to form inside the food and destroy its integrity.

To prevent this, store frozen foods toward the back of the freezer where a constant 0 degrees F is more likely to be achieved and use goods stored near the front or on the door sooner. And if the power goes out? Don’t open the freezer door! According to the USDA, a full freezer should remain frozen for 2 days.

Stir-Fried Vegetables (Oseng-oseng Sayur)

100 g beef (or beef ham, thinly sliced)
1 red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
2 carrots thinly cut
6 pieces baby corn, cut into 2 or 3 cm
5 beans thinly cut
1 small onion,
3 cloves of garlic
1 block beef seasoning mixture/beef bouillon
300 ml water

Boil the beef with 300 ml water until tender, cut the meat into small pieces. Set aside. Just skip this process if you substitute with beef ham.

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok and sauté the onion, garlic and chilli until fragrant. Add carrot, meat, beef stock, and beef bouillon. Continue cooking.

When the carrot is tender, add others vegetables.
Cook for 5 minutes and serve.

Crunchy Turmeric Vegetable Pickles (Acar Kuning)

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, cut sticks shape
1 carrot, peeled, cut sticks shape
2 bird's-eye chillies, sliced (optional)
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup water
1 tbs cooking oil
sugar and salt for taste

Spice Paste
5 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
5 Candlenuts (Kemiri)
1 tsp turmeric powder (or 2cm fresh tumeric, crushed)

Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, fry the spice paste. Add sugar, salt and vinegar.

Add carrot, cucumber and chillies together with 1 cup of water. Stirr well and cook until vegetables tender. To have the crunchy taste, don't overcook.

Fried Tofu with Black Shrimp Paste Surabaya Style (Tahu Tek Surabaya)

250 g tofu
4 medium potatoes, boiled
2 eggs

100 g bean sprout, cooked or half-cooked
1 spring onion, chopped
Prawn cracker or Garlic crackers

Lontong (rice cake)

Sauce:
100 g fried peanut
50 g black shrimp paste (petis)
2 cloves garlic, fried
2 bird's eyes chillies (optional)
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
50 ml warm water
Salt to taste

Cut tofu and potatoes into cubes. Heat the frying pan with enough oil to fry the potatoes. Set aside. Whisk the eggs and then add tofu. Fry the mixture. Set aside.

Sauce: grind fried peanut with fried garlic, chillies and salt. Add the black shrimp paste, sweet soy sauce, and water. Mix them well to make the sauce.

How to serve: Place rice cake/lontong, fried potatoes, and tofu omelette, then add the bean sprout and spring onion, and pour with the sauce and sprinkle with fried shallots. Garnish with prawn or onion crackers.

Potato Croquettes (Perkedel Kentang)

1/2 kg of potato, peeled and cut smaller
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 stalk of spring onion, chopped
fried shallot
1 egg
1 egg yolk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and fry the potatoes until they are tender. Set aside, let the oil absorbed.

Mix the potatoes with celery, spring onion, fried shallot, salt and pepper. Blend together. You can use a grinding stone or a food processor. Then add the egg, continue blending.

Shape the potato mixture into a small square. Before you do it, taste the mix to ensure it's salty.

Store them in the fridge for 30 minutes. This step is to ensure that the shape won't be falling a part when you fry the croquettes.

Cover each croquette with softly beaten egg yolk, fry with deep frying pan.

Spicy Tofu with Dark Sweet Soy Sauce (Kering Tahu)

250 g Tofu/Tahu
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
2 big red Chillies
2 bird's eyes Chillies (optional)
2 Shallots, chopped
1 cm of fresh Galangal (Lengkuas/Laos), chopped
3 tablespoons of dark sweet soy sauce
100 ml water
Salt and sugar to taste

Cut tofu into small cube then fry half done.

In remaining oil, sauté the shallot, garlic, chillies and galangal until fragrant. Then add tofu, sweet soy sauce and water. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cook until the sauce absorbed.

Serve with steamed rice.

Fried Fish Cake (Otak-otak Goreng)

300 g boneless white fish fillet skinned
100 g tapioca flour
100 ml thick coconut milk
1 stalk of spring onion, finely chopped

Spice Paste
2 cloves of garlic
3 shallots
1 cm ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cm galangal (laos)
salt to taste

Peanut Sauce
50 g fried peanut
3 pan-broil candlenuts
2 red chilli, seeded
2 bird's eyes chillies (optional)
Salt and sugar to taste
100 cc water

Grind or blend the spice paste ingredients.

Add the fish and spring onion, process until fine, put into a large bowl and stir in all together with tapioca flour and coconut milk.

Shape the mixture into long oval (or small round shape), deep fry in hot oil until cooked and golden brown.

To make peanut sauce: grind or blend all the ingredients until smooth, add water and simmer over low heat for few minutes.

Spicy Fried Sardines (Ikan Sarden Saos Tomat Pedas)

400 g sardines or other small fish, cleaned
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 red chillies, seeded and sliced
8 green/red bird's eyes chillies(reduce if you don't like it too spicy)
2 clove of garlic
3 shallots
1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 cm fresh galangal, peeled and sliced
1 stalk lemon grass, use only the white part, chopped
1 medium tomato, cut in wedges
1 tbsp tamarind juice
1 salaam leaf
1/2 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
2 tbsp water
basil

Spice Paste :
1 shallots
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp white peppercorn
1/4 tsp coriander
1 cm fresh ginger
1 cm fresh fresh turmeric

Wash the sardines, drain and marinate with salt. Leave for 30 - 60 minutes. Heat the oil and fry the fish until golden brown.

Prepare spice paste by grinding or blending all the ingredients.

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and saute the chillies, garlic, shallots, ginger, galangal, lemon grass, tomato, tamarind juice and salaam leaf over high heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sugar, then the spice paste and fry another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Combine the fried sardines with the spicy sauce in the wok, add water. Cook for another minute, stirring well, then serve, garnished with basil.

Steamed Glutinous with Coconut Sweet Filling (Kue Bugis/Kue Mendut)

250 g glutinous rice flour
50 g starch (tepung Kanji)
100 ml pandan leaves extract (extracted from fresh pandan leaves)
150 ml (or more) water
1 teaspoon lime stone paste (kapur sirih)
banana leaf
200 ml thick coconut milk

Filling:

100 g of grated fresh coconut
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
100 g brown sugar, fine comb
½ tsp salt
100 ml of water

Filling: Cook all filling ingredients together until sugar melts and becomes rather dry dough. Remove and let cool.

Mix glutinous rice flour, wheat starch and other ingredients until the dough is dull. Adjust the amount of water to the dough condition.

Take 1 tablespoon of dough, flatten. Fill with 1 rounded teaspoon of filling dough.
Give a little lime stone paste, put in a heat resistant container.

Steamed until cooked. While still hot (please be very careful), wrap each of the balls with banana leaves. Allow to cool and serve.

Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Bumbu Pedas)

1/2 kg (500 gram) chicken
Salt and pepper to marinate the chicken

1 stalk of lemongrass
2 Salam leafs/bay leaves
Cooking oil for frying

Spice (Blend) :

5 cloves of garlic
5 shallots
5 Candlenuts
5 red chillies, seeded and sliced
2 bird's eyes chillies (optional)
1 tomato, sliced
1 cm Galangal (Laos)
Salt and sugar to taste

Cut chicken into 8 pieces, marinate with salt and pepper, fry and set aside.

With remaining oil, sauté the spice paste together with salam leaves and lemongrass until fragrant. Add chicken, stir well. Add some water and continue cooking until all blended spice are absorbed.

Saffron may help Lift your mood

Saffron has long been used in traditional Persian medicine as a mood lifter, usually steeped into a medicinal tea or used to prepare rice. Research from Iran's Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital at Tehran University of Medical Sciences has found that saffron may help to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and depression.

In one study, 75% of women with PMS who were given saffron capsules daily reported that their PMS symptoms (such as mood swings and depression) declined by at least half, compared with only 8 percent of women who didn't take saffron.