Nasi Berkat

Hurray! Indonesian foodblogger, a group of Indonesian foodie blooger on facebook, is now celebrating its first anniversary. I am very happy to be a part of this cool group.  I can meet, or at least, know wonderful Indonesian foodie bloggers who lived around the world and get a lot of knowledge about food and food photography.

For this special anniversary, this group challenge us, the member, to make a dish of festive rice. A rice dish that will be present at a celebration. As a Javanese, of course, my mind directly goes to nasi tumpeng. But I don't want to make it. It's a hard work, I think I can't manage to do that. I have to find another one... 

Apart from nasi tumpeng, in Java, a celebration also means nasi berkat or nasi ambeng. It is a packet of rice with other vegetables and meat dishes that is served after the celebration or the feast end.  The one who holds the celebration will prepare that rice dish in a box to be brought home by the guests.

Traditionally, nasi berkat comes in a besek or a box made of bamboo. But nowadays people may use carton, plastic or even styrofoam box.  In Semarang, town where I live now, Nasi berkat usually comes in a packet of white rice served with the dishes of a hard-boiled egg, a fried chicken, Javanese fried noodle, acar kuning (Indonesian pickles), and sambal goreng (potato and shrimp cooked in spicy sauce). Sometimes fruits, such as a banana and or an orange, and kerupuk udang (shrimp crackers) are added in the box.

Unlike nasi tumpeng, nasi berkat is not decorated. Just mould the white rice, put it at one corner of the box. Then put other dishes on small sudi (bowl made of banana leaves) and put the sudi around the rice.

acar kuning

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, de seeded and cut into matchstick

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick

2 red chillies, de seeded and chopped

oil for sautéing

1 cup water
1/2 tbs vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Spices to be ground together:

4 shallots

2 garlic

4 candle nuts

turmeric

Methods:

Heat the oil, sauté the spices until fragrant.

pour in water, season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil. Add in carrot, cucumber, and chillies.

Stir and cook until all vegetables are done but still crunchy (not wilted). Stir in vinegar.

Remove from the heat.

Javanese fried noodle

Ingredients:
1 packet egg dry egg noodle

water to boil the noodle

2 tbs oil

soy sauce

5 shallots, thinly sliced, fried until crisp

oil for sautéing

1 chicken breast fillet, cubed
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick

1/4 cabbage, shredded

kecap manis

spring onion, thinly sliced

celery, chopped

Spices to be ground together:

3 garlic

4 candle nuts

pepper

grated nutmeg

Methods:

Boil enough water on a pan. Add in the dried noodle. Cook for about 3 minutes. Removed and strained. Transfer to a bowl. Pour in oil and enough soy sauce. Mix well.

Heat oil on a wok. Sauté the spices until fragrant. 

Add in chicken. Stir until the chicken changed colour. Add in carrot and cabbage. Stir.

Add water and simmer until the vegetables cooked.

Add the noodle. Drizzle the kecap manis. Give a good stir until all the noodle and vegetables  well blended.

Sprinkle the spring onion, celery, and shallots.

Remove from the heat. 

Sambal goreng

For the sambal goreng, we can make one with the coconut milk like my sambal goreng kentang dan udang or without coconut milk like this sambal goreng kentang dan ati ayam. 

Actually the ingredients are almost the same. Only that I substituted the shrimps for hati ayam (chicken liver). Give more de seeded red chillies and omit the coconut milk.

Before I cook the hati ayam, I did ungkep them (boil in spicy water: garlic, coriander, salt, turmeric, galangal and Indonesian bay leaves) together with the chicken for the fried chicken. Then, I cubed that cooked hati ayam and fried them briefly. 

So, this nasi berkat is my entry for idfb challenge 6.

Happy anniversary idfb

always wish all the best for you ...