Lumpia sayur

Lumpia is the Indonesian word for spring roll. It is also a favourite snack. Usually the filling of lumpia is vegetables (sayur) that are easily find locally, such as carrot, cabbage and bean sprout. But feel free to use your favourite veggies. Some people may add shredded chicken, chopped shrimp, or scrambled egg to enrich the taste. Indonesian people like to eat lumpia while hot with chillies.

Ingredients

Carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

Cabbage, shredded

Bean sprouts

Spring onions, finely chopped

chicken breast fillet, cooked and shredded (optional)

Garlic, finely chopped

Shallots, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Ready made lumpia wrapper

Egg white

oil for frying

Methods:

Heat about 2 tbs oil on a wok.

Stir fry the garlic and shallot until fragrant.

Add the chicken and carrots, stir fry for about 2 minutes.

Add cabbage, bean sprouts and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir fry until all are about half done, soft but still crisp. 

Remove and let to cool.

Place about 2 tbs of the filling in the middle of the wrapper.

Fold both left and right sides of the wrapper towards the middle.

Bring the bottom side up enclosing the filling. Roll it up tightly.

Seal the seam with a little of egg white.

Repeat with the remaining wrapper and filing.

Heat oil on a wok. Fry the lumpia until golden brown.

Remove and drain on kitchen paper towel.

Enjoy!

Telur gabus

Telur gabus or widaran or ndog blanak is Indonesian fried snack made of sagoo flour. Traditionally it tastes sweet from the sugar or palm sugar coating. But nowdays people also like to modify it into the savoury telur gabus by omitting the coating and adding cheese or spices. Just like this one... black pepper telur gabus. Without sugar coating, it even more crunchier. One bite and you'll never stop crunching and munching... ^^

Ingredients:

originally by Wied Harry, mine is in the bracket

350 gr sagoo/tapioca flour (100 gr sagoo flour)

3 eggs (1 egg)

1/4 tsp salt (pinch of salt)

4 tsp black pepper powder (pinch of black pepper powder)

oil for frying

Methods:

Mix all the ingredients. Knead until well blended and comes together. If the dough is still crumbly, add some water, drop by drop, and knead again until they holds together.
Pour enough oil on a wok. Keep the oil cold. Take a bit of the dough, roll it thinly between two palms. Throw it into the wok.

Turn on the stove on medium heat. Let the dough slowly and gradually starts to float. After all of them float, stir gently and carefully. Fry until golden brown.

This post is my entry for masak bareng yuuk # Juni -Juli 2012

Cantik manis

Have some left over sagoo pearl from bubur sagu mutiara? Transform it into cantik manis. It is an Indonesian kue (snack) made of sagoo pearl and hunkwe (mung bean flour). Traditionally this easy-to-make kue is wrapped in banana leaves or plastic wrapper, but this time I used jelly mould.

Ingredients
Cooked sagoo pearl
1/2 packet of hunkwe flour (mung bean flour)
1/2 liter coconut milk
75 gr sugar
2 pandan leaves
pinch of salt

Methods:
Dissolve the hunkwe flour in some part of coconut milk.
Boil the rest of the coconut milk with sugar, pandan leaves and salt until the sugar dissolved. Pour in the hunkwe mixture. Stir it constantly until it thickens and smooth. Remove from the heat. Discard the pandan leaves.
Pour in the sagoo pearl. Mix well.
Pour it into jelly mould. Leave to cool.
Enjoy!

gluten free banana chiffon cake

I have to thanks to God that my family do not have any problem with gluten. That's way I can easily bake cakes, cookies, or breads using wheat flour. But recently I become more interested in baking gluten free, since I read that too much gluten actually is not really good for our body.

So, this cake is a gluten-free version of my banana and gloutinous rice chiffon cake. I am quite happy with this cake. It came out beautiful. It had the same texture with the wheat-version of chiffon cake, light, moist and fluffy. Although that the taste is a bit slightly different. It is pretty tasty, only that we are not familiar with it.

Ingredients
The original recipe

60 gr plain flour

50 gr glutinous rice flour

35 gr caster sugar

1/2 tsp spekoek powder 

50 ml oil

30 ml coconut milk

75 gr bananas, mashed

5 egg yolks

5 eggs whites

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

75 gr sugar

What I did

80 gr rice flour

20 gr sagoo flour
10 gr maizena

35 gr caster sugar

3 tbs corn oil

105 gr overripe banana, mashed (weighed unskinned)
6 egg yolks

6 eggs whites

1/4 tsp salt

50 gr caster sugar
vanilla

I substituted the total amount of plain and gloutinuous rice flour for the mix of rice four, sagoo flour, and maizena.  I omitted the spekoek powder (my children do not like its taste :( ... ) and the cream of tartar. I also substituted the coconut milk for another mashed bananas. Because my eggs were extra small, I then added another 1 egg yolk and 1 egg white, if your eggs are extra large I think you do not need to do so. I also added a bit of vanilla for the flavour. Last, because banana is a good substitute for oil and sugar, then I reduced the amount of oil and sugar.  

Methods

• Preheat the oven
• In a bowl, place mashed banana and oil. Mix well.
• Sift together all flour. Add the caster sugar. Mix well.
• Gradually pour the bananas and oil mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well using a ballon whisk. Add the egg yolks. Mix well.
• Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually add salt and sugar, beat on high speed until just before stiff peak.
• Using a spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk batter until fully incorporated.
• Pour the batter into ungreased 20 cm chiffon pan. Bang the pan lightly a few times against the table top or floor to release the air bubbles.
• Bake for 60 minutes. Do not open the oven during the baking!
• Invert the pan and let it completely cool before removing the cake from the pan.

Note:
This cake is best eaten at the day it is baked. It will be a bit dry on the next day.

This post is my entry to aspiring bakers # 21 gluten free bakes (July 2012)

Update 5/7/2012: If you want to see the round up of this event please go to hankerie

Chiffon pisang ketan

Some months before I left Perth, my best friend Wulan sucipto taught me how to make a chiffon cake. She came to my house with all the ingredients needed to make a banana chiffon cake. How lucky I am! That was the first and only 'cooking class' I have. Thanks a lot ya say ^^

I promised her to practice it after I back home in Indonesia. Now that I already have  a chiffon cake pan, I could not resist to bake my first chiffon cake. Unfortunately I didn't copy her recipe and I could not find it in her blog. So I used a recipe from sajian sedap. Here it is... a bit over-bake, but still nice...^^ not bad, right?

Ingredients

60 gr plain flour

50 gr glutinous rice flour

35 gr caster sugar

1/2 tsp spekoek powder (I skipped)

50 ml oil

30 ml coconut milk

75 gr bananas, mashed

5 egg yolks

5 eggs whites

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

75 gr sugar

Methods

• Preheat the oven
• In a bowl, place mashed bananas, oil, and coconut milk. Mix well.
• Sift together flour, glutinous rice flour, caster sugar, and spekkuk powder (if using). 
• Gradually pour the bananas, coconut milk and oil mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well using a ballon whisk. Add the egg yolks. Mix well.
• Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually add salt and sugar, beat on high speed until just before stiff peak.
• Using a spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk batter until fully incorporated.
• Pour the batter into ungreased 20 cm chiffon pan. Bang the pan lightly a few times against the table top or floor to release the air bubbles.
• Bake for 60 minutes. Do not open the oven during the baking!
• Invert the pan and let it completely cool before removing the cake from the pan.

Source: sajian sedap

Bubur sagu mutiara with fresh coconut sauce

Rachel, my daughter, is turning 8 this year. She told me that she wanted to try to do fasting this ramadhan. Ah, how happy and relieve I am. She will do this fasting with her own niat, without any push from me or anyone else. May Allah will always bless and help her. Aamien...
To support her, I let her choose any food that she want for the iftar (meal to break the fasting). And for this very first iftar she like to have bubur sagu mutiara, her favourite snack ever...^^
I have made  this bubur before. But for today I served it with fresh, uncooked, coconut sauce.

Ingredients:
For bubur:
125 gr sagoo pearl
50 gr sugar
2 pandan leaves
250 ml water


For sauce:
freshly grated coconut from 1/4 coconut
250 ml warm drinking/boiled water
pinch of salt

Methods:
For bubur: 
Soak sagoo pearl in water for at least 2 hours. Drain. 
Place all ingredients for bubur in a saucepan. Cook while stirring constantly until it thickens  and the sagoo pearl becomes translucent. Remove and let it cool.


For sauce:
Make fresh coconut sauce just before the serving time by mixing and squeezing freshly grated coconut with warm drinking water. Sprinkle the salt and mix well.


Put the bubur in a bowl. Pour in the sauce. Eat immediately while the sauce is still fresh.

Es Siwalan Selasih

Ramadhan, the holy month, is just around the corner. During ramadhan we usualy serve something sweet and refreshing for the iftar (meal to break the fasting at maghrib time). Just like this easy one...

Ingredients:

1 tbs selasih (basil seed)

enough water to soak the seed

100 gr sugar (may be adjusted to your liking)

2 pandan leaves

1000 ml water

Siwalan

ice cubes

Methods:

Soak selasih in the water. Set aside.

Put sugar, pandan leaves, and water in a saucepan. Boil until the sugar dissolve.
Remove, set aside and let it cool.

Cut siwalan into small cubes. Set aside.

Servings: 

Put a small amount of siwalan, selasih, and ice cubes in a glass.
Pour in the sugary water. 

Enjoy!

'Marhaban ya Ramadhan'
 happy fasting to all moslem around the world

Chickpea patties

I found an old photo in my folder. Here it is, the chickpea patties photo. I remember making this when I was still living in Perth last year. Chickpea is totally a new thing for me. I never see it, never know about it, never taste it in Indonesia. On the contrary, I saw it easily in every supermarket and asian store in Perth.

Chickpea or garbanzo bean is widely used in Indian cuisine. As I read in coles baby magazine, it is a good source of protein, zinc, folate and fiber. Yes, it is a good food. That's why that magazine suggested it as a super food for toddler. 

That day I tried to make it into a patties. Others usually eat it with yoghurt dipping sauce but my children prefer tomato sauce. 

Ingredients:

1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled

1 cup frozen corn kernel

1 cup frozen peas

Spring onions, finely chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Methods:

Heat about 1 tbs oil, saute the garlic and onions until fragrant and tender. Remove and let it cool slightly.

Steam the corn and peas until tender.

In a food processor, pulse together cooked chickeas, peas and half the corn. 

Add garlic, onion, and egg. Pulse again until well mixed.

Transfer to a bowl. Add the spring onion and the rest of the corn. 

Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Shape the mixture into a small ball and press it lightly. 

Heat about 2 tbs oil in a non stick frying pan. Cook the chickpea patties until golden brown.

Es campur siwalan

After I got the kitchenware I need, I went downstairs and turned left to the fresh fruits area of pasar johar. The first fruit catching my eyes was siwalan or buah lontar. It is a local name for a type of palm tree grown in East Java and Nusa Tenggara. For more information about siwalan, please see wikipedia.

Without thinking twice I bought it. The young siwalan is sold in its skin. It looks like mini young coconut, with thin flesh and water inside. While the 'older' one is sold already peeled. It will look and taste like kolang kaling.  

Drawn in my mind a glass of cold es campur with this siwalan. Es campur is a favourite drink in Indonesia. There is no exact recipe for this drink. The choice of the ingredients is subject to personal preferences. That's why if you type the word es campur in google, you will find many different recipes. Such an interesting thing, right? You can taste different es campur in every places. As long as it is cold and sweet, it is a favourite...^^

Ingredients:

Siwalan

jackfruits

avocado

selasih (basil seeds), soaked in cold water

water

ice cubes

cocopandan syrup

sweet condensed milk

Methods:

Cut siwalan, jack fruits, avocado into small cubes.

You can serve it in a glass individually, pour in some cocopandan syrup. 

Add a small portion of siwalan, jack fruit, avocado and selasih. 

Pour in enough water.

Add ice cubes or ice shaved.

Drizzle with sweet condensed milk.

Or, serve it in a big bowl, just throw in everything,

Mix well. 

Enjoy!

Property hunting: Pasar Johar Semarang

Wanna know where I buy most of the things  I need for my cooking and food photography? Here it is: 

Pasar Johar Semarang

Pasar Johar is a very old traditional market in Semarang. It was designed by a dutch architect Thomas Karsten more than a century ago. We can say that it is a heritage landmark of Semarang.

It is a big market. We can find almost everything we need here. You name it: fresh fruits, vegetables, snacks, clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, glasses, books and stationeries, toys, even wedding souvenirs. And also things the reason why I came here some days ago, the most interesting thing to me recently: kitchenware... just like the pictures below:

If you are in semarang and have the same passion with me about kitchenware, please come to this market. It is like a heaven...^^ That day I came around 10 o'clock in the morning. I parked my car in ex matahari mall johar car park right in front of pasar johar. I crossed the street, came inside the market, passed those sellers I mentioned above, and went upstairs. There, in the second storey of pasar johar, we could find a lot of stalls selling almost all of your kitchen needs: pots, pans, dishes, cutlery, knives, moulds or pans for any traditional kue, baking pans and sheets, cookie cutters, even oven tangkring and electrical appliances.

So, what did I buy that day? 

Many things for sure...^^  Here are some of them:

a 20 cm martabak manis pan Rp. 80.000

a 20 cm round mini kue lumpur pan Rp. 60.000

an egg roll pan Rp. 22.000

cendol strainer Rp. 7000

small chiffon cake pan (...hey mba wulan sucipto, I can bake a chiffon now...^^ )

some moulds for bolu kukus

some cutlery

knives

Gosh, I almost couldn't stop picking things....
Enjoy shopping!