I am glad August was over. It was such a busy month, that I had no time to cook, or take pictures, or go lurking at people’s delicious blogs! I might need another month to catch up with August stuff alone. The first thing I made on the last weekend of the hectic August was potato croquettes. They are very popular snacks, and homemade version are much better than store-bought,

This recipe for potato croquettes is very special because of the spices it calls for. Potatoes by itself have very mild and earthy taste, the spices used are freshly ground coriander seeds and ground nutmeg. Add ground chicken, shallot and garlic to the mashed potatoes and shape them. For coating, white egg and breadcrumbs. Croquettes are deep-fried till golden. Recipe is courtesy of one of my aunts, she makes delicious fried snacks but this is the only one I know how to make. Can’t wait to try out her other recipes.

Serve them for afternoon snacks with sweet chili sauce.

On another note, grinding coriander seeds is now in my top 5 most tedious kitchen work. We did it old school, buying whole coriander seeds and then thumping them silly in a mortar and pestle. Not easy as it sounds, as the ground seeds have to be sift using flour strainer, and return the coarse bjts back to the mortar and grind them again. It needs to be done at least 3 times to get super-fine quality coriander seed powder. Anybody knows any electronic kitchen stuff that can be used to grind spices? Before my arms grow any bigger?

Ingredients

1000 grams potaotes, peeled
1/2 cup cooking oil,
3 shallots, minced
3 garlic, minced
200 grams ground chicken
50 grams fresh coriander seeds, grounded
1/2 nutmeg, grounded
1/2 teaspoon salt
30 grams chinese celery, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1/2 tablespoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon warm water
1 egg yolk
Breadcrumbs
Cooking oil for deep-frying

Instructions

Deep fry potatoes till golden. Drain excess oil on paper towel

Smash potatoes using potato masher till fine. Set aside for later use

Heat cooking oil on a wok over high heat. Stir fry shallots and garlic till fragrant, about 2 minutes

Add chicken. Cook for 2 minutes

Combine ground coriander, nutmeg, salt into the wok. Mix well

Add celery, tapioca starch and warm water. Cook till everything is well done and water evaporates

Combine mashed potatoes and cooked chicken in a bowl. Add egg yolk. Mix well

Shape the mixture as desired. Roll in white egg mixture and cover with breadcrumbs

Deep fry till golden. Serve warm

Notes

Preparation 30 minutes

Cooking 30 minutes

Yield 30 pieces

Potatoes can be prepared boiled or steamed, then mashed

Chicken can be substituted with beef or prawn

If the spices used are too overwhelming, feel free to halve the amount of coriander and nutmeg called for in the recipe

One coating as listed up in the recipe can only result in the croquette staying crunchy and fluffy for up to half an hour. If you wish the croquettes to be crunchy and fluffed for longer period of time, coat them twice. Dip them in white egg, then roll them in breadcrumbs. Dip one more time in white egg and apply breadcrumbs then fry

Also known as Kroket Kentang

Another of my all-time favorite anchovies dishes. Very quick to prepare and perfect to be served with steamed rice.

As many of other Indonesian’s anchovies dishes, these little fishes are deep-fried till crunchy and then cooked with spices. This version is supposed to be a bit soggy but the crunchiness of anchovies should not be all lost. The trick to get that is cook it as quick as possible when mixing the anchovies with spices.

Anchovies have to be soaked and washed repeatedly to rid of the “excess” fishy smell. Just soak for 15 minutes and rinse with cold water at least twice.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (100 grams) dried anchovies
1 (75 grams) small tomato, quartered
1/4 cup cooking oil, for deep-frying anchovies and 2 tablespoons for stir-frying spice paste
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon palm sugar / gula merah / gula melaka, shaved (alternatively, castor sugar or brown sugar can be used)

For spice paste

5 (25 grams) shallots
1/8 cup (10 grams) red/green chilies, seeded
1 garlic clove
3 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Heat 1/4 cup cooking oil in a wok, deep-fry anchovies till brown and crunchy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain on paper towel
• Grind shallots, chilies, garlic, kaffir lime leaves and salt to coarse paste, in a spice grinder or mortal and pestle
• Stir-fry paste and tomato in oil till fragrant, for two minutes. Add water and sugar
• Add anchovies, cook for another minute. Remove from heat
• Serve with steamed rice

Cook’s notes

If the anchovies are not washed, no salt is needed in cooking.

What is the difference between white pomfret and black pomfret? Honestly, I have no clue. But we always steam white pomfret with ginger or deep-fry then luxuriously slather it with sweet soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce. With black pomfret, we stuff it with lemongrass and, again, deep-fry.

There is very noticeable texture and taste between the two. White pomfret is somewhat smoother and milder in taste. Black pomfret is more flaky and has earthy taste to it. These are the reasons why steaming is not such a great way to enjoy it. Since black pomfret is usually bigger in size, hence thicker meat, it is a great deep-fried fish.

Back to the stuffing, I am a sucker for lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. They are just the most perfect couple in the world of spices. So, both ingredients, plus many others, such as chillies and shallots, are coarsely ground. A deep cut on the side of the fish is made and the stuffing is inserted. The whole fish is then deep fried till crunchy. The flaky meat is infused by the fragrant spices. A mouthful of fish and spices with steamed rice. It is just simply delicious!

Ingredients

370 grams black pomfret, washed, pat dried and innards removed
2 cups cooking oil, for deep frying

For spice stuffing

25 grams red chilies
6 (25 grams) shallots
2 (10 grams) garlic cloves
3 whole candlenut, toasted
1 centimeter fresh turmeric root
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 stalks lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Grind all spices ingredient in a food processor or pound in a mortal and pestle
• Make a deep cut on the top side of the fish. Insert the stuffing as much as you can
• Deep fry the fish in hot oil for 10 minutes each side, till both sides are cooked. Serve with steamed rice

Cook’s note

Stuffed black pomfret can be grilled on open fire or grill pan.

Remove chilies’ seeds before grinding if milder taste is preferred.

Also known as “Bawal Hitam Goreng Serai” in Indonesian.

Preparation 30 minutes

Yield 2 – 4 servings

]]> http://indochinekitchen.com/2010/07/stuffed-black-pomfret-with-lemongrass/feed/ 2 http://indochinekitchen.com/2010/07/chicken-rendang/ http://indochinekitchen.com/2010/07/chicken-rendang/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:33:56 +0000 Jun http://indochinekitchen.com/?p=1092

Rendang is a curried and stewed meat dish, cooked with coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves with other spices. The dish is braised for hours, depends on the type of meat used, till the oil and extract of all the ingredients are cooked out, which later acts as natural preservatives. A well-cooked rendang dish can be stored up to days in room temperature, weeks in refrigerator and months in freezer. I did not make this up.This dish is prepared by using almost all spices available to Indonesian cooking.

Originated in Padang, West Sumatra, this dish has been adapted on other areas in Southeast Asia. Original Rendang Padang is dark brown in color, Rendang Java is yellow in color. The difference is in the base paste used.

Chicken rendang needs to be cooked for 1-2 hours. Beef rendang can take 2-4 hours. The longer the process, the better it taste. Rendang is at its best on the second and third day after cooking. The spice really settles and enriches the dish.

The recipe featured here is chicken rendang. Whole chicken is used. The spices are made from scratch. There are many commercially packed rendang spices. They are easy to prepare, but to make the most out of it, add half of the spice ingredients I have here and you will have outstanding instant rendang.

Ingredients

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

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

Instructions

• Grind spices for paste into medium-to-fine paste
• In a big heavy stainless steel pot, cook half of coconut milk, spice paste, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, salam leaf, lemongrass, galangal, cardamom, star anise and cloves over low heat for 10 minutes
• Add sugar and salt. Increase heat to medium. Cook for 5 more minutes
• Pour in the rest of coconut milk and potato. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour, stirring constantly to avoid burning till the coconut oil starts to separate from the milk. The dish should be simmering slowly with small bubbles. Cover partly to avoid splatter
• Toss in pieces of chicken. Cook for another hour. Season with more salt and sugar if desired. If potatoes are used, add potatoes at this stage. Cook for another half an hour
• Serve warm with steamed rice or country bread

Cook’s notes

All spices are to be washed and dried before using. Galangal doesn’t need to be peeled, scrubbed the peel till clean of dirt traces.

Also known as Rendang Ayam in Indonesian

Preparation + cooking time 1.5 to 2,5 hours

Yield 6-8 servings

One of the most fabulous sweet, spicy and sour sauce I have ever tasted. One morning, we went to our local market. There was a food stall that sells extremely delicious varieties of dishes. We saw fish dish cooked with bright chili red sauce, with sliced chilies and lemongrass. According to the seller, it is “Ikan Acar” – or pickled fish, which is basically deep fried fish with red-colored sauce.

The “Ikan Acar” is not the same as the ones known in Peranakan cuisine. This is equally great though. Master the sauce and you can substitute the fish with any other kind of seafood. As usual, the fish is deep-fried till crunchy. It is really really good. We gobbled up the last drop of sauce with steamed rice.

Ingredients

6 (45 grams) shallots
12 (45 grams) red chilies, for paste, 5 extra for garnish, cut thinly diagonally, mix some green chilies
2 (5 grams) garlic cloves
5 (15 grams) candlenuts
3 cm (10 grams) fresh turmeric
2 cups cooking oil, for frying fish, extra 1/4 cup for stir-frying chili paste
500 grams whole grouper, washed and dried well (halved, optional)
2 stalks lemongrass, pounded to release juice
5 cm galangal, pounded to release juice
500 cc water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tomato, quartered

Instructions

• Grind shallot, garlic, chilies, candlenuts and curcuma till fine in a mortal and pestle. Set aside for later use. Alternatively, use an electric blender and pulse for 10 to 20 seconds. Scraping the bottom of the blender bowl to ensure everything is smoothly ground
• Heat cooking oil in a big wok and deep fry fish till crunchy, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towel

• In the same wok, heat 1/4 cup cooking oil over high heat till smokey. Add lemongrass, galangal and chili paste into the wok and cook for 5 minutes, stirring quickly to avoid burning
• Add water, salt and sugar. Cook till boiling and lower heat. Simmer for another 5 minutes
• Add the fried fish and cook for another 2 minutes. Add sliced chilies and tomatoes
• Serve with steamed rice

Cook’s note

Substitute grouper with seabass or halibut. Any fish with mild taste would be great for this dish.

If milder lemongrass sauce is preferred, use less chili. The color of the sauce will be less vibrant, add a couple of teaspoons of tomato sauce. That will do the trick

Great vegetable salad, from Javanese cuisine. It uses freshly grated coconut simmered with spices paste till the coconut soaked up the rich paste. Chilies and turmeric give the coconut that rich color. This dish is known as “Urap Sayur“ – urap refers to shredded coconut cooked with spices and sayur refers to vegetables.

The accompanying vegetables are usually blanched. For nice colors and presentation, use vegetables of all textures and colors. Leafy vegetables for greens, cucumbers and beansprouts for whites, carrots for orange. The other common condiments served are hard boiled eggs and tapioca-based white and red crackers.

If the coconut is thoroughly cooked for more than 15 minutes, the salad can last for more than one day, refrigerated. If not, it is meant to be consumed on the same day. It is advisable to not mix the vegetables and coconut before serving.

Ingredients

For coconut mixture

30 grams (11) red chilies
5 grams (8) thai’s bird eye chilies
1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste
50 grams (9) shallots
20 grams (3) garlic cloves
35 grams fresh turmeric, washed and peeled
50 grams palm sugar, shaved
1/2 tablespoon tamarind pulp
2 cups water
1/4 cup cooking oil
4 kaffir lime leaves
300 grams freshly shredded coconut

For salad

100 grams cabbage, blanched
100 grams long beans, blanched
300 grams (1) cucumber, peeled and sliced
100 grams beansprouts, blanched
Alternatively, the following vegetables can be used : spinach, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, velvetleaf (“genjer“)
3 eggs, hard-boiled and halved
Red and white crackers

Instructions

• Blend chilies, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste and turmeric using electric blender or pound using mortar and pestle till very fine
• Mix water, tamarind pulp and palm sugar in a bowl. Stir till shaved sugar melt. Break pulp with spoon or fingers till no lumps. Strain the liquid and remove excess tamarind peel, seed, etc

• Heat cooking oil over high heat on a wok till smokey. Stir fry the chili paste and kaffir lime leaves for 5 minutes. till slightly brown
• Add sugar mixture to the wok and cook till it boils
• Add shredded coconut and mix well. Lower heat and cook till the liquid dries up, continually stirring, for 10 minutes
• Remove kaffir lime leaves and keep the coconut in dry container
• Mix a portion of all vegetables in a bowl, add 1/4 cup coconut and mix well with a fork and spoon. Serve with sliced cucumber, boiled eggs and steamed rice

Cook’s notes

For 2 cups of vegetables, 1/4 cup of coconut would be the ideal amount.

Decrease the amount of chilies called for if less hot urap is preferred.

If freshly grated coconut is not available, use commercially packed shredded coconut and add 1/4 cup coconut cream to every 1 cup shredded coconut

Preparation time 1 hour

Yield 4 – 6 servings

There are two most popular way to cook Silver Pomfret (ikan bawal) in Indonesian household, one is to steam with ginger, garlic and sesame oil. The other one is to cook it with soy sauce and chili or ikan kecap (ikan for fish, kecap for soy sauce). Fried fish with soy sauce is common dish in both Indonesian and Chinese restaurants.

The Indonesian-style fried fish soy sauce has to use Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce). Other sweet soy sauce will result in different taste of sauce. Equally nice though, but not quite the same.

The sauce is cooked first, then the fried fish is added. The ingredients for the sauce are quick to prepare. This sweet, sour and spicy sauce is always a hit for children. Home cooked fish with soy is much healthier, since no additional cornstarch is added and less sugar. Serve with steamed rice.

Ingredients

500 grams Silver Pomfret (ikan bawal)
2 cups cooking oil, for deep-frying fish and 1/4 cup cooking oil for soy sauce base
5 shallots, sliced finely
1 tomato, quartered
2 red chilies, sliced thinly diagonally
5 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup water

Instructions

• Heat cooking oil in a wok or deep fry pan till slightly smokey over high heat. Fry pomfret for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside
• Heat the rest of the cooking oil in the same wok over medium heat for a minute. Add shallot, tomato and chili. Quickly stir for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, sugar, lime juice and water, keep on stirring. Simmer and cover for 3 minutes.
• Return fish to the soy based sauce. Mix well till fish covered evenly with sauce. Cook for another minute. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.

Cook’s note

Fish can be chargrilled or pan-fried instead of deep-fried.

The soy sauce base can be used for other seafood such as prawn, squid and crab.

For thicker, darker sauce, substitute sugar with shaved palm sugar and add more water with a tablespoon of corn starch. That will get you restaurant-style dish.

Preparation time 30 minutes

Yield 4 servings (as part of main dish)

Just like rice, South East Asians are very specific about the type of sambal belacan (sambal balacan), or shrimp paste chili dip they enjoy. Different ways of preparing can affect the way it taste. My family sneered at my sambal belacan made using electric blender – lack of character, they said. Pounding using mortar and pestle is really good exercise for your arm. After a few try, I am grateful I am not selling authentic sambal belacan for a living.

We serve our sambal belacan with fresh vegetables such as lettuce and cucumbers or boiled vegetables such as long beans and carrots. This is called lalap, vegetables served with sambal belacan. We have lalap as our version of fresh salad. Sambal belacan to us is what olive oil and balsamic vinegar to Italians.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

• Heat 1/8 cup cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Fry tomato and shallots till soft and brown for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside
• Next fry chilies until they turn a shade lighter for one minute
• Drain the oil, leaving only 2 tablespoons of oil on the skillet and turn down the heat. Fry the shrimp paste quickly, break the paste using the spatula for 2 minutes. Remove from heat for later use

• Pound the chilies and shallots in a mortal using pestle hard and slowly for 8 minutes. Add tomato halves (skin removed), shrimp paste, palm sugar and salt. Pound till everything mixed well for 5 minutes
• Squeeze lime juice into the mortar and mix well with spoon. Serve with selections of fresh and boiled vegetables

Cook’s note

Chilies used here are mixed of green and red chilies, for presentation purpose only since I thought all-red sambal is boring (although equally delicious). Red chillies are more common for sambal belacan.

If less hot sambal belacan is preferred, the chilies can be seeded before frying.

Some people likes smooth sambal belacan, some preferred a bit of texture to it. I like coarse, so pounding using mortar and pestle is the best way for me to get the specific kind of consistency. Smooth sambal belacan can easily be made using spice grinder / electric blender.

Sambal belacan can be stored in refrigerator in a covered container. Good for three days. Longer than that, the texture can be a little bit dry.

If you would like to keep your kitchen pungent-free, try the shrimp paste-free sambal belacan.

Preparation time 30 minutes

Yield 6 servings

Mie Sop Ayam (chicken noodle soup) is a popular and affordable street food here. The vendors normally show up wandering around busy streets after lunch time. The portion is small, and not filling. So instead of taking it as main meal, most people enjoy it as snacks or light meal.

This soupy noodle with bits of chicken meat floating on top with fried shallots, chopped greens is the easiest survival kits for self-made entrepreneur. Certain vendors have certain “secret ingredients”. Some with extra special broth, some with extra funky condiments. I once had some with splashes of peanut sauce that made my stomach go all funny

Street version of “mie sop ayam” (“mie” as in noodles, “sop” as in soup, “ayam” as in chicken) has something in common, heavily seasoned with chicken flavored powder/stock, extra sugar and salt, splashed with sweet soy sauce, bloody red tomato sauce and green chili paste. With a bottle of ice tea, that’s a meal. Although most of them will tell you the secret is in the broth, I will tell anyone who would listen that it is the condiments. The crunch of tapioca crackers, the sweet and sour of tomato sauce, the tanginess of deep fried shallot flakes do all they can to mask the real quality of the broth. Sneaky .. sneaky …

The real challenge for cooking homestyle mie sop is the preparation of the condiments. But sometimes, less is more! Making the soup in one big batch takes as much work as a small batch. It freezes well, and can be heated up easily. Tossed some fresh noodles or dried noodles or even pasta. That’s mie sop! Enjoy it with splashes of tomato sauce, sweet soy sauce and chili sauce and sprinkle generous heaps of chopped spring onions.

Ingredients

Spices to be ground

3 cloves garlic (15 gr)

5 shallots (50 gr)

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 cm fresh ginger

2 candlenuts

Whole spices for broth

1/2 star anise

2 cm length cinnamon stick

4 pieces cloves

1/4 fresh nutmeg

1 whole cardamom

Other ingredients

50 grams chinese celery (divide into two, chopped finely for condiments and the other half for broth)

1 stalk spring onion (same as above)

1 tomato (quartered)

1 jicama (quartered), can be substituted with carrot

2 liters water (for broth)

150 grams yellow egg noodles (fresh or dried)

150 grams rice vermicelli (dried)

Fried shallot flakes

Red and white tapioca crackers (fried till fluffy)

Slices of lime (optional)

Instructions

In a large stock pot, boil water and add star anise, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. Boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer

Grind the spices till smooth using a spice grinder (or pound away with mortar and pestle). In a skillet, heat 1/4 cup of vegetable cooking oil and quickly stir fry the ground spices till turned brown, for about 5 – 7 minutes.

Add the spices into the stock pot, and throw in tomato, jicama and chicken breasts. Turn the heat to medium. Cook for another 10 minutes or till boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer and remove the chicken breast from the broth. Add celery and spring onion to the broth

Deep fry chicken breast for 5 minutes till the skin turned brown and crunchy. Shred the chicken meat to small pieces or cube them.

Prepare the egg noodles and vermicelli by blanching them quickly with hot water for 2 – 4 minutes and drain well.

Remove the tomato, whole spices, jicama, spring onion and celery from the broth before serving.

To serve, first put cooked egg noodles and vermicelli in a deep dish or bowl. Add chicken bits and chopped celery and spring onions on top. Pour the boiling broth on top of the noodles. Add one tablespoon of sweet soy sauce and one teaspoon of tomato sauce. Sprinkle some shallot flakes and crackers. Serve with green chili dip.

Note :

Preparation : 1 hour

A quick post for this yummy salsa dip, Indonesian style! Featuring the infamous Sweet Soy Sauce.

Indonesian dishes are often enriched by sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), which is basically soy sauce sweetened by palm sugar. The main ingredients are palm sugar, water, salt, soya bean, wheat, sodium benzoate (0.01%).

This soy sauce is used for marinades, condiment and substitute for any stir-frying dishes needs any sweet kick. Very dark in color and as thick as molasses, it gives dishes the caramelized color.

You can substitute it with equal parts of soy sauce and brown sugar stirred together till the sugar melts completely. Not as good, of course, but it will do!

For the dunking partner, try fried beancurd, cucumber and celery sticks, chips, or french fries! Go dip and dunk with this easy recipe for exotic condiment!

Ingredients

1/8 cup green thai’s bird’s eye chili (cabe rawit hijau)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 tomato, seeded and cubed
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (Indonesian brand preferred)
5 tablespoons deep fried shallot flakes
Juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions

• In a spice grinder, grind the chili in quick pulse for 2 seconds
• Mix all other ingredients together in a serving bowl
• Serve immediately.

Cook’s note

To reduce the fiery note, cut the chili length wise and remove the seeds before grinding.

Don’t mix shallot flakes if not going to be served immediately. They will be soggy and unsightly.

Refrigerate well.

Don’t have fried shallot flakes? Check this out and make some to stock up your pantry.