Sate sarepeh Rembang

For these 2 months my husband got a job in Rembang. So he travelled there a lot. When I told him that the idfb challenge 5 is about sate, he suggested me to make this sate sarepeh, a traditional sate from Rembang.  Actually I have planned to join his trip to try this sate myself. But unfortunately until almost the end of this challenge I couldn't make it... :( 

Then I googled to find the recipe. I found it in sajian sedap and nguprek di dapur. As I learned from both sites, I am really glad that it is such a simple sate to make, with not too many ingredients needed. I only have to adjust the amount of chillies to match my children taste buts. So, this sate sarepeh is my entry for the idfb challenge 5.

Ingredients
4 skinless chicken thigh and breast fillets
5 chicken liver
salt
lime juice


3 keffir lime leaves
2 salam leaves
2 tbs palm sugar
400 ml coconut milk 
2 tbs oil for stirfrying


to be ground together:
4 red chillies or more, discard the seeds
8 garlic
salt

Methods:
Soak the bamboo skewers for a while to prevent from burning. 
Rinse chicken and liver. Cut the chicken into small cubes and the liver into 2 pieces. Drizzle lime juice and sprinkle salt over them. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
Heat oil on medium high. Stir fry the ground spices and the leaves until fragrant. Add coconut milk and palm sugar. Reduce the heat. Cook until it thicken. Removes and set aside.
Thread 5 - 6 chicken and liver pieces onto the skewer. Pour 3/4 of the spices over them (reserve the 1/4 for serving). Marinate at least 1 hour.
Grill until well done.
Serve with lontong and the reserved spices. 

Tahu isi

I just got a small besek (traditional box made of bamboo) of tahu (tofu) pong. I don't really  familiar with this tahu. I do eat tahu almost everyday, but not this kind of tahu. I usually buy the white and firm tahu. 

Tahu pong gets its name from the word kopong which means empty in javanese because this tahu has such hollow inside. This will perfect for tahu isi or in other regions it is called tahu sumpel or tahu susur or tahu berontak (vegetables stuffed tofu). Some people add shredded chicken, egg or prawn for the filling but I prefer vegetables only.

Ingredients:

Tahu pong
oil for frying

For the filling:
Carrot, shredded

Bean sprout (Tauge)

Cabbage, shredded

Spring onions, thinly sliced

Garlic, finely chopped

Shallots, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Oil for stir frying

For the coating (batter):

Rice flour

All purpose flour

Water

To be ground together:

Garlic

Coriander, toasted 

Salt 

Turmeric (optional)
candle nut (optional)

Methods:

To make the filling:

Heat about 2 tbs oil on a wok. Fry garlic and shallot until fragrant. 

Add the carrot, stir fry until a bit soften, add cabbage, bean sprout, and spring onions. 

Stir fry until all cook but still crunchy. Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove from the heat. Set aside

Using a knife make a slit on one side of the tahu.

Firmly stuff the vegetables inside the tahu through the slit.

Do the same with the rest of them. Set aside.

To make the batter:

Ground together the spices.

On a bowl sift together rice flour and all purpose flour.
Add the spices. Make a well in the centre.
Pour in enough water to make consistency that not too thick and not too thin.
Stir to mix all the ingredients until well incorporated and smooth.

 Heat enough oil for deep frying on medium heat.

Take one stuffed tahu. Dip it into the batter. 

Put it in the hot oil. Fry the tahu until golden brown.

Serve immediately while hot with chillies and a cup of tea.

Enjoy!

Bolu kukus tepung beras & labu kuning

I was feeling like fat-free baking last week. I googled for a cake recipe without butter, margarine or oil. Is there any? Yes it is, I found it in my kitchen notes, thanks ya mba yu....^^ Moreover, this cake is wheat free, egg free, and fat free. Can you believe that?

The original recipe:
by Farah Quinn via my kitchen notes

200 gr sugar

200 gr rice flour

2 tsp baking powder

250 ml water/milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

My variation:
As usual, the first thing I did is adjust the sweetness to my unsweet tooth. I reduced the amount of sugar to 150 gr. Then, I wanted to colour this cake naturally, that is why I blended 100 gr steamed pumpkin in the water required in this recipe, to add a hint of yellow, and also sprinkled choco rice to add brown spots on the cake. Last, because I run out of baking powder and based on my experience before that baking soda and lime juice can help egg-free cake to rise highly, I substituted 1/2 tsp of baking powder for 1/2 tsp of baking soda and added 1 tsp of lime juice. 

150 gr sugar

200 gr rice flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

250 ml pumpkin juice (from 100 gr steamed pumpkin blended with 230 ml water)

1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp vanilla essence
chocolate rice for decoration

Methods:

Preheat the steamer. Line the bolu kukus mould or cupcake mould with cupcake liners.

Combine sugar, rice flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add the water. Mix well. Add the vanilla essence and lime juice. Mix well.

Spoon the batter 3/4 full into the mould. Sprinkle the chocolate rice.

Steam in the preheated steamer on high heat.

Enjoy!

My Notes
This bolu kukus is really a simple and easy cake to make. I used my mini bolu kukus mould, so the cakes were done long before the steaming time stated in the recipe (15 minutes). They could rise highly enough, nice and light . But the colour was not as yellow as I expected. Maybe I need more pumpkin next time (?). Because this is rice flour steamed cake, so the taste is very close to kue mangkok. The taste of pumpkin is almost undetectable.

Pumpkin cookies

Actually pumpkin cookie is very famous out there. One of my friends once said that it is a fall favourite cookie. But it is not in Indonesia. I never heard about it. That's why I just want to give it a try when I saw the recipe in femina website. Again, just as the story before, I had to omit the spices and substituted them for vanilla and flaxseed meal. I know people will say that it will be pretty plain without spices but my children love it that way. This cookie is soft, more like a cake than a cookie actually. But it is nice and my children like it.

Ingredients
110 gr unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
160 gr pumpkin, steamed and mashed
1 tbs egg yolk, lightly beaten
25gr fresh ginger, peeled and grated (skipped)

Dry ingredients, sift together:
200 gr all purpose flour
2 tbs flaxseed, ground (optional)
50 gr milk powder
25 gr caster sugar
1/2 tbs chilli powder (skipped)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Methods
Preheat the oven 130C. Grease the baking sheets.
In a big bowl combine butter and dry ingredients. Mix using a pastry knife or fork until resembles breadcrumbs.
Add mashed pumpkin and ginger. Mix well. Add the egg yolk. Mix until the dough comes together.
Transfer the dough between 2 sheets of plastic. Roll it out.
Cut it using a cookie cutter you like. Transfer the cookies on the baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk.
Bake until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Source: femina

Fruit pie

I really want to make a fruit pie for so long. So, yesterday I bought kiwi, strawberries, mandarins, and grapes for this 'project'. I put them in the fridge while I was doing my pie crust. I still used the same recipe as before. You could see it here. Finish kneading the crust, I put it beside the fruits in the fridge. Due to something else I had to go outside for a while.
Shortly after I back home I continued dealing with my pie dough. Rolled it, cut it and pressed it in my mini pie pans. Then prick the bottom of the pie with a fork. Done. Popped them in the oven.
Next, the custard...

250 ml milk
50 gr sugar
25 gr corn flour (maizena)
1 egg yolk
1 tbs margarine
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar, and cornflour. Stir constantly until it just come to the boil. Off the stove.
Take a little bit of the mixture and pour in the egg yolk. Stir it quickly.
Pour it back to the mixture. On the stove again. Stir until it bubbling. Add the margarine and vanilla.  Stir constantly until it smooth. Remove from the heat, cover the saucepan with plastic wrap and let it cool.
Spoon it in the piping bag.

I transferred the pie crusts from the oven to a wire rack to cool. Oh God, they are beautifully flaky and golden brown. I think I am getting better and better in making pie crust...^^... Yaaay... Big smile spread on my face...
Then I went to the fridge to take the fruits. But, whatta??? Only kiwi were sitting there. Where are my Strawberries? And the grapes? And the mandarins? Oh dear, my little girl ate them all... What should I do? I tried to see other fruits in my fridge. Yes, there were pepaya and red cherries, also 2 bananas on the table. But they didn't work at all.

See... It's kinda funny to have them on a pie...
Then, I have another idea. Just pipe the custard on the pie crust. Slice the kiwi, put them on the left and the right side of the pie as the wings. Cut the red cherries in oval and small rectangles/circles shape. Put them in the middle of the pie as the body and the head. Fly high my butterfly...

They are soooo beautiful, aren't they?

Source for the custard: Tabloid saji

kue lumpur pisang

Another way to use leftover bananas...

Ingredients

50 gr margarine

175 ml water (I used 150 ml)

185 gr flour

15 gr cocoa powder

1/8 tsp salt

160 gr sugar (I used 100 gr)

100 gr potato, steamed and mashed

1/4 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

100 gr bananas, mashed 
(I used 2 bananas weighed 190 gr unskinned)

 1/8 tsp banana essence (skipped)

275 ml milk

2 bananas, cut thinly for decoration.

Methods:

Heat margarine and water until it start to boils.

Add the sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolve. Add the flour and salt. Mix well. 

Add the potato. Mix well. Remove from the stove and let it cool.

Transfer to a bowl. Using a handmixer beat in baking powder, eggs, and bananas until all well  incorporated. 

Gradually pour milk. Mix well.

Pour half the dough in another bowl. Dissolve cocoa powder 

in about 2 tbs of hot water. Pour the cocoa in one of the dough. Mix well.

Heat the kue lumpur pan and grease each hole with margarine. 

Spoon the batter into the heated pan and close the lid. 

Cook over a low heat. 

 Add banana sliced when they are about half cooked. 

Source: sajian sedap

Peanut butter custard pie

I think my fondness of making pie increase since I join the masak bareng yuuk event last month. It is really fun to make a pie. When moms in my neighbourhood had arisan in my home, I baked this flaky pie with peanut butter custard (vla) filling for them...

for crust
100 gr unsalted butter or margarine, chilled
225 gr all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
3 - 5 tbs ice water, very cold

for filling
150 ml milk
1/8 tsp salt
35 gr sugar
15 gr maizena, dissolved in 2 tbs water
1 egg yolk
1/2 tbs margarine
15 gr peanut butter (add some more for stronger peanut taste)

Chocolate chips for decoration

Methods

1. Boil milk, salt, and sugar. Add the corn flour. Stir constantly until bubbling. Off the stove.
   Add the egg yolk. Stir it quickly. Turn on the stove again. Stir constantly until thicken.
   Add the margarine and peanut butter. Stir until thick and smooth. Remove from the stove and let to cool.
2. Combine margarine, flour and salt until resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolks, mix until it begins to hold together. Knead briefly so that the dough comes together. Carefully shape the dough into a disc. Wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 5 - 10 minutes.  Take a little portion of the dough. Put it between 2 plastic sheets. Roll out with a rolling pin. Cut out circles with a cup.
4. Gently press a circle to a greased pie dish. Prick the bottom with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven 170 C for about 10 minutes.
5. Spoon the fillings into the pie. Decorate the pie with chocolate chips.

sources: sajian sedap

Roti Labu Kuning (Pumpkin yeast bread)

I don't know why I wake up in the middle of the last night. I didn't remember I got a bad dream or something. Everything was ok, my husband and children were sleeping soundly.
When I opened the fridge, I found a cup of steamed pumpkin. Aha, let's make something to kill the time. Hmmm, pumpkin yeast bread sounds good. I used the recipe for a banana yeast bread from tabloid saji and I substituted the bananas for pumpkin. 

For bread
100 ml cold water
1 egg
50 gr margarine
175 gr pumpkin, steamed and mashed
1 tsp salt
50 gr sugar
20 gr milk powder
400 gr bread flour
100 gr all purpose flour
1  3/4 tsp instant yeast
egg yolk for brushing

Here I used a breadmachine, place the ingredients in the above order into the bread bucket of the breadmachine. Select the dough menu and press start. Watch the dough, add some more flour if the dough is too wet. Close the lid of the breadmachine and wait until the machine beeps.

For chocolate filling
20 gr cocoa powder
225 ml milk
125 gr sugar
40 gr maizena
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk

Cook all ingredients except egg yolk. Stir continuously until it thickens and bubbling. Turn off the stove. Add the yolk. Stir quickly. Turn on the stove again. Stir until it bubbling. Remove and let it cool.

For pineapple filling
See the recipe and instructions for pineapple filling in here

• When the machine beeps remove the dough to a floured table top. Punch the dough. Cut to divide the dough, 35 gr each. We will get 25 equal portions and 1 portion 25 gr. I divided the 25 gr portion into 5 for the rope in pineapple bread. Place them on a greased baking pan. Cover with a tea towel.
• For pineapple bread: Take 1 piece of dough, roll it into a ball shape. Flatten it. Put the filling in the centre.  Roll it up around the filling. Take the 5 gr dough, roll it out into a rope shape, place aroung the bread and pinch the end together. Place on the tin again, cover and let rise until doubled in size. Brush with yolk.
• For choco bread: Take 1 piece of dough, roll it into a ball shape. Flatten it. Put the filling in the centre. Roll it up again. Flatten it. Make some incisions around. Twist the incisions and press it a bit with your thumb. Place on the tin again, cover and let rise until doubled in size. Brush with yolk.
• Bake until golden brown.

Source: Tabloid saji