I wanted to make something for dinner and bring the leftover to work for our lunch. I opened up the fridge and what did I find? I saw these ground turkey and shrimps. So I just quickly made up the recipe for these tasty meatballs. I also made some stir fry asparagus with shitake mushrooms for our meal.

Ingredients:

• Ground turkey/chicken
• Shrimps - chopped
• Garlic - grind
• Onion - grind
• Tapioca Starch
• Egg

Mix together the following:

• Fish sauce
• Sesame oil
• Salt
• Sugar
• Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Mixed turkey, chopped shrimps, garlic and onion.
2. Add the fish sauce, salt, sugar, black pepper mixture
3. Add egg, mix
4. Add tapioca starch, mix
5. Form into balls and fry a few minutes
6. Transfer to baking pan and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown
7. To be eaten with rice and sweet and sour sauce (I usually use Mae Ploy Sauce)

Posted by Caroline at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | Printer-friendly version

We had this Wii tournament going on two weeks ago. A co-worker invited us; so after work, me and my husband, along with other co-workers went to his place. We ordered pizza from Skipolini and they were very good pizza. Each of us did the Wii fit and it turned out I was the oldest, my Wii age was 59 year-old...I was the most un-balanced and I guess I need to exercise more now.. :)

So the following week, we hosted the Wii tournament at our place. Instead of ordering food, I made this BBQ Beef Sandwich, since they're easy to make and can be prepared a day ahead. For our dinner, we had these sandwiches with chips, a meat pie and Vanilla ice cream with homemade organic strawberry jam.

We had a great time playing and everyone loves the food. It was a fun night. Everyone left after 11 pm (on a Wednesday night) :)

The recipe is from Elise from Simply Recipes

Braised BBQ Beef Sandwich

Ingredients

Posted by Caroline at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

Sop buntut is our family's favorite food, they are good eaten with spicy chilli and lime juice. I like to add mine with a little bit of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis). The recipe below is of my grandma's.

To make the soup "a little bit" healthier, after the soup is ready and cooled down, I'd spoon out the solid fat on the top.

Sop Buntut (Oxtail Soup)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Kg Buntut, 2 Lbs Oxtail
• 1 bh Bw Bombay, large Onion
• 6 siung Bw putih, cloves garlic
• merica putih, white pepper
• pala, nutmeg
• 1 bh Bw prey, leek
• Seledri, Celery
• Garam, Salt
• Bawang merah goreng, fried shallot

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Iris bw bombay kotak2 kecil. Chopped onion in small squares
2. Iris tipis2 bw prey dan seledri. Thinly slice leek and celery
3. Ulek bw putih, merica dan pala. Grind garlic, pepper and nutmeg
4. Goreng bw bombay dan bw prey. Sautee onion until transluscent, then add leek
5. Bw putih, pala dan merica ulek dimasukkan. Add garlic, nutmeg, and pepper
6. Tambahkan air dan buntut. Add water then oxtail.
7. Masukkan seledri dan bw merah goreng setelah buntut matang. Add celery when the oxtail is cooked and topped with fried shallot.
8. Sop buntut siap dimakan dengan sambal dan jeruk nipis. The soup is ready to be eaten with chilli and lime juice, with warm rice.

Posted by Caroline at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

   This Tuna steak is the perfect dinner food; it's quick, simple and yet it's healthy too. I marinated the tuna with lemon, garlic and black pepper for about 15 minutes. Then pan fried it with about 1 tbs of olive oil. For the side veggies, I stir fry the bellpepper and asparagus with chopped onion and topped them with crispy pancetta...  

Posted by Caroline at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Printer-friendly version

  I made the dish last weekend; bought the linguine from Trader Joe's, a slight modification from the original recipe which uses penne. 

  This is heavy stuff; it's rich and creamy as I added heavy cream and extra cheese on my version, but it's definitely worth every lb of fat =)  and it was definitely the perfect companion of the Carmenere wine that my lovely hubby brought for our Friday's dinner...

Linguine Carbonara

• 1 pack of linguine pasta
• 3 strips of bacon
• 1/4 cup of white wine
• Parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic clove
• Egg yolk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• black pepper

1. Cook linguine al dente
2. Mixed Egg Yolk with heavy cream, cheese and pepper
3. Cook bacon until crispy, set aside
4. Sautee chopped garlic on the hoil oil
5. Add white wine
6. Add cooked linguine, remove pan from heat
7. Add the egg and cheese mixture, toss until egg is cooked
8. Add Bacon

Posted by Caroline at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

   There's only one word to describe this steak...heavenly, my husband and my little brother even gave two-thumbs up..

   The recipe is very simple, just marinate the steak overnight using coke (yes, as in coke the coca cola), beer, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. then panfried with butter...I used the extra liquid from the juice to stir fry the vegetable which makes them even tastier...and the leftover goes to our lunch box for the next day,,, =)

Posted by Caroline at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | Printer-friendly version

Perkedel Tahu (Fried Mashed Tofu)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kotak tahu, block tofu
• 3 siung bw putih, cloves garlic
• 1 Telur, egg
• Garam, salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Tahu di hancurkan. Mashed tofu
2. Bw putih diulek. Grind garlic
3. Campur tahu, bw putih, telur dan garam. Mixed tofu, garlic, egg and salt
4. Buat bola2 kecil dan goreng. Make a small ball and fry

Posted by Caroline at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

Excuses, excuses, excuses...I admit that I've been abandoning this blog for a while...thanks to all of you who keep checking in and sending messages =) I am still cooking, trying new recipes, taking lots of pictures and do blog walking... =)

Anyway, after searching for a new home, moving out and moving in, renovating and decorating, and going back to Indonesia for "mini vacation"...we have finally settled-in in our new home (which I LOVE btw....it's only 10 minutes away from work and a walking distance to an asian grocery store... =P )

So we invited our friends for "mangan2" (to eat together). I cooked nasi tumpeng lengkap (yellow rice shaped like a cone in a bed of banana leaves), which is a traditional food served to celebrate special occasion. I also made mie goreng (stir fry egg noodle), ayam & empal menado (fried chicken and fried meat), perkedel (potatoes cake), telur dadar (shredded omelette), sambel goreng tahu (stir fry tofu) and sambel terasi (shrimp paste chilli paste). Abon (shredded fried meat), dendeng (coriander beef jerky), timun (cucumber), krupuk udang & belinjo (shrimp crackers and padi oats crackers) are also served.

Nasi tumpeng and its side dishes symbolize good meanings in Javanese culture; Java is one of the many islands in Indonesia, where my husband and I come from.

Nasi Kuning - Yellow Fragrant Rice

Ingredients:

-Beras - Rice

-Ketan - Sweet Rice

-Santan - Coconut milk

-Sereh - Lemongrass

-Jahe - Ginger

-Laos - Galangal

-Jeruk Purut - Kaffir Lime Leaves

-Daun Salam - Bay Leaves

-Kunir - Tumeric

Instructions:

1. Masak semua bumbu dengan santan.

Combine all the ingredients above (except the rice and the sweet rice) and boiled with the coconut milk.

2. Masukkan beras dan ketan. Aduk terus sampai beras setengah matang.

Add the rice and the sweet rice. Constantly stir until the rice is half cooked.

3. Masukkan semuanya kedalam dandang dan kukus sampai matang.

Move everything on the steamer and steam until rice is cooked.

Posted by Caroline at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | Printer-friendly version

Mie Goreng is a typical Asian food. While the recipe is very simple the taste is delectable. There are many variations you can try; with or without meat. I made the vegetarian version for few times, using shitake mushrooms, scrambled eggs and vegetables, and they turned out as delicious as the non-vegetarian version.

The keys to a tasty stir fry egg noodle are two things: don't overcook the noodle and crush the garlic (lots of them) using only the traditional mortar and pestle, instead of food processor. The tip is from my mom, from which the recipe comes from. 

Mie Goreng - Stir Fry Egg Noodle

Ingredients:

-Bawang Putih, ulek - Garlic, crushed

-Kecap Manis - Sweet soy sauce

-Mie kuning rebus sampai 3/4 matang - Egg noodle, boil until almost cooked

-Dada ayam, potong kecil2 - chicken breast, cut very small

  --or--

-Daging babi cincang - Pork meat, thinly sliced

-Bakwan, potong kecil2 - Meatball, cut in 4 pieces

-Udang - Shrimp

-Telur di orak arik - Scrambled eggs 

-Sawi - Choy Sum or any kind of vegetables

-Optional: Jamur - mushrooms

-Garam & merica - salt and pepper

-Bawang merah - Fried Shallot

Instructions:

1. Oseng2 bawang putih sampai harum. Masukkan ayam/babi, kemudian udang dan bakwan.

   Heat oil, add garlic. Sautee until fragrant. Add chicken/pork, shrimp and meatball.

2. Masukkan telur, mie dan sawi. Tambahkan kecap manis, garam, dan merica.

   Add scrambled eggs, noodle and choy sum. Add sweet soy sauce, salt and  pepper.

3. Tambahkan bawang merah goreng diatasnya.

   Add fried shallot on top.

Posted by Caroline at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

I always wanted to make sushi but never get to make it until after one day my Japanese friend brought me the two Japanese Recipes Books from her vacation.

The recipe book on the left side (below) is very comprehensive with step-by-step instructions and picture. It's written in both Japanese and English and very explanatory.

I love this book better than the other one, but I recommend the recipe book on the right side (below) for anyone who is new to cooking as it provides an easy to cook japanese food.

CA Rolls

1.       The first thing to do to make sushi is to make the vinegared rice by combining sushi rice, mirin and rice vinegar.
2.       After the rice is cooked, it will take a while to cool off.. in the meanwhile, you can spread the rice on the wooden/bamboo bowl and top it with a wet napkin...
3.       Then you add different fillings to your preference, I never use more than three ingredients for my sushi, as Alton Brown said, your taste buds will get confuse if you have too many ingredients in your sushi, plus it's also make it harder to roll the rice.
4.       I usually use crab (imitation and sometimes real), cucumber and avocado and topped it with tobiko. Other times, I combine spam with omelet and cucumber.

I made this soup so many times, especially during cold weathers. And over the time, I noticed that I am combining both recipes from my mom and my m.i.l., and the blend of both recipes brings out a truly wonderful taste.

The trick to a great sup merah lays in the boiled tomatoes, I loved mine a bit tart and sweet to balance the richness of the meats.

Sup Merah – Tomato Soup
~~oOo~~

1 kaleng maling potong kecil2 & goreng, can of spam cut into small pcs and fry

2 biji dada ayam potong kotak2 kecil, pcs of chicken breast cut into small cubes

¼ kg udang, ½ lb shrimp

Sosis daging dipotong kecil2 & goreng, beef sausage cut into small pieces and fry

Jamur kuping, ear mushroom

Wortel dipotong kecil2, carrots cut into small pieces

Seledri, Celery

Kacang polong, peas

6-8 siung bawang putih dipotong2, garlic, chopped

1 bawang bombay dipotong2 , onion, chopped

3-4 bj tomat direbus, pcs of tomatoes – boil

1 kaleng saus tomat, can of tomato paste

1-2 sdm kaldu ayam, tbs chicken stock

1 sdm anggur merah / arak, tbs cooking wine

1 sdm saus inggris, tbs worcestershire sauce

1 sdt pala, tsp nutmeg

½ std merica, tsp pepper

Gula, garam, sugar and salt

Kecap asin, soy sauce

1 ½ sdm tepung maizena campur dgn air, tbs cornstarch mixed with water

1.      Ayam & udang di marinate dengan kecap asin dan merica, biarkan beberapa menit

      Marinate chicken with soy sauce and pepper

2.      Panaskan minyak, masukkan bawang putih dan bawang bombay, kemudian ayam dan udang

      Add garlic and onion into preheated oil. Add the marinated chicken and shrimp

3.      Masukkan perasan air dari tomat

      Strain the tomato. Bring in the liquid from the boild tomatoes

4.      Masukkan kaldu ayam dan wortel

      Add in chicken stock and carrots

5.      Masukkan spam, sosis, jamur, saus tomat, gula, garam, pala

      Add in spam, sausage, mushrooms, tomato paste, sugar, salt and nutmeg

6.      Setelah wortel lunak, masukkan seledri dan kacang polong

      When the carrots is soft, add in celery and peas

7.      Masukkan maizena

      Add in the cornstarch

Posted by Caroline at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | Printer-friendly version

I would say that empal goreng is a common lunch or dinner food for many of Indonesian. The recipe I post here is just one of the many variations of empal goreng out there.

This particular recipe is very simple because you only need lots of garlic to bring in the taste of the meat. My grandma used to serve it with sop daging (clear beef & vegetable soup) and sambal terasi (shrimp paste chilli) and kecap manis (sweet soy bean sauce). My mom, on the other hand, most often serve it with nasi goreng terasi (spicy fried rice).

Whichever you choose, empal goreng is always good to be eaten with warm rice...  

Empal Goreng (Fried marinated beef)

~~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~~

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Daging, 1 lb beef shanks

20 Bawang putih diulek, garlic - grind

 

Asem dicampur air secukupnya, tamarind mixed with 2 1tbs of water

Gula & garam, salt and sugar as needed

 

Instructions: 

1.Godog daging sampai empuk, potong2 dan pukul2

   Boil beef until tender, cut into squares and pound until tender

2.Ulek daging dengan bumbu halus, biarkan sampai meresap beberapa menit dan goreng

   Mixed the beef with the garlic paste, tamarind and salt and sugar. Marinate for few minutes and fry in hot oil

Posted by Caroline at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

This food is one of the many of my mom's signature dishes. Our family loves spicy food and I remember even when I was still 5-6 years old I couldn't get enough of it. My mom would sometimes made it with ox-tongue instead of salted fish and I loved both version. 

One thing for sure this food always reminds me of home. Enjoy!

Nasi goreng ikan asin (Spicy fried rice with salted fish)

~~~~~~ooOOOoo~~~~~~

- 3 cups nasi putih, cooked rice

- 10 biji lombok besar, big red chilli

-5 biji lombok kecil, red Thai chilli

-10 bawang merah, shallots

-1 sdt terasi, tsp shrimp paste

-Gula dan garam, salt and sugar as needed

-Kecap manis, sweet soy bean sauce

-Ikan asin potong kecil2, salted fish - fried and cut into small cubes

-3 biji tomat potong kecil2, tomato cut into 4 small pieces

-Bawang merah goreng, fried shallots

-Krupuk, fish or shrimp fried crackers

-Telur ceplok, fried eggs

-Ketimun potong2, sliced cucumbers

1.Ulek bawang merah, lombok merah dan terasi

   Grind shallots, chillies and shrimp paste

2.Goreng bumbu yang sudah diulek sampai wangi

   Heat 1 tbs of oil and sautee the ingredients above until fragant

3.Masukkan nasi, tambahkan kecap manis, tomat dan ikan asin terakhir

   Add rice, sweet soy bean sauce and tomatoes and the salted fish

4. Setelah tercampur rata, ditaburi bawang merah goreng. Paling cocok dimakan dengan ketimun dan krupuk putih atau krupuk udang. Bisa juga dimakan dengan empal goreng.

   Mix the rice well and top it with fried shallots. It’s good eaten with sliced cucumbers, fried crackers and fried marinated beef.

Posted by Caroline at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

Posted by Caroline at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | Printer-friendly version

This food is to be eaten with Gudeg. Very easy to make and you can adjust the spiciness according to your preference. I love mine especially very spicy and rather salty to balance the sweetness from Gudeg.

The recipe is also from sexy chef. But I exclude the pete (sator bean).

I got this recipe from my brother's gf, siu fang. It's her favorite breakfast food. However, you can also eat it for lunch or dinner.

I modify her recipe by adding ginger and sesame oil, I also cook the rice with chicken stock.

Nasi Tim Ayam Jamur (Rice topped with Chicken & Mushroom)
~~~~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~~~~

This recipe is my husband's family recipe. whenever my mother-in-law made this food, she always made from both chicken and beef because Romana and I love the chicken version while Rico loves the beef version.

Empal Menado (Fried Marinated Meat)
~~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~~

Posted by Caroline at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | Printer-friendly version

This recipe is from my dear auntie, she got it from her best friend, who is a native Menado. Definitely a crowd pleaser. Always the first to go everytime my aunt or I made this for a party. Quite easy to make, but requires many spices to grind =)

Sate Babi (BBQ Pork Satay)
~~~~~oOo~~~~~

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg daging babi / 2 lbs pork
3 siung bw putih / garlic
7 siung bw merah / shallot / onion
5  kemiri / candlenut
3 sdm ketumbar / coriander seeds
½ sdt jinten / tsp cumin
4  bh lombok merah besar / big red chilli
20 bh lombok kecil / small chilli
jahe / ginger
laos / galangal
kecap manis / sweet soy sauce
daun jeruk purut / kaffir lime leaves
garam, gula / salt, sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Posted by Caroline at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | Printer-friendly version

Pangsit Goreng (Fried Pork Wonton)

~~~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~~~

1. Panaskan minyak, masukkan bawang putih dan bawang merah. Gongso sampe harum.
    Heat oil, add in garlic and onion. Sautee until translucent.
2. Masukkan babi cacah. Tambahkan minyak wijen, kecap manis, garam dan kaldu.
    Add in pork, sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper.
3. Masak hingga air hampir kering, masukkan tepung kanji dan tambahkan bawang daun.
    Let it cooked until the sauce almost dry, add in the maizena flour and then the green onion.

Posted by Caroline at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Printer-friendly version

Pangsit Mie Ayam is perfect eaten anytime; I usually eat it both when the weather is cold or warm...

I got this recipe from Siu Fang, but I modified it by sprinkling about 2 tsp of sesame oil on the chicken and add pork wonton to accompany the noodle. You can also add meatballs if you like.

Pangsit Mie Ayam
(Egg noodle with chicken, pork wonton, mushrooms, garlic, green onion and vegetables served with soup)

~~~~~~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~~~~~~

Sambel Goreng Tahu or Stir Fry Bean Curd in Sweet Soy Sauce is an everyday Javanese Food. I cooked it at least once a month as it's very delicious and easy to prepare.