Sumatrans and Javanese have very different interpretations of this favorite beef dish. Sumatrans like it hot and dry, while Javanese like it sweeter with more gravy. While, a Javanese herself, Tuti leans toward the style of Padang in Sumatra, considered by most the source of the best food in the country. Out of sympathy for her guests, she cuts back on the hot pepper. But if you’d like to sample true Padang-style eating, load up on the sambal.

1 medium onion chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tb. fresh ginger, chopped
5 fresh red hot chillies chopped or 2 Tb. crushed dry chili
2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. galanga powder (see ingredients list)
4 tsp. paprika
6 kemiri (see ingredients list)
6 kaffir lime leaves (see ingredients list)
1 stalk of fresh lemon grass or 1 Tb. lemon grass powder (see ingredients list)
1/2 cup tamarind juice
1/2 cup water

3 lbs. round or chuck steak cut into strips approximately 1 1/2 wide and 2 1/2 long

Mix all ingredients but meat in a blender or food processor. Add to a large saucepan, add meat and bring quickly to a boil.

Reduce heat to moderate, stirring occasionally until sauce reduces by one-half. Turn heat to low and continue cooking until gravy is almost dry stirring frequently to ensure mixture does not stick to the pan.

Allow meat to fry in remaining oil until it is dark brown. Cooking time approximately two hours. Serve with white rice.

Kari Ikan (Fish Curry)
Serves 4 people, more for a rijsttafel

No sampling of Indonesian dishes would be complete without seafood or a curry. Syamsul and Beverley Bachri, owners of
Bachri’s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania provide us with the perfect marriage, a fish curry, and a simple one at that.

1 Tb. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
8 kemiri ground
1 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup water
4 fish fillets
2 scallions, chopped

Heat oil in a wok, add sliced onion, and stir-fry until tender. Add ginger, kemiri, and curry powder, and stir-fry over low
heat for 3 minutes.

Add kecap manis, lemon juice, and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add fish fillets in a single layer in the wok. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes on each side or until the fish is done. Place on a platter, sprinkle with chopped scallions, and serve with sambal and sliced cucumber salad along with white rice.

Semur Daging (Slices Of Beef In Soya Sauce)
Serves 3 or 4, more for a rijstaffel

On my first night in Jakarta, my hostess prepared semur. No doubt she felt it would be easy on my wimpy western palate, but I found its sweetness strange and exotic. Of course a palate trained in the Midwest during the fifties and sixties would have found anything exotic! Now that I have toughened up, I know to serve a dish like this with plenty of sambal for a balance between sweet and hot. This is Syamsul and Beverley Bachri’s version.

1 lb. beef roast, thinly sliced
2 shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tb. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 Tb. butter
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
2 potatos, thinly sliced
2 tomatos, peeled and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
Thinly sliced fried onion

Fry shallots and garlic in butter until lightly browned. Add meat and potato slices, and saute briefly. Add the tomato, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add eggs and cook for 5 minutes more. Add scallions just prior to serving and garnish with fried onions. Serve with white rice.

From: http://www.sallys-place.com/food/cuisines/indonesia.htm

Nasi Jagung (Corn Rice)

Ingredients

• 1½ cups uncooked rice, washed thoroughly
• 1½ cups sweet corn kernels, cut from the cob or canned

Procedure

1. Place the rice and corn in a pot with 3½ cups of water and bring to a boil. (If using canned sweet corn, do not add water).
2. Simmer the rice and corn until the water is absorbed.
3. If using canned sweet corn, add the water now.
4. Lower the heat to low and cook rice and corn for another 10 minutes, until the rice is dry and fluffy.

Sarikayo Telor (Steamed Egg and Coconut Milk Pudding)

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• 8 large eggs, beaten lightly
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups coconut milk (canned is acceptable)

Procedure

1. Cook the granulated and brown sugar in water over low heat for 3 minutes, or until the sugars are completely dissolved and form a syrup; let the syrup cool.
2. Whisk in the eggs, salt, vanilla, and coconut milk.
3. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart heat-proof dish and steam over hot water for 15 minutes, or until the pudding is firm.
4. Serve warm or chilled.

Serves 8.

Rujak (Spicy Fruit Salad)

Rujak is considered Indonesia‘s national salad.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized can pineapple chunks
• 2 bananas, peeled and chopped
• 3 green apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced

DRESSING:

• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lime (or lemon) juice

Procedure

1. Place all fruits and vegetables into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. In a separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
3. Pour the dressing over the fruits and vegetables. Chill before serving.

Serves 4 to 6.

Es Pokat or Es Avocad, Bali (Indonesian Avocado Drink)

Ingredients

• 5 Tablespoons sugar
• 5 Tablespoons water
• 2 avocados, peeled and pit removed
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup chocolate milk
• Ice, crushed

Procedure

1. To make the simple syrup, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium to high heat.
2. Stir until clear. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Spoon out the avocado pulp and place in a blender.
4. Add the syrup and blend to mix, then add cold milk and blend.
5. Divide the mixture between two tall glasses. Top each serving with ½ cup chocolate milk (to form a separate layer) and crushed ice.

Makes 2 servings.

Teh Halia (Hot Ginger Tea, Ambon)

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, cracked

Procedure

1. Combine the water, sugar, and ginger in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Strain.

Serves 6.

Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice)

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice
• 2¼ cups coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons turmeric (found in most supermarkets)
• 1 blade lemon grass

Procedure

1. Wash and drain the rice.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until all the coconut milk is absorbed.
4. Put the rice into a steamer (a vegetable steamer lined with cheesecloth set over boiling water will also work).
5. Steam until the rice is tender.

Serves 4 to 6.

From: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Indonesia.html

When buying seafood and fish, it is possible to find them fresh or frozen. But is the frozen seafood as good as fresh? Well, with the technological advances, today it is possible to immediately process and freeze fresh catches, usually right on the fishing vessel. The process of flash-freezing is employed, in which the water contained inside the food items is subjected to very low temperatures (below its melting/freezing point), causing water inside the foods to freeze in a very short period of time. Therefore, frozen seafood can even be superior in quality to fresh seafood products.

So, if you leave in a place where you cannot easily find a fresh seafood seller, to buy frozen seafood and fish is a good option. Personally I buy frozen fish and seafood for practical reasons, if I spontaneously decide to prepare a seafood recipe, I always have something in my freezer, I don´t have to worry go shopping.

Frozen of fresh you should pay attention to some aspects when buying seafood. Below you can see some tips on how select fish or seafood.

Frozen Seafood Buying Tips

• Frozen fish and shellfish should be packaged in a close-fitting, moisture-proof package. Don’t buy frozen seafood if its package is open, torn or crushed on the edges.
• Select packages from below the load line of the freezer case in the store’s freezer.
• Avoid the package defrosting during the transportation. You can transport seafood in an ice-packed cooler from the store to your home.

Fresh Seafood Buying Tips

The first aspect you should consider when buying fresh fish or seafood has to do with the seafood seller/store. Pay attention to the cleanliness, appearance and smell (strong fishy odor is a sign of spoilage) of the local. As general rule, fresh fish and seafood should be storage at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be kept by refrigeration or ice.

Besides of that when selecting fresh fish or seafood pay attention to the following characteristics that indicate the freshness of the product, in order to safely enjoy their fine taste and good nutrition.

Fresh Fish Guidelines:

• Fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy or ammonia-like.
• The eyes of a fresh fish should be clear, bright and a little protruding. Cloudy, pink and sunken eyes indicate the fish has lost its freshness.
• The gills of the fish should be bright red or pink and free from slime.
• Fresh fish should have firm and elastic flesh. Test it by pressing with the finger the flesh delicately. It should spring back.
• Fish with shiny skin and scales that adhere tightly is another indicator of freshness.
• Fish fillets should have firm and elastic flesh, a fresh-cut, moist appearance, displaying no darkening or drying around the edges. It should be little evidence of bruising or reddening of the flesh from retention of blood. In addition, prepackaged fish fillets should contain a minimum of liquid because when seafood is stored in liquid deteriorates quickly.

Fresh Shellfish Guidelines:

• Fresh mussels, oysters, clams are sold live because when they die, their internal organs start to deteriorate. This way fresh shellfish should have unbroken shells and should be closed. If the shells gape slightly, tap them: the shells should close up. If they do not close up, throw them away.
• The shells of fresh, live shellfish should be shiny and moist. It should smell sweet and mild, like a fresh sea breeze.
• Fresh lobster and crabs are also sold alive, because they spoil quickly when they die. Thus when selecting them they should show leg movement (they will not be very active if they have been refrigerated, but they should move at least a little bit).
• Raw shrimp meat should be firm and should smell mild. The shells should not have blackened edges, black spots or other dark areas, because this indicates loss of freshness.
• When buying fresh squid, select those with clear and full eyes, the skin should be cream-colored with reddish brown spots (when they start losing freshness the skin turns pinkish) and the meat should be very firm.
• Fresh shucked oysters should have a fresh smell. A clear slightly milky or light grey liquid should surround freshly shucked oysters.
• And last but not least, when shopping buy your fresh fish or seafood last and then take them home straight away to storage them appropriately

• 8 red chilies, seeded and sliced
• 1 tsp. dried shrimp paste (terasi), toasted
• ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 6 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1½ tsp. chopped palm sugar
• 2 Tbs. oil
• 2 salam leaves
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• ½ inch galangal (laos), peeled and sliced
• 4 Tbs. tamarind juice

Grind with a mortar and pestle or blend the first 7 ingredients very finely.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Sauté the ground ingredients along with salam leaves, lemongrass and galangal. Stir it frequently until the mixture changes color and becomes very fragrant.

Lastly, pour the tamarind juice and let it simmer for about a minute and then leave to cool.

Remove salam leaves, lemongrass and galangal before serving.

Note: Keeps up to 1 week or longer

Yield: 4 servings/ Preparation: 15 minutes/ Cooking: 1 hour

• 240 g Black glutinous rice (washed & drained)
• 60 g White glutinous rice (pulut) (washed & drained)
• 7 c Water
• 2 Pandan leaves, knotted
• 1/2 c Sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 T Tapioca flour or cornflour Combined with 2 Tbs water to Form a paste
• 1/2 c Thick cocnut milk
• Pinch of salt

Put rice in pot with water and pandan leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, remove pandan leaves and simmer for 45 minutes until liquid is thick. Add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and thickening. Remove from heat.

Serve in small bowls topped with 1-2 tablespoons thick cocnut milk.

• 2 lbs. cassava
• 200 gram granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. vanila
• 1 cup steamed fresh-grated coconut, mixed with 1 tsp. salt
• 100 cc water
• food color

Put in sugar and vanila in a large stockpot with water and bring it to a boil.

Steam cassava until soft. Peel cassava. Mash cassava while still hot and pour the water mixture and food color (what ever color you like) and blend well.

Use the equipment as shown on the left hand side to mold the mixture. Then put them onto a serving platter, and sprinkle with grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.

Makes 10-12 servings.

• 350 grams rice flour
• some water
• 150 grams all purpose flour
• 200 grams fermented cassava / tapioca (tape singkong)
• 400 grams sugar
• 200 cc warm water
• 2 Tsp baking soda
• 250 cc club soda
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• food coloring (your choice of 3 or 4 colors)
• salt to taste

Add enough water to the rice flour so that its weight increases to 500 grams.

Add the all purpose flour to the rice flour mixture and stir well. Add the fermented tapioca and sugar. Mix well. Add the warm water and work the dough for about 10 minutes.-Add the baking soda, the club soda and vanilla. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Finally, add the food coloring and blend until smooth.

Warm the cup molds for about 5 minutes and fill it for about 4/5 full. Put in a steamer with the water already at a rolling boil. Steam for about 20 minutes.

Serves: 6

• 1 small cucumber, sliced thin
• 1 cup thinly sliced jicama
• 1 cup cubed firm ripe papaya
• 1 star apple (carambola), sliced
• 1 to 2 cups cubed fresh or canned ripe pineapple
• 1 firm green pear, cubed
• 1 firm tart apple, cubed
  

  FOR THE SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts
• 1 or 2 hot red chilies, sliced and seeded
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup water and strained
• 1 small green banana, sliced (optional)

Arrange the cucumber and any 3 or more of the fruits in separate heaps on a serving platter.

In a food processor chop fine the peanuts, then blend in the chilies, brown sugar, tamarind, liquid, and banana (if used) to form a paste. It is traditional to serve the sauce and fruit separately. Each diner may then select the fruit and dip it into the thick sauce. The modern method is to toss the fruit and sauce together and serve the salad at room temperature.

• 570cc or 30 egg yolks
• 525-600 g butter, whipped or melted
• 100 g flour, sifted
• 300 g granulated sugar
• 3 Tbs. sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Tbs. special layer cake extract (optional)
• 15 g powdered milk
• ½ tps. powdered vanilla extract

Place the egg yolks, granulated sugar and vanilla into mixing bowl. Beat to very high soft peak.

Stir in the layer cake extract, flour and butter. The batter should be very thick.

Place wax paper at the bottom of a 8x8x8 inch buttered baking pan. Spread butter on top of the wax paper as well.

Pour 3-4 Tbs. of batter into the wax covered pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven (gas oven is better than electric oven) for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and press the cake evenly and then spread butter (not to much, just for flavoring) on cake top. Pour another 3-4 Tbs. of batter and bake it again for five minutes. Keep doing this step until the batter is finished.

Serve when cool.

Makes 30 slices.

Yield: 2 servings

• 4 Eggs
• 12 T Flour
• 4 Ripe bananas
• Oil for deep frying
• Cinnamon sugar

Slightly beat eggs and mix with flour and half cup water.

Mash bananas with fork and mix thoroughly with flour and egg mixture. Deep-fry banana and flour mixture by the tablespoonful in hot oil until golden brown.

Drain on absorbent paper and dust with cinnamon sugar.

• 500 gram wheat flour
• 150 gram granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbs. cooking oil
• 100 cc water
• ½ Tbs. cocoa powder
• 800 cc oil for frying

Thoroughly mix sugar, salt and vanilla. Add the beaten eggs and stir well. Add oil, stir once more, and then divide in half.

Divide the flour in half as well. Take 1 Tbs of flour from one part and add it to the other. Mix the flour with each half of the sugar and egg mixture. Add cocoa powder to the smaller mix. Add 50 cc of water to each half. Knead until smooth and not sticky to the touch. There will be two types of dough, white and brown.

Separately, roll both pieces of dough out on a plastic covered cutting board until they are about 1 mm thick. Place the two together, then roll up. Wrap with plastic and place in the refrigerator for approximately an hour or until the dough hardens.

With a sharp knife, cut the dough vertically into flat cylinders about 2 mm thick. Flatten once more with a rolling pin. Fry in hot oil until crisp. Remove, drain.

Rice Cakes
• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ tsp. salt

To make Rice Cake:

Place rice flour and tapioca starch in a deep mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Add water and salt, mix well and knead dough until it can be rolled and shaped. Dough should not be to dry.

Roll small rice cakes ½-inch in diameter. Cut diagonally 1-inch in length.

Bring 8 cups of water to a oil. Put it the rice cakes, bring back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set the rice cakes aside.

Sauce
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup palm sugar syrup
• 1 pandan leaf
• Pinch of salt

To make the sauce:

Combine water, coconut milk, palm sugar, pandan leaf, and a pinch of salt in a small stockpot. Bring to a boil.

Add rice cakes and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cool and serve at room temperature, topped with a tablespoon of fresh grated coconut.

Helpful hints: When preparing the rice cakes, use the amount of water given in the recipe only as a guideline; the quality of flour varies greatly and affects the amount of liquid it absorbs. Add sufficient water to result in a soft, smooth dough. If the rice cakes are dry when shaped, they will be very tough after cooking.

Makes 3 servings.

• 200 gr. glutinous rice flour
• 1 Tbs. slaked lime water
• banana leaves
• ¼ grated coconut
• pinch of salt
• Palm sugar syrup

Soak the glutinuous rice in water for an hour and drain. Add the slaked lime water to make the rice rolls more solid, and stir.

Take a piece of banana leaf and fill it ¾ full with glutinuous rice (just like making rice rolls). Secure the ends and tie rolls with string so that they will not burst during the boiling.

Put the rolls in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 4 hours, drain and allow the rolls to cool. Add more hot water during the cooking when necessary.

Serve the rolls by cutting it into 2 cm thick slices.

Sprinkle the grated coconut which a pinch of salt has been added on top of the rolls and pour the palm sugar syrup over them.

Stuffing
• 2 cups fresh-grated coconut
• 10 Tbs. grated Java dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in half
• ¼ tsp. salt

Stuffing:

Mix the grated coconut, grated Java dark brown sugar and granulated sugar, cinnamon and ½ tsp.salt together.

Fry the mixture in a dry pan over medium/low heat, constantly stirred for approximately 5 minutes, or until the mixture is dry.

Remove the cinnamon stick, and set it aside.

Pancake
• 1 cup rice flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1¾ cups coconut milk
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 drops green food coloring (optional)
• Vegetable oil

Pancake:

Mix the rice flour, cornstarch, coconut milk, ½ tsp. salt, green food coloring and egg into a smooth batter.

Lightly oil an 8-inch frying pan, and pour 3 tablespoon of the batter into the pan. Make sure the pan is equally covered with the batter so it becomes a thin layer pancake. Fry for one minute, turn the pancake over and fry for another minute. Remove and set aside.

Place 2 Tbs. of the coconut mixture on the near edge of the pancake. Fold over once, then tuck in the left and the right sides and fold over once more. Press gently to distribute the filling evenly.

Serve at room temperature. Makes 10-12 servings.

• 1½ cups glutinous powder
• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• 2-3 drops green food coloring
• 8 tsp. grated Java dark brown sugar
• 1 cup fresh-grated coconut, mixed with ½ tsp. salt

Mix the rice powder with the lukewarm water and green food coloring into a firm but flexible dough.

Pull off one full teaspoon of the dough and shape it into a ball with approximately 1-inch in diameter.

Push a finger into the center of the ball to make a hole, and put in approximately ½ tsp. of the grated sugar. Seal, and roll it back into the ball shape with the palms of your hands. Prepare all the balls and set them aside.

Prepare a pot half filled with water and bring it to a boil.

Drop the balls into the boiling water. Remove the balls with a spoon once they float to the water surface and then roll the balls in the grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature. Makes 30 rice balls.

see also this recipes original site at http://http://asiarecipe.com/indodesserts.html

• 200 gram stew meat water
• 3 tbs. vegetable oil
• 2 chayotes, peeled and cubed
• 2 spring onions, sliced in 1 cm slices
• ¼ cup flat-leaved parsley minced
• 1 tsp. tamarind, dissolved in 1 Tbs. water
• 1 Tbs. fried onions

Spice Paste
• 10 red chilies
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 candlenuts
• 1 cm fresh ginger
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• 1 tbs dried shrimp, soaked briefly in hot water and drained
• salt to taste

Simmer the meat in water to cover, together with the salt, until tender. Remove and slice the meat in 1×2 cm cubes. Set aside 1 Liter of the broth.

Heat the oil and fry the spice-paste until fragrant. Add the meat and stir it around until the spice are well-mixed with the meat. Add the broth.

Let it come to a boil, then add the chayotes, spring onions, minced parsley and tamarind water. Serve with fried onions/shallots scattered on top.

Makes 3-4 servings.

• 8 oz fresh green beans
• 8 oz bean sprouts
• 4 carrots
• 1 can bamboo shoots
• ½ small cabbage
• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp. chilli sauce (sambal ulek)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. lime juice
• ½ tsp. dried shrimp paste (terasi)

Wash bean sprouts, pinching of any brown tail. Pour boiling water over bean sprouts, then rinse under cold water tap. Drain well.

String beans and cut diagonally or bite-size lengths and cook in lightly salted water until just tender. Beans should still be crisp to bite.

Scrub carrot and cut into thin strips, cook until tender. Drain well.

Slice cabbage, discard the center stem. Blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, until tender but not limp. Drain and refresh with cold water.

Cut bamboo shoots into strips the same size as the beans.

Place fresh grated coconut into a bowl, add onion, chili sauce, salt, lime juice and the shrimp paste which has been grilled for a few minutes, or heated in a dry frying pan. Mix thoroughly together.

Sprinkle this grated coconut mixture over vegetables, reserving some to garnish the dish when served.

Put vegetables in a steamer and steam for 5-8 minutes.

Put the steamed vegetables to a serving dish/platter and sprinkle with reserved grated coconut mixture. Use as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a salad by itself.

Makes 6-8 servings.

• 600 gram tempe (fermented soybean cake) – not tofu
• 200 ml water
• ½ tsp. slaked lime water
• 100 gr. rice flour mixed with 25 gram cornstarch
• vegetable oil

• Spice Paste Ingredients:
• 4 candlenuts
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• salt to taste
• 1 cm fresh kencur

Slice the tempe in thin 3½ x 5 cm squares. Set aside.

Mix the spice-paste together with the water and slaked lime water. Add the rice flour and cornstarch and blend till smooth.

Heat the oil in a wok, dip the tempe in the batter and deep-fry until it is golden brown and crisp.

Note: Make sure that the oil is not to hot, otherwise the batter and the tempe will not be done at the same time.

Makes 5-6 servings.

Yield: 2 servings

• 4 c Long-grain rice
• 8 Shallots or 1 small onion
• 4 Red chillis or 2 tsp chilli -powder and 2 tsp paprika
• 4 tb Vegetable oil
• Salt
• 2 ts Sweet soya sauce
• 2 ts Tomato ketchup

The name Nasi Goreng means simply ‘fried rice’, and it is really a collective description of an indefinite number of slightly differing dishes. You can vary the trimmings and garnishes to suit your taste; but even the most elaborate Nasi Goreng is quick to make. It is a particularly good luncheon dish.

Boil the rice a good long time before you intend to fry it; you can fry freshly boiled rice, but the Nasi Goreng will be better if the boiled rice is allowed to cool. Two hours is a satisfactory interval. Leaving the rice to cool overnight, however, gives less good results-the rice has time to go dry and stale. An important point to note here is that rice for Nasi Goreng must be cooked with the least possible quantity of water; this prevents it from becoming too soft. For 1 cup of rice, use 1 cup of water. Assuming you have now got your cool, boiled rice, proceed like this: slice the shallots or onion, seed and slice the chilli (or pound the shallots and chilli together in a mortar). Heat the oil in a wok; it makes no difference, by the way, whether you use oil, fat, or butter. Saute the shallots and chilli for a minute or so, and season with salt, soya sauce, and tomato ketchup. Put in all the rice, and stir it continuously until it is well heated: this will take 5 to 8 minutes. Serve in a good large dish, generously garnished with sliced cucumber, tomatoes, fried onions, and Krupuk.

Yield: 2 servings

• 250 g (8 oz) carrots
• 4 Shallots
• 1 Clove garlic
• 1/2 Green or red chilli or
• 1 pn Of chilli powder
• 4 tb Good stock or 1 ts Dark soya sauce and 4 tb -water
• 2 tb Vegetable oil

Did my first cooking out of my new Indonesian cookbook last night. I fixed a stir fried carrot dish to back up a pork/soy stew (originally posted by Jen Kuiper) and plain white rice. Both are very easy to fix and quite good. Here’s the particulars.

These are carrots, cut into matchsticks and cooked in a little oil or butter. The word wortel doesn’t sound Indonesian and isn’t. It is borrowed from the Dutch name for the carrot, since it was the Dutch who introduced this vegetable to Indonesia.

Peel, wash, and cut the carrots into small sticks. Slice the shallots and chilli. Crush the garlic. In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or clarified butter. Saute the slice shallots and chilli for 1 minute, then add the garlic and the carrots. Stir continuously for a minute or so and then put in the stock, or soya sauce and water. Cover and continue to cook for 4 minutes. Uncover, taste, and add salt if necessary. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring all the time. Serve hot.

Makes 2 servings.

Serving Size : 6

DRESSING
• 1/2 c Flaked coconut
• 1 c Hot water
• 1 Onion — chopped
• 1 cl Garlic — finely chopped
• 1 1/2 ts Peanut oil
• 2/3 c Peanut butter
• 1/2 c Water
• 1 tb Sugar
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/2 ts Chili powder
• 1/8 ts Ground ginger SALAD
• 1 c Bean sprouts
• 1 c Cabbage — shredded
• 4 oz Bean curd — drained and cut -into 1″ pieces
• 2 tb Peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 c Potatoes — cooked, peeled -and sliced
• 1 c Green beans — cooked
• 1 c Carrots — cooked & sliced
• 1 Cucumber — sliced
• 2 Hard-cooked eggs — peeled -and sliced

To prepare Dressing, place coconut in blender container. Add 1 cup hot water. Cover and blend on high speed about 30 seconds. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in 2-quart saucepan about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut and remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
To prepare Salad, pour enough boiling water over bean sprouts and cabbage to cover. Let stand 2 minutes. Drain. Cook bean curd in oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, turning pieces gently, until light brown. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain. Cook potatoes in same skillet until light brown. Drain. Arrange bean sprouts, cabbage, bean curd, potatoes and remaining ingredients on platter. Pour warm dressing over Salad.

• 1 lg Eggplant
• 3 Garlic cloves, -sliced or chopped
• 4 tb Onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 c Tomatoes (fresh), ripe
• 1 t Sugar
• 1 t Salt
• 2 ts Red hot chili peppers, -fresh
• 1/2 c Water
• 2 tb Vegetable oil

Cut the eggplant into long quarter-round strips. Bake them at 400 200 for 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft but not mushy.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the onion, garlic, tomatoes, salt, sugar, peppers and water and mash with a wooden spoon until it forms a coarse paste.

Fry the tomato paste in the oil until the liquid is reduced (about 10 minutes). Pour the sauce over the eggplant and serve immediately

Serving Size : 4

• 3 ea Cucumber, large
• 1 ea Onion, med
• 1 ea Thai chile dressing
• 1/4 c Vinegar, white
• 1/4 c Oil
• 1/2 t Salt
• 2 t Sugar
• 1/2 t Garlic powder

Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers. Slice the onion thinly. Seed and thinly slice the chile. Put the cucumber slices in a shallow bowl, arrange the onion slices on top and sprinkle with the chile slices. Combine all the ingredients with the dressing, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Pour the dressing over the onions and cucumbers and refrigerate a few hours or overnight if possible to allow flavors to blend.

Serving Size : 1

• 100 g Carrots
• Salt
• 100 g Green beans
• 4 ea Scallions
• 100 g White cabbage
• 2 ea Toes of garlic
• 1/4 ea Cucumber
• 1 tb Oil
• 150 ml Vinegar
• 100 g Bean sprouts/shoots
• 1 tb Sugar
• 1 t Powdered ginger
• 1 t Kunjit/kurkuma
• 1 t Sambal ulek

Cut carrot into the size of matches. Cut beans in 1″ pieces. Chafe the cabbage. In a pan with a little water and salt, boil the vegetables for 5 minutes. Drain. Cut cucumber in *small* cubes.

Peel scallions and garlic. Put in kitchen machine; cut to paste. Mix with sambal, kunjit and ginger.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the herb-mixture for 2 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Add all vegetables (also the ones not cooked yet); add a *little* water if there is too little liquid. Boil softly for 2 minutes. Put in a bowl and let cool. You can also preserve it by putting the hot veggies in sterilized screw-lid jars (metal lids with a ‘dome’ in the middle are quite handy, I always save jam-jars when they’re empty); add liquid as well. Screw the lids on. Place jars upside down until cooled completely (the ‘dome’ in the lid will be down, this is to check if the jar closed well). Can be kept for at least a year (store in dark place to avoid having the color goes away). Nice as a present! Kunjit or kurkuma is a herb. If I look on the jar, it says ‘powdered yellow-root’. It is used to color this dish, and other dishes as well. In that way it is much like saffron, although kunjit tastes a little bitter.

Sambal ulek [INDONESIA]: Used as an accompaniment and in cooking. Made by crushing fresh red chilis with a little salt. Remove the seeds from the chilis, chop finely, then crush with salt using a pestle and mortar. Three chilis will make about 1 tablespoon sambal ulek. Also available ready-prepared in small jars from Oriental stores and some delicatessens.

This is a refreshing side dish made of crisp, sweet-and-sour vegetables. Goes really well with Nasi Goreng. The dish can be kept in the fridge for a few days.

• 1 fresh red or green semihot chili, cut into thin slices
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 small slices kencur, soaked in water for thirty minutes (optional)
• 3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon tamarind, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup thin-sliced cucumbers
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1 cup lettuce, broken into bite-size pieces

Crush the chili, garlic, salt, kencur and peanut butter in a mortar so it’ll become the sauce of the dish.

Add the tamarind liquid and sugar. Mix well.

Toss the sauce with the vegetables until well mixed. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings, with other dishes.

:

• 1 kg young jackfruit, peeled and sliced into 5x5x3 cm slice. Soak the slices in plenty of cold water
• 100 g melinjo leaves
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 cm fresh galangale (lengkuas), bruised
• 750 ml coconut milk and 500 ml thick coconut milk from 1½ coconut Spice Paste Ingredients:
• 10 small shallots
• 7 small cloves garlic
• 10 candlenuts
• 1 tbs. coriander seeds
• salt to taste
• a pinch of sugar

Boil the jackfruit slices in the thin santan together with the melinjo leaves, the spice-paste, salam leaves and lengkuas until the jackfruit is tender.

Add the thick santan. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering until done.

Makes 4-5 servings.

• 100 gram cloud ear mushroom, soaked in hot water until soft, then drained
• 1 egg, beaten
• 125 ml medium thick coconut milk from ¼ coconut
• banana leaves Spice Paste Ingredients:
• 10 red chilies
• 10 bird shit chilies (prik kii nuu)
• 7 small shallots
• 3 small cloves garlic
• 5 candlenuts
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cm fresh galangal (langkuas)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. palm sugar or brown sugar

Slice the mushroom in 1 cm lengths and mix together with the egg, santan and the spice paste blend.

Devide the mixture among 20 packets made of banana leaves. Fold the ends of the packets and seal.

Steam the packets for about 25 minutes until done. Remove and set aside. Broil the packets over medium heat until liquid has evaporated.

Makes 20 Wraps

• 1 lb. eggplant
• 4 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs. shallots
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• ½ cup water
• 1 Tbs. sweet soy sauce
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

Cut the unpeeled eggplant into ½-inch-thick slices, and then cut the slices in half. Fry lightly in 2 Tbs. of oil for 2 minutes, or until light brown and softened. Set aside.

Stir fry the shallots and garlic in the remaining oil until light brown. Add the water, sweet aoy sauce, pepper, nutmeg, vinegar, salt and sugar. Let all of these ingredients cook for approximately 3 minutes to prepare the sauce.

Cook the eggplant slices in the sauce for additional 2 minutes to distribute the flavors. Shake the pan several times to mix but not mash the eggplant.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

C Yield: 4 servings

• 1 md Chicken ————————MARINADE——————————-
• 1/2 c Tamarind water
• 1 tb Clear soya sauce
• A pinch of chilli powder
• 1 ts Ground ginger
• 1 ts Ground coriander
• 1 Clove garlic, crushed
• A pinch of turmeric

The name means simply ‘fried chicken’, and that is all it is. The marinade, however, gives it a characteristically Indonesian flavour. Marinate the pieces of chicken in this mixture for 2 hours, turning them from time to time. Strain the chicken, so that the marinade drips away from it. Then deep-fry the portions, 4 or 5 at a time. Chicken fried in this way is excellent with Nasi Goreng. [Nasi Goreng is fried rice. S.C.] Makes 4 servings.

Yield: 4 servings

• 2 Cornish game hens, about 1 -1/3 pounds each
• 4 Shallots sliced
• 2 Garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tb Ground coriander
• 3 To 7 fresh hot red chiles, -seeded, sliced
• 1/2 Piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 1/4 ts Ground turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 2 tb Lime juice
• 2 c Coconut milk
• 2 Stalks lemon grass or 1 -slice lemon

Split open the game hens from the breast side and flatten them out into a butterfly shape. Discard loose skin and fat. Broil the hens for 3 minutes on each side.

Process the shallots, garlic, coriander, chile, ginger, turmeric, salt, lime juice and 1/2 cup of the coconut milk to a smooth sauce. Marinate the hens in the sauce for 15 minutes.

Put the hens in a large skillet and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes uncovered. Then add the remaining coconut milk and the lemon grass. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, basting occasionally, until the hens are tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Serve warm.

Though Indonesia is an Islamic country, there is some pork available. It is hard to find and most restaurants don’t serve it because any restaurant that cooks pork would have to have completely separate facilities and equipment to prepare it or the restaurant would not be considered halal (clean).
Yield: 4 servings

• • 1/2 kg (1 1/4 lb) fillet of pork -or leg of pork
  • 1 tb Clear soya sauce
  • 2 tb Plain flour
  • 1/2 ts Powdered ginger
  • 20 g (4 oz) button mushrooms
  • 4 Cloves garlic
  • 1 sl of root ginger, about 2 cm -(1″) across and 1/2 cm -(1/4″) thick
  • 3 tb Dark soya sauce
  • Pepper or a pinch of chilli -powder
  • 2 tb water
  • 2 tb Medium dry sherry or rice -wine (optional)
  • 2 ts Lemon juice
  • 6 tb Oil or pork fat

This, as its name suggests, is pork cooked in soya sauce. It is a particular favourite with my own husband and children, who always know when it is about to appear on the table because the ginger and garlic frying in the sauce smell so deliciously savoury.

Cut the pork into small cubes. Put the flour into a bowl and add the clear soya sauce and ginger powder, mixing them well together. Coat the pork with the mixture and then let it stand for at least 30 minutes.

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Peel the garlic and ginger and slice them very thin; you can use these thin slices as they are, or cut them again into very tiny sticks.

Heat the oil or fat in a wok or thick frying pan and fry the meat, half of it at a time, turning it from time to time, for 5 minutes.

Repeat the process for the remaining half of the meat. The flour that coated the meat will tend to stay in the pan or stick to the bottom of it, but leave it there-it will thicken the sauce later. Now take most of the oil out of the pan, leaving only about two tablespoons which you then heat again. In this, fry the tiny slices of garlic and ginger and the mushrooms, stirring continuously, for i minute. Add the soya sauce, the water and the meat. mix well, season with pepper or chilli powder, and stir continuously for 1 or 2 minutes. just before serving, add the sherry or rice wine and the lemon juice. Serve hot.

This dish keeps extremely well in the freezer, and it is worth making a large quantity from, say, half a leg-of pork, which is much cheaper than buying pork fillet. If you are going to freeze your Babi Kecap, however, do not add the sherry or lemon juice at the time of cooking. To serve from the freezer, thaw the meat out completely and heat quickly on a high flame for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan well all the time. Add the sherry or rice wine and lemon juice just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

——————————-DIPPING SAUCE——————————-
• 1/2 c Peanut butter
• 1/2 c Water
• 1 tb Brown sugar; packed
• 1 tb Lemon juice
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/2 ts Red pepper sauce
• 1 sm Garlic clove; crushed ———————————–SHRIMP———————————–
  
• 1 1/2 lb Shrimp; peeled
• 2 tb Vegetable oil
• 2 tb Water
• 1 tb Lemon juice
• 1 ts Brown sugar; packed
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/2 ts Red pepper suace
• 2 Garlic cloves; crushed

Prepare dipping sauce by mixing all ingredients until smooth. Cover until serving time. Make a shallow cut lengthwise down back of shrimp; wash out vein. Mix remaining ingredients in medium glass bowl. Add shrimp; stir to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove shrimp from marinade; reserve marinade. Thread shrimp on 6, 15″ metal skewers, leaving space between each. Cover and grill shrimp about 4″ from medium coals, 10-20 minutes, turning and brushing 2-3 times with marinade, until shrimp are pink. Serve with sauce, and if desired, lime wedges.

Serving Size : 4

• 4 crabs
• 6 Shallots
• 2 Stalks lemon grass
• 2 ts Tamarind
• 1/2 c Boiling water
• 1 Handful coriander leaves
• 3 Cloves garlic
• 1 tb Fresh galangal
• 2 To 3 birdseye chillies, -seeded
• 4 Candlenuts
• 1 t Blachan
• 1 t Tumeric
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tb Oil
• 2 c Coconut milk

Cut the 4 crabs into quarters with a cleaver or large knife. With a hammer, gently crack the claws and harder sections of shell.
Finely chop 6 shallots and 2 stalks lemon grass. Steep 2 teaspoons tamarind in half a cup of boiling water. Chop a handful of fresh coriander leaves.
In a food processor, grind together 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh galangal, 2-3 birdseye chillies, seeded, 4 candlenuts (or substitute 8-10 cashews) and 1 teaspoon blachan (hard dark brown shrimp paste), 1 teaspoon turmeric and salt and pepper to taste. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large wok or pan, and fry the paste until fragrant. Add shallots, lemon grass, crab pieces and 2 cups coconut milk. Simmer for quarter of an hour. Strain the tamarind water and add half to the sauce. Taste and add more if you wish. Ladle curvy into a serving dish and scatter the fresh coriander on top. Serve with plain rice.

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 kg (2 lb) topside (beef) ————————–MARINADE——————————-
• 1 tb Olive oil
• 1/2 ts Black pepper 1 tb Dark soya sauce —————————BUMBU——————————–
• 10 Shallots
• 4 Red chillis (or 2 tbs -Sambal Ulek)
• 2 tb Vegetable oil
• Salt
• 1 tb Lemon or fresh lime juice

* Cut the beef fairly thin and trim it into small, square pieces. Marinate it for 1 hour or longer. Remember that pedas=hot++spicy hot! This is fried beef, with a robust flavour of chilli. Slice the shallots finely. Seed and slice the chillis. Fry them in a tablespoonful of oil, in a wok, stirring all the time until they are golden brown. Add salt to taste. Keep hot. Put a tablespoonful of oil in a thick frying-pan, and fry the slices of meat a few at a time. Three minutes on each side will be ample*. When all the pieces are cooked, put them into the wok with the shallots and chilli. Heat, and mix well. Sprinkle over the mixture 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice, or, better still, fresh lime juice. Stir, and add more salt if necessary. Serve hot, with rice. * NOTE: In Indonesia, the meat is usually fried until crisp. You can even buy sun-dried dendeng which only needs coating with bumbu and frying. Crisp dendeng can be rather tough, and I prefer it as described above; however, a purist might say that my recipe is not ‘genuinely’ Indonesian. Makes 6 servings.

Yield: 4 servings

• 1/2 Piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 sm Onion, sliced
• 1 Or 2 fresh, hot red -chilies, seeded, sliced
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/4 ts Sugar
• 1/4 ts Turmeric
• 2 c Coconut milk
• 1 Whole red snapper or -similar fish, about 1 pound
• 1 sl Laos [Galangal S.C.]
• 2 Stalks lemon grass or two -slices lemon
• 1/4 lb Spinach or Swiss chard, -coarsely chopped

Process the ginger, onion, chili, salt, sugar, turmeric and 1/4 cup of the coocnut milk into a smooth paste. Set aside

Grill fish over charcoal or in a gas or electric broiler for 2 minutes on each side.

Put the remaining coconut milk and the spice paste in a large skillet and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Add the laos and lemon grass and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the fish and greens, cook for 15 minutes basting occasionally. Serve warm.

Serves 4 with rice and other dishes.

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 3/4 lb Lamb, fresh
• 2 Onion
• 3 Thai chile
• Ginger, fresh; 3/4″ knob
• Lemon grass root, 1/2″ knob
• 1 Lemon grass, stem
• 2 Garlic clove
• 8 Macadamia nut
• 2 Tomato, ripe
• 1/3 c Oil
• 1/2 ts Cardamom, ground
• 1/2 ts Cumin powder
• 1/2 ts Turmeric
• 1/4 ts Fennel powder
• 1 Cinnamon stick; 2″
• 4 Cloves, whole
• Salt; to taste
• Pepper, black; to taste
• 4 c Coconut milk

Calories per serving: 553
Fat grams per serving: 26

Cut the lamb into bite-size chunks. Chop the onions, chiles, ginger, lemon root and lemon grass. Crush the garlic and grind the macadamia nuts. Skin the tomatoes and cut the flesh into small dice. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, chiles and garlic and saute until the onion becomes translucent.
Then add the lamb, ginger, lemon root, lemon grass and tomato and cook for another three minutes, stirring frequently. Add the spice powders, cinnamon stick and cloves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then lower heat and allow to simmer until the meat is very tender; approximately 45 minutes. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Yield: 1 servings

• 4 Shallots, sliced
• 3 Garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 Piece of fresh ginger, -sliced
• 4 Or 5 hot red chile peppers, -seeded, sliced
• 2 ts Ground coriander
• 1/8 ts Ground turmeric
• 1 ts Salt, or to taste
• 2 c Water
• 2 lb Lean short ribs of beef, -cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 tb Corn oil
• 2 Salam leaves
• 2 sl Laos
• 1 Stalk lemon grass
• 1 sl Lemon

Process shallots, garlic, ginger, chiles, coriander, turmeric, salt and 1/2 cup of water to a smooth sauce. Marinate beef for 1/2 hour.

Heat the oil: add the beef and marinade, the salam, laos, lemon grass and lemon; stir-fry over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add remaining water, cover and cook until beef is tender, about 1 hour. If the sauce evaporates too quickly, add another 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer. Serve warm.

Serves six with rice and salad.

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 Fish, about 650-900g dressed Weight. Preferably sea bass or Mackerel
• 1 t Salt
• Oil, for deep frying
• 2 T Margarine or oil
• 2 sm Onions, sliced
• 1 t Sambal Oelek
• 1/2 t Laos
• 1/2 t Lemon grass
• 3 T Tamarind juice
• Pinch of ground ginger
• 1 t Brown sugar
• 1 T Sweet soy sauce

Cut fish into serving portions and rub salt all over. Feep-fry and drain on absorbent paper.

Heat oil and saute sliced onions until lightly brown. Add sambal oelek, laos, lemon grass, tamarind juice, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce. Heat thoroughly.

Place fried fish in deep serving dish and pour sauce over it. Serve with rice.

Serving Size : 4

• 1 1/2 lb Boneless sirloin steak, -trimmed
• 3 tb Corn oil
• 1 lg Spanish onion, sliced
• 1 Garlic clove, crushed
• 1 ts Ground ginger
• 1 ts Ground cumin
• 1 ts Ground coriander
• 1 ts Chili seasoning
• 2/3 c Shredded coconut
• 2 ts Light-brown sugar
• 1 tb Lemon juice
• 1 1/4 c Beef stock
• Thin slivers red bell pepper
• Chopped green chilies
• Small onion slices

Cut steak in 1/2″ thick strips.
Heat oil in a saucepan. Add Spanish onion slices and garlic and fry gently until soft. Add beef and fry, stirring, until brown.
Add spices to beef and cook 2 minutes. Add coconut, brown sugar, lemon juice and beef stock; stir well. Simmer gently, uncovered, 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until mixture is thickened and dry. Stir mixture more frequently towards end of cooking time to prevent sticking. Garnish with slivers of bell pepper, green chilies and small slices onion.
NOTE: If you prefer a more moist mixture, cook 20-25 minutes instead of 30-35 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 1/2 Lb, cleaned weight fish
• 6 Shallots or 1 lg Onion
• 2 Cloves garlic
• 2 ts Ground coriander
• 1 ts Ground ginger
• 1/2 ts Powdered lemon grass or 1 Blade fresh, lemon grass
• 1 ts Chilli powder
• 1 Salam leaf or bay-leaf
• 1/2 ts Turmeric
• 1/2 c Tamarind water
• 1 c Of thick santen (coconut -milk)
• 2 tb Vegetable oil
• Salt
• sl Cucumber
• Mint

It is better to select a white fish with firm flesh, such as haddock, angler-fish, swordfish or dogfish. In Australia the various fish known as whiting would be a good choice. Americans might like to use snappers.

Whatever fish is used, it can be cut into small cubes or slices before frying. Heat a little oil in a heavy frying-pan, and carefully brown the fish in it. Meanwhile, in another frying-pan, fry the chopped shallots (or onion) and garlic until tender. Stir in the chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, lemon grass, salam, salt and tamarind water. Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then put in the fish. Cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the santen and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with very thin slices of cucumber and chopped mint. (Alternatively, put the cucumber and mint into the kare itself for the last 2 minutes of cooking.) Incidentally, the same kare can be made with prawns. There is no need to fry the prawns separately; but fry them in the mixture of onion, etcetera for a few minutes before you put in the tamarind water. Makes 4 servings.

• 3½ lb. young chicken, cut
• into frying pieces
• ¼ cup sliced shallots 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tsp. crushed dried red hot chili
• 5 candlenut, crushed
• 1/8 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 Tbs. Vegetable oil
• 1 thick slice ginger
• 1 stalk lemon grass

Directions

Blend the shallots, garlic, chili, candlenut, salt and sugar with ¼ cup of the coconut milk into a paste.

Heat the oil in a wok and sauté the paste for a minute or two until you can smell the aroma.

Place the chicken, ginger and lemon grass into the wok and stir fry for five minutes or more over medium heat. Then add the rest of the coconut milk, and let it cook for forty five minutes, stir the chicken frequently.

It is ready to be served if the sauce is somewhat thickened and the chicken should be tender.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Opor Ayam
(Coconut Chicken Curry)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 Broiler or fryer Chicken with skin, approx. 450g.
• 2 t Salt
• 1 lg Onion, chopped finely
• 3 Cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 T Oil
• 1 T Coriander
• Pinch of chopped ginger
• 1 t Ground lemon grass
• 2 c Coconut milk
• 1 Salam leaf

Directions

Cut chicken into serving portions and rub with salt.

Fry onion and garlic in oil until lightly brown. Now, add coriander, ginger and lemon grass. Stir well for about 1 minute.

Add chicken, mixing thoroughly so that chicken absorbs the spices. Add coconut milk and salam leaf. Cover tightly and cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes. Serve with rice.

Prawn Crackers
Krupuk

Ingredients

• 250g prawn meat, washed and dried well
• 250 to 300g tapioca flour
• 1 tsp salt
• l tsp pepper
• Oil for deep frying

Directions

Liquidise the prawn meat till smooth. Mix in the tapioca flour, salt and pepper. Mix well into a stiff dough.

Divide dough into three equal portions. Roll up each portion then place the rolls on a greased plate. Steam for 40 to 45 minutes over high flame.

Leave the rolls to cool, then wrap with a clean tea towel. Chill well in the refrigerator. Use a very sharp knife to slice thinly. Thoroughly dry the cut-out pieces in the sun.

Deep-fry the crackers

see also this recipes original site at http://http://asiarecipe.com/indomain.html