Welcome to Cipluk's Kitchen

Laksa Cibinong & Ayam Kemiri Bu Titin

2011-01-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I passed by the small eating place with a large yellow sign 'Laksa Cibinong & Ayam Kemiri Bu Titin'. After a long day at work, I decided that I needed something spicy.

It was a bit crowded when I came. Some people were already busy eating their plates of rice and some weird-looking sambal (chili paste). I ordered my laksa without the rice cake (ketupat) because I had a large lunch that day. For my drink, I ordered markisa juice but they ran out of it. Oh, well.

Then there's my laksa. The broth was thick and I could smell the earthy ginger, turmeric and (most probably galangal). They put chicken bits, rice noodle, basil, sprouts and some crispy onion fries. It was so spicy that my nose took a little blow with a warm sensation at the back of my throat. This dish is definitely not to be taken without its rice cake partner because of its intense spicy flavor. I could finish the 'content', but not the broth. The coconut milk was too heavy and it's too spicy.

Because I am too afraid to be hungry at home eating only laksa in the early evening, I ordered chicken with candle nut (kemiri) to take away. I had them at home but it was nothing like what my Mom used to make. My Mom ground the nut until it forms a paste and used that to substitute the flour in our modern-day fried chicken.

My friend told me that the traditional cakes the owner makes in this place is great. I should try them some time. I don't think I would be visiting the place for eating the main course but I might come for the cakes.

Laksa: Rp 17.000 (without the rice cakes)
Chicken with candle nut: Rp 12.000/ piece

Martabak Puas - Condet

2011-01-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

My staff got his fulltimeship status and so he finally took us to a Middle Eastern food place.He meant to take me to a place which sells kamir but we ended up eating at this place: MARTABAK PUAS. My staff ordered nasi kebuli ayam, sop kambing, roti cane with chicken curry and lamb curry. We ordered martabak with three eggs for everybody. I myself ordered nasi kebuli kambing (lamb kebuli rice).

My rice was moist, the lamb aroma was not too exaggerating. The spices were mild. I had expected a stronger hint of spice but I didn't get that. I tried the curry. I don't think that it was spicy enough or thick enough. The roti cane was great though. The martabak is juicy in the inside and crispy in the outside. This probably what I would order in my next visit. My staff said that the sop kambing was great too.

All in all, the food needs more spices to my taste. And if I may suggest, a communal eat-out is much much better because then you can order a variety of food and have the chance to try out your friends' order.

Nasi kebuli kambing: Rp 23.000
Sop kambing: Rp 23.000
Martabak with 3 eggs: Rp 30.000
Roti cane: Rp 4.000
Chicken curry: Rp 15.000 (if I am not mistaken)

Selar

2009-11-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

When it's time to save whatever amount of salary we have, 'selar' is one of my choices. It's cheap, it's nutritious, it's easy to handle, it goes without almost anything.

How do we choose a good piece of 'selar'? Well, first of all, it's a small fish with silver and yellow lining on the body. It's truly fresh when the lump near the upper fin is firm and it 'bounces' back when pressed.

Secondly, look in the gil (?).Take the fish by the head, lift up the side 'cover' and find that red pinkish flesh inside. That's the gil. The red and pink color indicates the level of freshness of the fish.

To clean it, take a sharp knife and cut the stomach beginning from the small anus running to the front. Take the inside out and wash the stomach under running water. Don't forget to wash the gil and the fish mouth too.

It is now ready to cook. I like it crispy so I usually make some incisions on the meaty lumps before deep frying it. It's already delicious when eaten warm with hot steamed rice.

Give it a try....

Gado Gado Place

2009-11-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

The visit to to this gado-gado place has become more and more frequent day by day. It's situated near YULIKA flower shop on bulevar raya in my residential area. The place's usually quiet, the food mostly is to my liking. The waiter and waitresses are not nosy. They know that leaving me alone with my laptop is what I want. Best of all? The wifi connection is superb!!!

One lousy day after work, I came there. Somehow,I need to eat good food and then perhaps, all my moody moody mood could leave only happy feeling to this body of mine. I ordered sup buntut and es lobi lobi.

My lobi lobi came first. I had a sip and found the taste is like kiomboy put in cold water, sweet and sour.

The sup buntut or oxtail soup came later. The set consists of one pot of the broth presented on a small stove (that's becoming a trend these days) with veggies pieces and three large chunks of the fried oxtail. I had to order the rice since it's not part of the set. Under normal circumstances, the portion is large according to my standard. But that day, I felt like 'eating' a person so three large pieces of oxtail was nothing.Hehehe. The meat was tender and there was more meat than the oxtail bone. Just what I needed.

The es lobi lobi is quite expensive, Rp 19.500. The oxtail soup is Rp 45.000. Tax is not included.

The resto also serve gado-gado which is their specialty for the price of Rp 18.500. Do try the nasi bakar or 'grilled rice'. In it is steamed rice with a large dollop of cooked shredded pindang with petai. A very hot dish. It's served with hot potato chunks, cooked tempe, sambal mangga (mango in chili paste) and of course, chili paste on a different set of plate. It costs Rp 25.000 and indeed it's fulfilling. Make sure you're really hungry when order this.

Pak Bedjo's Satay House

2009-10-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Last week's trip included a back-and-forth journey from Semarang to Solo and from Solo to Semarang. The trip from Semarang took 2.5 hours and I arrived at 10.30. My aunt in Semarang told me to stop by and make time to see the batiks in a local trade centre.

After hunting for some nice modern-patterned ones and some traditionally-made sheets, my other aunt took me to this satay place. It is Pak Bedjo's place. The location is a bit far from where my grandmother used to live in Panularan area but it was worth it.

When we arrived in Sangkrah, the place was almost full. We found a table and my aunt ordered for us. Don't expect any air conditioning system here. It looks like a large warehouse with tall ceilings, long benches and two large fans that were put just enough to drive the smoke away. I kind of like it. It gives the feel of a Javanese old kitchen where everything was done by hand and involved dust everywhere.

My aunt put the order for me. She said she'd requested a portion of satay (kebab-like dish) and a portion of tongseng (lamb chunks cooked in thick gravy with coconut milk and spices accompanied by sliced cabbage). The place also serves sate buntel (grilled minced lamb on skewers) and tengkleng (lamb bones and meat cooked in its own broth), but one couldn't order all, right? Hahaha.

My orders came. Helllooooo satay and tongseng. There in Solo, they name the tongseng as satay kuah (trans.: satay in stock/ with gravy). What a name! :-D The meat was quite tender, the satay was definitely marinated. I was a bit disappointed with the tongseng. It's not spicy. I couldn't taste the pepper or the galangal, ginger and their 'friends'. It also tends to be sweet.

The portion of the rice was small but with my satay and tongseng, it was more than enough. So sorry for not being able to provide you with the pricing information. My aunt and my uncle paid for everything. After all, I am their favorite niece. :-D

Salad Solo & Es Seger

2009-10-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Still during my trip in Semarang, I went to a small restaurant near a state university there. The place is very cozy, even to a Jakarta standard.:-) The floors are of different heights. There are sections too. There is a section under large umbrellas, a section under palm trees, a section lining the wall, and the last section is at the back, much higher than the rest. I guess it is for visitors who eant to see and not be seen. ;-) Each section is named. That's what I call creative!

As my aunt suggested, I ordered salad solo (selat solo as the Javanese call it). I have tried this dish before and somehow it never taste best if I have it other than in Solo, the place of its origin. For the drink, I ordered es seger. I had no expectation at the time, so anything new was welcomed.

My salad solo arrived and it looked just what I had expected. The veggies were fresh, the meat was cooked to perfection and the gravy was just enough. There's something a little bit dissapointing: the mustard mixture was too little. It was less than a spoon. Come oooon!! I looove mustard, especially with meat. My first thought was that because many people in my country probably dislike the sauce and the restaurant ends up giving it on the plate too little.

Did I mention that even though it is called salad solo, the dish is not even close to a Western-style salad? It's more like a beef steak cooked with local spices. No barbeque sauce, no mushroom either. Let's just call it a traditional beef steak. :-D

Next, my es seger drink. It was served on a large deep bowl, not too much, not too little. There were basil seeds on top of the shredded ice, dark jelly (cincau-Ind), greenish liquid and nata de coco pieces. I wondered what makes the liquid so green. It was lime juice. The ice was refreshing, a mix of sourness and sweetness. A perfect company for my salad solo.

For one portion of salad solo and a bowl of es seger, I had to pay only Rp 26.000. WOW! What a bargain!

Mas Prasojo's Tahu Petis

2009-10-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

During my short trip in Semarang last week, my aunt just simply rushed me here and there to get me filled with poisonous-yet-decadent food. How could I refuse? I mean, HOW COULD I? :)

So, what's first on the menu?
TAHU PETIS, of course!
It is basically fried tofu, and not just typical tofu because you can tell that the texture is more chewy than the usual tofu you buy in supermarkets or street vendors.

The vendor cut the tofu horizontally and then insert a dollop of shrimp liquid paste (petis) as the filling. The paste is not as 'disturbing' as its cousin terasi that is used for making hot chili paste or belacan as they call it in South East Asia: the texture is softer, no shrimp-y fragrance whatsoever, it's not spicy and it's rather sweet.

Since it is not hot and spicy enjoyed as it is, you could have your own version of heat. What else? Fresh chili bites. Hmmmmm.... Be careful not to only buy three or four for yourself. BUY MORE! . :D

My aunt said that the most famous seller of this tofu in Semarang is mas Prasojo. He has been selling the beautiful pieces since the 80s and he's doing quite well with the business. He's yet another living proof that if you love what you're doing, you can be the best and worry no more about what to do with your life. WOW!

You can find mas Prasojo's tent in one corner in Simpang Lima located in the heart of Semarang. Just ask to one of the parking men and most of them know where to find the spot. Enjooooy!

In Case You're Dead Hungry...

2009-08-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Whenever I visit my old neighborhood and I feel a space in my stomach :D , I go to this place, Sate dan Tongseng Pak Choliq (or satay and curry-like soup with lamb chunks). It's located in the housing complex for the big family of Air Force of Indonesia in Halim Perdanakusuma. The place is relatively easy to find once you are familiar with the streets. The challenge is probably to get passed the security. It is an army complex. :)

Lihat Peta Lebih Besar

Does it taste really good? Hmmm, not too much I'm afraid. I've got to be honest with you. I visit the place mostly because of the lingering memory of my childhood and my adolesence. The meat for the satay is not so tender, just enough convenience to bite. The soya sauce is average, unlike the BATIBUL one where they use a special soya sauce specially delivered from Tegal (a small city in Central Java famous for its satay and the streethawker food). The tongseng consists of a very simple set of spices. Don't expect any clove or cinnamon involved. The meat is taken from the chunks of the satay because I could see holes in all chunks. Hahaha....

But then again, it is not an expensive way to reminisce the past and imagine that you're eating with your family while everybody was still around. And for you? If you're dead hungry and you're in the neighborhood and you're a true carnivorous, this place might be the best place to eat in teh area. ;)

Potato Drop

2009-08-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

This potato drop is so convenient to make and you can put your favorite meat in either fish, beef, or chicken for savory purpose. :) It's good with soup or soto (another type of clear soup from Indonesia) or as a side dish for sausage or steak. I do that sometimes.

Ingredients:
three medium size potatoes, skinned and cut into small pieces
two small sprigs of celery, finely chopped
one sprig of leek, finely chopped
one egg
salt to taste
sugar to taste
pepper to taste
cooking oli for frying

To make:
fry the potato chunks until golden brown,
mash them when they are still hot, it is easier that way,
add the chopped leek and celery, stirr well
(if you want to put beef, chicken or fish, you can add it in this stage),
add the egg, salt, sugar, pepper and stirr,
take the batter with two tablespoons and drop into a medium hot cooking oil. here I use the drop and fry technique so the result is light and fluffy.
fry until golden brown,
ready to serve.

Note:
If you are in a hurry, you can use the ready-made chicken/beef-flavored powder to substitute for the salt, sugar and pepper.
Do not fry the batter in a hot oil or you might get a dark-brown drop that is not fully cooked inside.

Seafood from North Java

2009-08-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

She made a call, "Mbak Ju, two kilos of kerapu. Some shrimps. Some grilled fish. Some crabs, please. No, not hot. Just medium. Yes? Yes? Yes. No, no, no. No squid this time. It's hard like rubber."

My heart raced. I jumped up and down inside. Screaming so loudly was all I could do. Deep down, of course.

SEAFOOD! SEAFOOD!!!!!!!! :z

The food apparently was way ready when we came to the place. Too bad. The grilled shrimp and fish was a bit cold when we dag in. Nonetheless, they tasted great. The shrimps were large. One stick of shrimps consists of four to five pieces. My aunt ordered tenwty sticks! Talk about swimming in the cholesterol. :r

There were so many varieties on the table that I was sorry that I took the rice on the first place. :( Too full to finish all.

Pindang Serani

2009-08-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

If Jogja has 'gudeg' and Surabaya has 'rujak cingur', Jepara has 'pindang serani'. I thought pindang and its 'kinds' can only be found in Sumatra and Kalimantan, especially the fish kind. Boy, I was wrong.

On the last day of my visit to Jepara, my uncle took me to a seafood place in Pungkruk (I hope I spell the word right or he'll kill me. LOL). We ordered the pindang serani among other things. I've been to Jepara several times, mostly with my Mom. Never have I been served this dish before.

Based on the taste, it uses plenty, plenty and plenty of pepper. Dear God! It's as hot as putting chillies in there! Beware if you have weak stomache and sore throat! Definitely not a recommended item to eat! I asked my aunt and she said it contains some ingredients that (not surprisingly) are used also in the Sumatran and Kalimantan pindang version: onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, pepper, turmeric, lemon leaves. It's a good change for people who are forbidden to have fish with milky broth. It's so refreshing and low in cholesterol.

Palembang Food Resto

2009-07-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

How crazy are you about Palembang food? I am!

Those succulent otak-otak, tangy and spicy liquid poured over delicious fishy empek-empek, the steaming hot tekwan, the celimpungan with the thick stock caressing your tongue. And the es kacang merah? Sweet and refreshing. Hmmmmm. :L

I am a frequent visitor of this resto and I think I will do the owner justice by writing about the dishes they serve there. The resto itself is located next to GADING SEHAT pharmacy. The prices of the dishes are quite expensive, for example an empek-empek kapal selam is Rp 12.000, and a piece of otak-otak is Rp 3.500. It's worth the price tough. Believe me. ;)

Last night, I had 'dinner' there and I ordered one adaan, a portion of tekwan and a bowl of es kacang merah. The reason I ordered the adaan and the tekwan was because I couldn't decide between the two so I ordered both instead. Quite a portion and I just realized that when I saw the es kacang merah. It's huge! HUGE!

While waiting for the food to come, I took an otak-otak. The 'dragon' in my head, my belly and my throat just didn't want to wait. Adding sweet soya sauce adds a little sweetness to the tangy peanut sauce. I chose a large-but-thin one because I once had a bad experience of having an otak-otak that's still raw inside because the batter was too thick and the grilling was not long enough.

Next, the tekwan came. Hot and steamy with a hint of shrimp stock smell caught at the tip of my nose. The stock is fresh, the tekwan is soft and fluffy. Almost like the fish balls people bought (which they say are from 'Singapore'). I usually sip down all of the stock but not this time. I wanted to save some space for the adaan.

I forgot how big the adaan is. I put an extra dried shredded fish and the cuko (the dark syrupy liquid that's quite tangy. They serve it already hot here, by the way.) It took me six tablespoon helpings to finish (that's quite a lot, right?). Remember how worried I was about the portion? I was right. I couldn't finish the es kacang merah. Too bad....

LONTONG SAYUR

2009-07-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

At the corner of Bulevar Raya and Janur Raya, before KFC block, you can find many choices of breakfast food. Provided that you're a morning person, of course, because the sellers are not around after 9. :D

I have mentioned bubur kacang hijau in one posting of mine, now it's the LONTONG SAYUR (rice cake with curry-like liquid with rice crackers) turn.

What makes the dish special, besides the Rp 5,000 price, is the thick and curry-like taste stock. The yellow liquid is a coconut-milk based one and from the smell, I could assume that a beef stock is 'involved' there. If you expect a chunk of beef there, WHOA! Hold your thought! The sayur consists of only veggies. The only thing animal-ly there is the egg. ONE WHOLE EGG. :o

With plenty of rice cake slices, this meal is soooo fulfilling to start a day. My day, at least.... ;)

Sesame Crackers

2009-05-23T03:16:00.001-07:00

Eating this stuff,you'll never be able to stop. It's so light, crispy and fragrant, perfect for any occasion. So is it available in Indonesia? I have never seen it before and if I miss the crackers, I have to wait for my friend who is willing to bring a pack for me all the way from Hong Kong. :(

I don't know why I like it so much: the taste? Or is it because it exists only once in a blue moon that's why it's so special? The answer? Even if it is abundant in Jakarta, I am sure I will still be crazy about it. :L

Batibul (Domba Tiga Bulan)

2009-05-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

After passing through the street for three times, I finally arrived in my next culinary target. The word 'BATIBUL' attracted my attention. The place was cramped and dirty. Some ladies with red shirts and black veils went in and out of the kitchen. There was no menu. Only a carelessly torn paper with some items put under the glass table. Out of eight tables, only two were occupied when I came in. A couple and a family with one boy.

The helper asked what I wanted to order, even before I sat down. :O I mentioned ten lamb satays, rice and a pot of traditional tea (teh poci).

When my order arrived, I noticed the helper put a plate of large plate with hot chilli paste, my tea cup with the rock sugar. The plate was obviously for the soya sauce. All you can have. My tea cup looked antique. It reminded me of Mom's collection in my childhood years.

There is another smaller plate that was full of tomato chunks and ONION CHUNKS! Not sliced! CHUNKS! A half plate. Talk about condiments. :O

My food was finally served on the table. The lamb satays were not dark. Perhaps because the meat is still tender when the lamb has just reached the age of three months. I began by pouring some sweet soya sauce on the plate with the paste, put some satays on top of the sauce and made sure the sauce coated the lamb bites. No lamb aroma at all. The meat was not as tender as I had expected, though. That really did not make any sense to me. I mean, young lambs could make up satays that literally melt in your mouth. Too bad this one did not. :(

The 'before' ;)

The 'after' :O

Anyway, for lamb satay meat only or liver only, it would cost you Rp 2.800 per piece. I chose the mixed one: 2 meat bites with one fat slice in between. Each piece of satay is Rp 2.400. They serve soup too but I thought I had had enough cholesterol and uric acid dare for an evening. :-) The soup costs Rp16K. All in all, my meal was 10 pieces of satays, rice and tea for Rp 33K. Well, it's money worth spending.

Pancake from The Box

2009-05-22T04:24:00.001-07:00

What is it about cake flour mix that's so inviting? The box? The promise of fluffy angel cake? Sweet dry brownie? The promise that it's going to be an easy process with less ingredients? How cheap it is?

Well, w h a t e v e r ... ! :O

I found this box of the mix and decided to be adventurous. And the winner was THE PANCAKE AND CREPE MIX. :~ The box says that I only need to add 250 ml of water and one egg. But then again, how thick the batter is all depends on the eye. When it's thick enough, I stopped adding the water and started cracking a medium-size egg.

I heated the flat pan and pour the batter with a laddle (I tried using a tablespoon.wrong move! :D ). The first batch used too much melted margarine and the pan was way too hot. The first side was too dark with still-in-the-form-of-liquid other side. Learning from the first trial, I turned the heat down and added no melted margarine. The result was more satisfactory. Just remember to wait until bubbles come out of the top side before you turn the pancake upside down. ;)

After taken out of the pan, the pancakes were spread with some margarine and srikaya jam. The one from Pontianak. Yes, my treasure that I have kept so carefully is still safely stored in the fridge. :v

I ate two for breakfast and two more in the office for brunch. That was fulfilling. And delicious,too!

A note to remember, though. The notice on the box says that we could make 15 pancakes with the mix. I'd say only ten medium-size ones. Unless you want to make martabak unyils! :r

Seafood Mur Mer

2009-05-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

The place was found 'by accident'. I and my father were on our way home, looking for alternative roads to avoid the heavy traffic in the middle of our housing complex. The place caught our eyes because of the exuberant lighting and the impression that the place is clean.

On our fourth passing, we decided to stop by. The variety of the dishes written on the laminated menu was standard. We ordered the crab in hot chilli sauce (kepiting saus padang), water spinach with shrimp paste (kangkung belacan), boiled clams and shrimps. We had young coconut drink to finish the meal.

There were actually three choices of crab: the female (with its eggs, of course), the male and the jumbo size. We had the male one and the size was 'OK' considering other dishes we had. The sauce for the boiled seafriends was a bit disappointing. I expected peanut and pineapple mix along with the chilli sauce. They are served with chilli sauce from the bottle! That's too bad. :o

What's really amazing was the water spinach dish. It was a little bit scary because of the redness of the juice but the taste didn't come as hot as it looked. From the taste I could tell that they went generous on the spices. A spoon of fresh steamed rice with the red liquid from the crab dish was already yummy. Though the overall juice for the dishes with the chilli sauce was dominantly sweet, the water spinach could reduce the overpowering sweetness of it. :f

The crab costs around 25K, the water spinach 6K, the boiled seafriends 9K each portion. 90K for a dinner for two was quite a bargain!

The second time I visited, I tried the fish dish. With chilli sauce, definitely. Since I looove the water spinach, I ordered a plate. The fish with the water spinach, rice and hot tea was only 33K. Not bad, eh? ;)

Home Made Pizza with Bread

2009-05-18T03:14:00.000-07:00

One day, I longed for a slice of pizza. Having a personal pan was too much for a home-alone person. I decided to make my own. I have no pizza dough so I make use of what I had: bread.

Because I am using small squares of bread, the result is more of a canapé version than a pan one. I made the first batch with plain bread, un-buttered and un-grilled. How disappointing! :# The slices came out like soggy canapés. I tried putting the mozzarella shreds on top of the filling only and the result was messy.

Learning from the failure of the first batch, I buttered and grilled the bread slices for 2 minutes until they were dry and crisp. Then I mounted the moza shreds after I spread the tomato sauce. The onions and everything came after the cheese and I close the ‘arrangement’ with another batch of shredded cheese. The moza makes better presentation when it is sliced instead of shredded. ;)

One thing I hate about bought pizzas is how crunchy the onion bits are. They are spread raw and it 'disturbs' the eating experience. So, with this version of pizza, I caramelized the onions with just a little bit of oil until they are transparent, tender and sweet. No more crunchy and oniony texture! :v

Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped vertically and then caramelized

4 tomatoes, sliced thinly

4 sausages, cut into small round bits

8 tablespoons of pizza sauce (you can use Del Monte, Ragu, or others). Add some sugar to taste if it is too sour

4 tablespoons of minced beef, sautéed in the wok until brown

100 gram of mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

8 slices of bread, buttered and grilled until crispy (You can cut the bread into canapé size if you like. Just make sure you do it before you butter and grill them.)

Directions:

Take the bread slice, spread the pizza sauce.

Put few slices of cheese.

Put the cooked minced beef, the sausage bits, the onions strips and the tomatoes. Arrange neatly.

Add some more cheese slices on top.

Grill for 2 minutes (or until brown) in a preheated oven.

Serve.

If you happen to have basil in the nearest supermarket, you can add those before you close the assembly with the last batch of cheese.

If what you have shrimps or other seafood items for the pizza filling, you can serve the pizza with mayo with a little bit of lemon juice and parsley.

If you happen to be a vegetarian, use veggies. For eggplants, sautee the sliced eggplants with a little bit of oil to soften them up.

Vietnamese Lunch

2009-05-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had late lunch with friends in TIS, Tebet area. It was at a Vietnamese restaurant and I quickly ordered the rice set which consists of striploin pieces batter-fried with sweet and sour sauce garnished with green and red pepper chunks, (what supposed to be) pickled papaya shreds and rice. For the drink, I had apple juice.

Oooow, what a disappointment. :#

First of all, the sauce is too sweet. My guess was because they use sugar and no salt. By adding a little bit of salt, the sweetness of the sugar is cut through and the result is a nice medium sweetness combined with a hint of saltiness. The meat strips were tender, so instead of finishing the meat and the sauce, I separated the meat chunks and had those without the sauce. The pickle did not come out right. It was neither sour nor sweet. Tasteless. :( To make matters worse, the rice was under cooked! :@

Last but not least, the apple juice turned brown after a while. That's not 'beautiful' at all. They could put some salt (to cut down the sweetness at the same time) or they could add some drops of lemon juice so the liquid doesn't change color. :o

For an outlet that cool, I could say that the cook need to spend more time in the kitchen to learn the basics. Like cooking rice! :c

Street Eateries in Kelapa Gading

2009-04-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

One big BIG BIG advantage of living in Kelapa Gading is its endless food choices. You can find almost anything here from exquisite foods and the unique ones to the simplest ones. Just like the ones I want to share. ;-)

I don't know if it has something to do with my blood type but I looove lamb very much. I love it for steaks, satays, or even soups. One of my favorite places to find the soup of lamb is a stall near ex GORO area in Kelapa Gading. The place serves lamb satay and chicken satay, too. The chicken one is not as delicious as the lamb. But there's something about the soup. It's clear, unlike the Betawi version. Suprisingly 'light'. :o Normally, I would order a portion of rice, five sticks of lamb satays and a portion of the soup. I could easily forget the cholesterol and the uric acid level when 'they' are right under my nose. :p

The second dish is better served warm. It's bubur kacang hijau. It is not sold in a stall, I am afraid. The seller is 'mobile' and you can only find him in the morning. He 'stations' himself across from Mal Kelapa Gading, in front of Galeri Indosat. You must hurry because he does not stay on that spot for long. The KAMTIB usually sends him away as soon as they see him. :@

What's so special about this one? It is served with dark sticky rice and one can almost suspect that there is the use of cow milk in the coconut milk. It's very rich and fulfilling for a breakfast dish. And, best of all, it's very cheap! Only 3,000 rupiah! :o

The last item is one that I found about three weeks ago. Now, you all are familiar with fried duck sold by street vendors, right? Well, this one has something different in the presentation. It has a liquid substance to accompany the duck dish. The duck is not that crispy so if you like the crispy version, you'll probably hate this one. The rice is spiced up with coconut milk and other concoction. This makes the full dish really inviting. Don't ask about the chili paste. It's killing meeeee .... :v

If you're interested to buy this fried duck version, go to Kelapa Gading. Find MITRA KELUARGA hospital and Ibu Sri is ready to serve your order. Just look for the stall that has 'BEBEK MADURA' written on the glass shield. I think she stands by there though I am not sure that she's open for the whole day. During my last visit, I visited the place in the morning ....

Hope you'll find the information useful, especially for those who live to eat like me .... :r

Stir Fried Asparagus with Beef

2009-04-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

Asparagus with sweet succulent meat is a perfect combination to cook when you're tired after a day at work.

Ingredients:
a handful of ready-to-use asparagus, steamed for 2 minutes
three cloves of garlic, chopped
three slices of ginger
a tablespoon of light soya sauce
a teaspoon of sesame seed oil
a tablespoon of oyster sauce
a teaspoon of corn flour
two tablespoons of water
a tablespoon of cooking oil
an ounce of meat, thinly sliced (look at picture)

Directions:
Heat the oil in the wok, stir fry the ginger and garlic till fragrant.
Add the meat, stir vigorously.
Mix the light soya sauce, oyster sauce, sesame seed oil, corn flour and water in a bowl. Pour into the wok. Stir quickly.
Add the asparagus, mix well.

Enjoy with warm rice. :L

Handling Asparagus

2009-04-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

When buying asparagus, be sure that the tips are fresh and undamaged. The stems are light green and you find no 'wrinkles' on them. I personally like the lean slim ones, they are easier to handle because I don't have to peel the stems. :D

Asparagus is one fo my favorite veggie. It's crunchy (when cooked right) and nutty. It's good for stir-frying or for salads. You can also put some into your cream soup with the mushrooms. :L
When you have your asparagus, the first thing to do is to decide which part to use and which part to throw away. I do this by clicking the stems and it breaks into two. The part with the tip is the edible one. The other part is actually hard and woody but some people could make use of that by peeling the outer skin and use the white part. This part needs more time to cook so frequent checking is needed.

When the asparagus is washed, you got yourself ready-to-use asparagus.... :z

The Food from Pontianak

2009-04-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

It was my second visit to Pontianak. The weather was a bit hot in the afternoon and could change very rapidly in the evening. During my trip there, I had the chance to stay at a place on the road that doesn't seem to sleep at all.

At first, I was totally confused of what I had to eat. Even though I walked for almost 1 kilo, I could only have a tasteless empek-empek :(, a medium rare lamb satay :# and some snacks to munch on while preparing for the presentation much later in the evening.

On the second day, I made time to walk and this time I carefully watched the stores and shops I passed through. I found a place that served yummy delicacies, mostly home-cooking style dishes. Phew. I was relieved. :f

Food on the next days? Well, ask no more.
I tried the pisang srikaya (fried banana fritter with 'jammy' like spread made of egg, sugar and coconut milk/ milk). It's good to have that with the local coffee with milk. :L

Next is the mie kuah (noodle with rich chicken broth). I tried the fried kwetiauw (fried wide vermicelli with meat and veggies) and I could smell a specific type of sauce used in it that I haven't tasted or smell before. The seller put the dish on a very peculiar leaf that I don't recognize. The next question then (at that time) was, 'does the leaf add something to the food that makes it taste so good?'.... :o

When I came home, I was glad that I didn't gain any weight at all.... Phew (again). :f

Shrimps with Mayo

2009-03-06T01:49:00.001-08:00

I love shrimp. How can you not? Those succulent flesh with a sweet aftertaste... Hmmm.... I buy shrimp with mayo in restaurants, usually it will cost me 20,000 rupiah for a plate of 6 shrimps. So expensive! :@

One day, when I had a half kilo of shrimp, I decided to give my own recipe a go. I used only corn flour for the shrimp coat and it didn't turn out well. Perhaps next time I could use egg white dip before putting the shrimps into the corn flour mix for a crunchier taste.

The sauce uses a little bit of mustard for more aroma and the sugar lessen the tanginess of the mayo. This is my secret. :x

Ingredients:
twelve medium size shrimps, washed, peeled and dried
two tablespoons of corn flour, add a very small pinch of pepper and salt
enough cooking oil to fry the shrimps

Coat the shrimp with the flour.
Fry the shrimps in a wok. It's better not to put too many shrimps to avoid lumpy shrimps.
When they are brown, put them on a tissue paper.

For the mayo:
two tablespoons of mayo
a tip of a teaspoon of mustard
a half teaspoon of sugar dissolved with a tablespoon of hot water
a pinch of pepper

Mix the mayo with the mustard, the pepper.
Add the water bit by bit until it reaches the consistency you want.

You can serve the shrimps by pouring the sauce directly to them or you can set the sauce aside just like a dip. Enjoy!

Kaylan with Beef Sauce

2009-03-05T01:09:00.000-08:00

'Kaylan' or 'kailan' is a green that I used to dislike simply because it's 'too green'. :$ The art of cooking this veggie is somewhat tricky. Many questions have been about whether we can put it straight into the wok or we should cook it first. Here, I choose to boil the leaves and stem before mixing it with the beef sauce. I cheat a little. :x I use baby kailan because it takes shorter time to cook.

Ingredients
a bunch of baby kailan (15 leaves with stems), separate the leaves from the stems
two tablespoons of oyster sauce
a tablespoon of sesame seed oil
a tablespoon of light soya sauce
a tablespoon of oil
three cloves of garlic, crushed
two tablesppons of water
a teaspoon of corn flour, mix with two tablespoons of water

100 gram of shabu shabu style beef
half teaspoon of oyster sauce
half teaspoon of sesame seed oil
a spoon of corn flour
Mix everything

Boil 2 glasses of water and a pinch of salt, then put the kailan in. Let it boil for three minutes on each side. Take it out from the pan and let it cool.
Heat the wok in medium. Pour the oil, add the garlic and sautee in for about a minute.
Add the marinated beef slices and stir well.
Add the water, then soya sauce, oyster sauce and sesame seed oil.
Add the corn flour mix, stir quickly until thicken.
Add the cooked kailan and stir again.
It's ready! :z

Angel Hair with Asparagus & Shiitake Cream Sauce

2009-03-03T00:07:00.000-08:00

This recipe uses shiitake mushroom but you can use other mushroom such as champignon. My suggestion is to use a firm type of mushroom so you won't lose the texture of it. Type of mushroom such as 'enoki' or 'jamur merang' is not going to work out well with the thick sauce and its richness. The secret to any liquid dish using mushroom is to stir fry them to absorb the garlicky fragrance. Other secret is to grate the garlic to avoid chunky bites. Again, I choose to use angel hair pasta. This recipe is for two.

Ingredients:
100 gram of angel hair pasta, boiled with a pinch of water

Sauce:
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon of oil
1/2 tablespoon of flour
200 ml milk
half cube of chicken broth powder
50 gram of cheese, grated (cheddar is fine by me)
asparagus, washed then cut into bite sizes
shiitake mushrooms, stem off then cut into bite sizes. Sautee in a garlic-based oil until transparant.
salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce:
Heat the wok and pour the oil. Fry the grated garlic for minute in a very low heat.
Add the flour and stir well. Make sure there's no flour left in the wok.
Slowly pour the milk little by little and stirr quickly until you get a smooth sauce. You can control how thick/ thin the sauce is by adding more/ less milk.
Add the asparagus and the mushroom bits. Sautee for half minute. Add the cheese.
Add the chicken broth powder and taste. Be careful not to put too much, especially if you use more cheese in this recipe.
Wait until the sauce is bubly, pour the pasta into the wok and stir well.
Enjoy. :L

Angel Hair Pasta

2009-03-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

I like making pasta with the sauce from time to time but making a vegetarian version only happens very rarely. Like this recipe I made a few days ago using angel hair pasta. The recipe is to be published after this posting. Here, we'll discuss about the angel hair.

What's so interesting about this type of pasta is the size of the noodle. Compared to the 'usual size' of spaghetti, it is much smaller. How small? Well, I know that there are spaghetti with smaller sizes but they don't deserve to be called 'angel hair' yet. :) If you happen to visit a supermarket, just go to the noodle section and find the smallest size of pasta.

The size of pasta does not determine the taste but it is more on the 'taste'. I don't know why, smaller pasta could 'hold' more sauce and each bite does not give that 'easily-and-quickly-full' after taste. I mean, with the same gram of pasta, I feel that angel hair is more 'convenient' to swallow than its 'relative', spaghetti.

One last important thing, I choose not to believe how long it says the pasta should be cook. If it says 2 minutes, most probably I will double the length of cooking. Trust your finger/ teeth. When you bite and then there's a smooth cut with no floury taste, then your pasta is cooked.

Chinese Soya Sauce

2009-02-07T08:08:00.001-08:00

There are many types of soya sauce. There is the Indonesian soya sauce that comes in different flavor: sweet, semi-sweet, and salty.

There is also the Chinese version of this sauce and their salty flavors come in two different types: the light and the dark one.

Personally,the dark soya sauce has a stronger aroma and a much darker color.

Thus, if your cooking requires brown coloring, you can use the dark one. Dishes with beef,chicken or lamb are best seasoned with this type of sauce.

As for stir-frying, 'sapo' type or soups, the light type is more recommended as the color of the sauce does not darken the dish and it produces a milder fragrance.

The most important thing about cooking is not to be afraid of trying and experimenting. Get the sauce, try it on a dish and let me know how it works. :)

Crispy 'Envelope' with Potato Filling

2009-02-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

What can you do with a pre-bought roll wrap? Lots and lots of variation.:)

For me, the dream of making the crust using this wrap has been going on F O R E V E R. So when I was home alone one day, I decided to realize it. It was a tofu filling at the beginning, but my experiment here is using potato, almost like potato patty batter (bahasa Indonesia= perkedel).

In this recipe, I fried the potato chunks before mixing them with other ingredients. This give more flavor to the batter. The result is a rather dry filling because I was using only one egg but with a very crispy outer shell. If you want a moister result, add more eggs to the filling batter.

Crispy 'Envelope' with Potato Filling

3 medium size potato, peeled, washed and fried until slightly tender
2 tablespoons of corned beef (you can also use meat, fried until well done)
1 tablespoon pepper, crushed well
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon chopped celery or parsley
1 tablespoon chopped leeks
1 egg
salt
10 pieces of roll wraps

First mash the potato well and put the batter in a bowl.

In a mortar, crush the garlic and mix it well with the pepper. Add to the mashed potato batter.Add the egg.

Add the corned beef, the celery and the leeks. Mix well.

Divide the batter into ten equal sizes.

Prepare the wraps and put the batter. Fold the wraps just as what you do with an envelope. Brush one side of the 'closing' part with water and 'seal' the envelope.

Fry until crispy.

Stir-Fried Shimeji with Corn and Broccoli

2009-02-05T16:20:00.001-08:00

Shimeji mushroom is good to cook with soft-textured veggies such as brocolli, cauliflower, or corn. The texture of the mushroom is not 'disturbed' by the hardness of the veggies. That's why I never mix shimeji with carrot, or pakchoy.But then again,it's a matter of taste.:)

Here I'm using five ingredients.

4 cloves of garlic,peeled and chopped
a thumb of ginger,peeled and sliced thinly
a fist of broccoli, washed and cut into bite pieces
a handful of small corn, cut lengthwise
5 pieces of medium size shimeji mushrooms,washed and cut into bite pieces

light soya sauce
oyster sauce
sesame seed oil
corn flour
water

First, heat the wok and pour 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the garlic and the ginger until fragrant.

Put a little bit of light soya sauce.Put the mushroom and fry a while until tender.Take the mushrooms out, set it aside, leaving the oil left over and the garlic-ginger pieces in the wok.

Put the broccoli and the corn in the wok, add 4 tablespoons of water.Wait until they're cooked but still crispy.

Add the mushroom, and stir.

Mix 1 tablespoon of corn flour with a tablespoon of sesame seed oil, two tablespoons of oyster sauce, and 2 tablespoons of water. Pour into the wok. Stir until the juice thickens.

It's ready to eat on its own (like me who is on a diet) or serve it with warm steamed rice. :P

Shimeji Mushroom

2009-02-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

I really like to experience the taste of different mushroom.There are many varieties we can find at supermarkets. Surprisingly, this kind of mushroom I'll be talking about can also be found in the cart of a veggie street vendor.

What I'm talking is shimeji mushroom. At a vendor,the price is cheaper compared to buying it at a supermarket.I don't even know how it is possible.:)

Shimeji mushroom is slighltly thinner compared to Shitake. Before cooking it,I like to cut the stem out and throw that away. For a stirr-fry type of dish, I heat the wok, fry the onion/ garlic a while and the mushroom is in first so it can absorb all the nice flavor of the spices.

The texture of the mushroom after it's cooked is a bit chewy almost like chicken. If you want to have this chicken taste,or simply to cut your budget without sacrificing the good taste, you should try Shimeji mushroom.:)

Peel Me Baby!

2008-12-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

The mango tree in front of my house is not just 'magical' because it produces fruits regardless of the season, but it's also 'practical'.

I can peel the skin!

Dig in the flesh!

Sooo refreshing!

YAAAMMMM!!!

Fried Rice with Green Chillies

2008-12-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

Some cloves of garlic, three green chillies,rice, dark soya sauce and oyster sauce are all you need to create this simple (and economical) fried rice.

I (as usual) smash the garlic and chop the pieces finely. Wash the green chillies and cut them into thin strips. Heat the wok and pour some oil. Fry the garlic and chillies until fragrant and then add the soya sauce and oyster sauce (turn down the heat as you cook with the sauces).

Add the rice, stir well. Add pepper and/ or salt and/ or sugar. Give it a taste.

Because I happened to have Chinese cabbage, I chopped it into tiny pieces and add them in the wok, right after frying the chillies and garlic.

Here I add fried chicken sausage and fried egg. Hmmm....

Lumpia Goreng

2008-09-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Every night, we hear the shouts,"Lumpia goreng, lumpia goreng." And every time we hear that we think how late the seller makes his rounds. No wonder.It's always at 21.30.

Last week, I decided to try it. How disappointing.... :(

It's just fried rolls with veggies in it, cut into pieces and served with peanut sauce and a few drops of lime juice. If only the rolls were tasty. If only the sauce was made of real peanuts. The fact that the rolls become soggy after that supposed-to-be-peanut-sauce was a total mess. I like the crunch and it's losing it.

Well, it's TFTL. The First and The Last.... :(

Dates, Dates

2008-09-15T00:29:00.001-07:00

Out of curiosity, I bought the fresh dates which (the label says) are from Iraq. When I tasted one, I realized that I should have bought the red ones instead of the yellows. The yellow ones are very bitter and have almost no taste. But the red ones? Hmm... not exactly yummy (daffodil's standard ) but I know why in the past the people who lived in the dessert talked so much about the fruit. It has gained its honorable place even in the holy books of many religions in the world.

If you have ever tasted a piece of fresh sugar cane, that's exactly the texture of this fruit. It has small fibre-like crunch. A bit floury which explains a lot why the fruit becomes very sweet when it is preserved. I ate one piece only and it felt like I ate an apple. There's that weird feeling of being full after having just one piece.

Oh, yeah. One more thing. The fresh ones are waaayyyyy more expensive!!!

Shrimp Salad

2008-09-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

It was just one of those days when I and my Dad daydreamt about how good those ol' days were. The conversation brought us to the topic about food. We mentioned about how shrimp salad that used to be a hit in one of the famous steak restaurants in Jakarta is no longer available.

When we were at the supermarket, I brought up the subject and decided to buy the ingredients for that shrimp salad we have longed for.

So, we bought 0.25 kg of shrimps with shell (around 18 pieces), two lemons and a medium size head of lettuce. Other ingredients such as French mustard, mayo, pepper, and eggs were ready in the fridge.

Firstly, I washed the shrimps and steamed them for three minutes. I took the shell away and sprinkle a pinch of pepper, salt and a few drops of lemon juice. I left them in the fridge, covered.

Then I separate the lettuce leaves and washed them under running water. I put the leaves in a bowl of iced water so the leaves became crispy.

For the sauce, I took a teaspoon of French mustard, a pinch of pepper, five tablespoons of mayo, a few drops of lemon juice and some castor sugar and mixed them together.I boiled an egg and took the shell off before I sliced them thinly.For the final preparation, the leaves were patted dry and cut as thinly as possible. They were then spread in a tall glass and put a little bit of the sauce. I put some more lettuce and topped with the sliced eggs and shrimps. I added some more sauce. It's ready to eat.

Stir Fried Lotus Root

2008-09-05T00:26:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I watched a cooking show: Kylie Kwong: Magic of China. There, she told us about her hometown in The China Republic and her visit to a lotus farmer. I found out that to harvest the lotus root, one needs to do it manually: barefooted! It was very interesting because I've never learned about it before.When Kylie cut the root into pieces, that's when I found out that I'd had the lotus root in a Sukiyaki dish. Crunchy, not exactly juicy. Have you tried bamboo shoot in a spring roll? That's a little bit similar in texture. Definitely giving a specific crunch to any dish.

When I saw the veggie in the supermarket, I decided to be adventurous. I bought the item and, after standing in front of it for five minutes, a mushroomy light soya sauce.At home, I peeled the root, slice it thinly (0.5 cm) and washed the slices under running water. I mashed some garlic, sliced a thumb of ginger and sauteed them in a wok for 3 minutes until fragranced. I added the light soya sauce, a little bit of sugar, sesame seed oil, and oyster sauce. Then, came the sliced lotus root. Since we had some asparagus and ling zhi mushrooms, I put those too. I had a little taste, and it's ready. I cut up some red chillies and sprinkled those on top.With fresh steamed rice? YUUUMMMMMM!!!!

Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic

2007-06-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

If you need to have simple vegetable dish to accompany your chicken, beef or egg.

Ingredients:
a handful of asparagus, washed and cut into 4 centimeters long; two medium garlic, crushed and chopped; two tablespoons of cooking oil; two pinches of salt; a pinch of sugar

Directions:
Heat the oil in the pan and sautee the garlic till fragrant. Lower the heat,add the asparagus, the salt and the sugar. Mix well. If you have sesame seed oil and/ or oyster sauce, you can add them at this point. Cook for 2 minutes (if you want them a bit softer, another minute time of cooking), turn off the heat and take the asparagus quickly from the pan to prevent further cooking of the asparagus.
Serve quickly.

Note:
Sometimes, people like using the tapioca flour and water to thicken the sauce. In this case, mix the sesame oil, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, tapioca flour and one tablespoon of tapioca flour. After the garlic is fragrant and you put the asparagus, this mix should come last. Stir quickly till the sauce thickens and turn off the heat.
This way of cooking is good for pak choy, bok choy, kailan and other greens. Time of cooking may vary.
If you need more fat in the dish, substitute the oil with butter.

Siomay EF

2007-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

This siomay (or 'shiu mai') is not new for me. After being dissapointed because I failed to order customized shoes, I was in search for a remedy and then, I saw the siomay vendor. I went up to the seller and asked him to give me ten pieces of them, instead, he gave me eleven. :-)

It's soft and I can smell the fish from the first bite I had. The sauce was cleverly made. Why I said 'clever', it's because the sauce was not all peanuty. I am sure that a large portion of potato starch was in it because the sauce was not thick. Yet, it still gives flavor and fragrance though I'm missing the crunchy texture. Another unfortunate factor: the heat. It was too hot for my taste. Was it an accident in the making of it?

All About Asparagus

2007-06-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

Asparagus is one vegetable that you don't find fresh very much. The canned version usually has lighter-colored asparagus and they work well for cream soups. In well-known supermarkets or fruit shops, you'll find them but not on everyday basis and the tips are usually battered and sticky because the shop had kept them too long.

To choose a good bunch of asparagus is easy. First look for the freshest tips. The fresher they are, the solid the tips look. Second, green stems are good signs for freshness. Do not be satisfied to buy the wrinkled stems which color is lighter as an indicator of hard, woody and unedible stems.

Wash the asparagus under clean running water and by using both hands, bend each stem on both sides until the stem breaks at a point. The area where it breaks is actually the border of the edible and the unedible part. Discard the woody stems and the asparagus is ready to use.

A Roll Cake from Medan

2007-06-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a colleague of mine came to see me all the way from Medan in North Sumatra. Not having seen her for quite a while, I was thrilled. With her coming, she brought me this delicacy I’ve tasted once before on a different occasion.

It’s a roll cake.

The shape is just like any roll cake, but the size is slightly bigger and chocolate flowers decorate the outer part of the roll. But when you slice it, here comes the surprise that catches me every time. The cake is very yellow (plenty of egg yolks, perhaps) and it’s fluffy. It does have the cream filling. And … aha! It is accompanied with grated cheese, lots and lots of it.

You need to be careful when you sink your teeth in one of these rolls. Surely you don’t want to shatter the cheese and waste it all up on your lap. The fluffy cake combined with the sweet creamy filling and topped with the saltiness of the cheese gives the taste palette a mixture of sweet and salty. The saltiness unsurprisingly wins. No wonder. The amount of the cheese is outrageous.

So, if you like roll cake but you don’t want to have the usual salty filling like tuna spread or corned beef and you prefer cheese, you might want to try this one.

Stir Fried Squids in Black Sauce

2007-06-17T00:33:00.000-07:00

I just can't stand small squids in the market because I know they're delicious to cook. The small ones have this 'sweet' taste and they mantain the soft and succulent texture after cooking, eventhough you fry them longer than the normal 2-3 minutes. Compared to the smaller ones, the bigger guys are best when they are thoroughly cleaned and all you have is the white flesh. Then you can stir fry it quickly or coat it with flour and deep fry.
This is a simple version of stirred fried squid. I don't even bother to clean the ink pocket because the ink actually adds flavor.

Ingredients:
a half kilo of squids, washed, backbone removed, cut into rings with 0.5 cm thickness,5 medium garlic, chopped finely,10 medium onions, chopped finely,4 red chilis, chopped (for medium heat),3 cm 'lengkuas' (you can leave this out if you can't find any.It is actually good to reduce the 'fishy' smell of seafood).2 tablespoons of cooking oil, salt and sugar.

Directions:
Heat the oil in the frying pan to medium heat and put the onion, garlic, chili, and 'lengkuas' into the pan. Mix till fragrant and then put the squids. Let it simmer for 12-15 minutes in their own juice and wait till the water reduces to half its amount.Do not add any water.

Season with salt first (you might need plenty of salt here, not just a pinch or two), then add the sugar (be very careful with the amount of sugar). Mix the seasons well and wait till the juice reduces (it depends whether you like the 'dry' version or the 'wetter' version).

Take out from the heat. Ready to serve with warm steamed rice.

Teri Medan Masak Tumis

2007-06-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

My friend gave me a half kilo of 'teri medan' and I don't think my family eat it as it is so I came up with an easy solution.

I prepare the 'teri medan' first (about a quarter kilo) by soaking it in hot water for 5 minutes to reduce the saltiness. I dry the 'teri' and then fry that half ready, just about 2 minutes. Do not allow the 'teri' to be too crispy because it'll taste bitter.

Then I take 3 medium garlic, chopped and 6 medium onions, finely chopped. Next I chop one tomato and sliced that finely because it's the juice I want. Then I chop 3 medium chilis.

Heat the wok, pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Stir fry the garlic, onions and chilis till fragrant. Add the chopped tomato. Wait till the juice is boiled and then add the 'teri medan'. Add some salt and sugar to taste.

Take out from heat. Serve.

The Best Lamb Chop I've Had

2007-06-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

I usually have sirloin steak whenever I visit this place called 'Ab". The taste is OK and the portion is large. The main attraction is not just the abundant veggies that come with your steak, but the varieties of sauces on the table complete the eating experience. There are barbeque sauce, Tabasco, hot chili sauce, sweet and hot chili sauce, ketchup, and my 'best friend' mustard.

One day, I decided to try on the lamb chop. I was a bit pessimistic at first. A bad experience surely taught you to be careful what you want to order, so I wasn't in for a surprise. Imagine that the steak came in 3 large pieces with fat hanging on each of it. When I tried slicing it, the juice dripped down and the meat was soooo tender. I couldn't wait to put it into my mouth and …. YUMMYYY

The sauce was perfect, not sour like a normal barbeque sauce. The portion of the veggies and the home-made French fries were great. The chops were a perfect well-done, tender and juicy. I finished everything, just like what I always do.

Ying Mei

2007-06-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

I found this unusual fruit, stacked among cherry packets. My adventurous spirit lighted up so I bought it. Besides, it's cheap.

It tastes sour, a succulent texture. The flesh consists of hundreds of segments and the juice is purple. You might want to watch out for it while eating. I am sure that will cause difficult stains. The salesclerk had told me that Ying Mei is normally juiced, not directly eaten. But for me, it's just as good as it is.

Egg with Corned Beef

2007-06-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

When I'm hungry and I have nothing but two eggs, a small can of corned beef, salt and onions, I make this light omelette to accompany my rice.

Ingredients:
Two eggs, mix with quarter tin of 125 gr corned beef
A medium garlic and a medium onion, very finely chopped
A pinch of salt
2 tbsps of cooking oil

Directions:
Mix everything up very thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a frying pan.
Fry the egg mixture. Make sure the thickness is equal all over, otherwise you'll get a perfect doneness in the edge and terrible rawness in the middle.
Egg with corned beef is ready to serve.

Note:
You can substitute corned beef with sausage.

Food and Trip Review

2007-06-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

On my last day in Pontianak, the head of affiliate took me to two interesting places. The first was souvenir shop and Pontianak is rich with cute beads, beautiful stones and colorful woven materials. I got confused on what stuff to buy, especially because my luggage was already full of books and my, that was heavy already. So, adding some more weight on was not a wise decision though I finally bought several small items.

The second place was a snack shop. The food basically covers the walls and the floor.There were so many varieties!I looked closer and made my conclusion: in Pontianak, anything can be made into 'dodol' (a kind of sweet sticky snack in different flavor with different aroma and taste). ANYTHING! Jackfruit, pineapple, soursop, 'cempedak' and what else? Pontianak's pride! Aloe vera! In fact, they don't only come as 'dodol' but also as aloe jelly and aloe candy. Talk about creativity.

Too bad I couldn't see the aloe vera farm. I heard that's an interesting place to visit. In my next visit, perhaps.

Spaghetti in A Hurry (for 2)

2007-05-25T00:59:00.001-07:00

I like this recipe when I'm dying to have a plate of spaghetti bolognaise but too lazy to leave the house. The ingredients with the star are the musts and the rest is creativity and whatever-is-available based ingredients. :-)

*200 gram ready-to-eat spaghetti (I prefer 'angel hair', smaller & the sauce clings more on it)

Sauce:
*2 cloves of crushed garlic, leave the skin out
*1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
*a half tin of corned beef (approximately 125 gram)
*3 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce (Ragu or Prego will do. Take the mushroom or original if available)
*2 teaspoons of sugar (the spaghetti sauce is too sour for my taste)
*a teaspoon of saltchopped smoked beef/ chicken breast (if you have it in your fridge. It will add certain fragrance to your sauce)sausage is okay, too
chopped onions/ chopped
75 gram of grated cheddar cheese (Kraft or Chesy or Diamond brand is fine)

How to make the sauce:
Heat the oil and sauté the garlic till light brown. Add the corned beef and the beef/chicken, heat thoroughly. Add the spaghetti sauce. Add sugar and salt to taste. Take the garlic out. Ready to serve.Tips: Do not boil the angel hair/ spaghetti with oil. The sauce does not cling to them.