Will Be Away for A While

This blog has been my personal passion and I relly enjoy sharing my recipes to everyone. However with my recent activity (being a graduate student), I really don't have the luxury of doing other things than mainly studying, and working on assigments. I'm still trying to find the balance of how to put everything together...

I have to say that I will leave this blog unattended for sometime. But I will try to post something as soon as I have more free time...

I wish everyone a great day ahead, GBU!

Semarang Fried Chicken

Everywhere in the world, people make different kinds of fried chicken. In California, the most popular would be KFC-style fried chicken (chicken breaded in seasoned flour), eaten with fries. I like this style as much as I enjoy traditional Semarang fried chicken (boiled in spices, then deep fried until golden and the liquid turns into yummylicious crumbs)

Whenever we visit our hometown--Semarang, we always...always set aside some time to eat Salim fried chicken or Memet fried chicken in Mataram St. They are equally delicious and jam-packed with fried chicken lovers. Actually, there are myriads of fried-chicken eateries, from the hole-in-the-wall eateries to franchise restaurants. All offering the same type of food: fried chicken.

Today, I tried to make our favorite poultry meal using my mom's recipe that I barely remember. This recipe is actually the complete version since I use galangal powder, cumin, and bay leaves that I recently bought. In Indonesia or Singapore, I always use fresh galangal and bay leaves; in here, fresh galangal is pretty expensive and I have yet to find fresh asian bay leaves. However, I'm happy that it turns out well: yummy and authentic (though pretty laborious, especially grinding the spices).

It all begins with the chickens. I use eight chicken thighs as hubby loves dark meat. I'm contented that I can find all asian ingredients that I need in the Bay area. Americans are so blessed, they can find everything around the world from spices to clothing and cars, within few minutes of driving, or few clicks away.

All the ingredients are basically shown in the picture above.

This is not my favorite part: grinding the spices with mortar and pestle (garlic, shallot, corriander seeds, ginger, salt,candlenuts and all...) but it's actually the main sequence.


After the calorie-burning-fifteen-minutes-later, voila! I finally managed to turn everything into paste, and I add in the bay leaves, galangal powder and cumin powder (and grind 'em all again--oh gosh!)


Once the paste is smooth, heat up 2 tbs of oil in a pan, and sautee the paste until fragrant. Then add a little water bit by bit, and stir the mixture around.


Put the thighs in, add more water until the chickens are submerged. Close the pan, and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes.


There you have it! The liquid is reduced and another fifteen minutes, it's ready to pan-fried or deep-fried.


My home is a no deep-fried zone. So I guess I have to bear with pan-frying. It's still yummy, but the sinful way of cooking still makes the best fried chicken (well, it's called fried chicken after all) Pan fry 'till they're nicely brown and the liquid turns to crumbs that stuck on the pan *sigh* (but the effort to scrape them off is so worth it. I don't want to miss a single dot of crumbs; it has the additive flavor that you can just eat with plain rice)


Enjoy while it's still hot!


Rice and sambal are its best friends. Eat them together with your fingers like a caveman. A bit of sweet soy sauce complement the savory chicken and hot sambal. Your tongue will dance with joy ;p


INDONESIAN FRIED CHICKEN
Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs skin on
1/2 tsp pepper (I used black pepper)
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
Oil for pan frying ans sauteeing
water

To grind:
8 cloves of garlic
4 shallots
2 tsp corriander seeds10 candlenuts
about 1 inch of ginger
10 small dried bay leaves
1 tsp galangal powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp salt

Methods:
Clean and set aside the chicken. Grind the rest of specified ingredients using mortar and pestle or food processor until smooth and pasty.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Put in the paste and saute for half minute until fragrant. Add water little by little. Add in sweet soy sauce and balck pepper.
Put in the chicken and add more water until all the chicken are submerged. Cover pan with lid and let it boil on medium heat for about 45 minutes. Reduce the heat, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Prepare another pan; heat and pour in 2 tbs of olive oil. Put in the chicken with liquid. You can either deep fry or pan fry until the chicken is browned and the liquid turns to delicious crumbs. Serve with rice and sambal.

Salmon Steak

I'm not a big fan of sea food, and I rarely cook 'em. But I'm a sucker for deals and that happened last weekend when I bought a gorgeous salmon tail fillet for just a fraction of restaurant's price. It had been sitting in my freezer for three days and I needed to do something about it.

I did an experiment to get rid of the fishy smell. Salmon has a strong aroma and flavor. The smell can linger in my kitchen for days, especially when pan-fried. So, I did an experiment by quick-boiling the fillet for a short time. This way the fish will lose its strong smell, but it's not yet cooked so I can still pan-fry it to bring out the flavor.

Here's the gorgeous fillet frozen...


And here it is after cleaning and a few minutes of thawing. I was actually impatient to thaw it completely. So, I went right away to boil it.


Boiling while it's still frozen turned out to be a good idea. The flesh was still firm and it would not break apart. Another important thing is to boil it in a bubbling but not boiling water (with an assumption that hot boiling water might cause some destruction to the fragile flesh)


About less than five minutes later, the outer part of the fish was getting whitish already, but the inside is still raw. I'm happy that it still retained its shape (not for a long time though ;p)


I seasoned it with generous amount of olive oil, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika powder, and a little bit of dried Italian herbs.


After heating 3 tbs of olive oil over low heat with a sprinkle of salt, I happily placed the fillet skin down first. It looked gorgeous and seemed to end up just like how I'd imagined it.


Five minutes later, I tried to flip the fillet but ouch! The skin stuck on the pan! I had to cut it into two, and found that the middle part was not cooked yet (see the red streaks between the seasonings). It's painful to see your imagination crumble. I should have used a non-stick pan.


This was after I flipped the cuts the second time. The seasonings would not stick to the fish T.T


About seven minutes in total, they were pretty much done. I managed to scrape the skin off the pan, fiuhhh... But my mistake turned to be a good thing. The skin was crispy and great!


The delicious crispy skin was a great garnish. I'm glad that everything still turned out pretty despite the messy process :) I use Teriyaki sauce, wasabi and onion cheese spread as accompaniments to the dish. Yum!


I took a bite..and smile. Hmm... it's good! Enakkk! I guess having salmon steak once a week should be a good idea. It's healthy and easy to make. And maybe I should start shopping for a non-stick pan too...One thing I learned today: behind every wonderful dish, there might be a messy kitchen at the background.



Easy Salmon Steak (even easier if cooked in a non-stick pan)

Ingredients:
salmon fillet seasoned with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika powder and a little dried Italian herb
3 tbs olive oil for pan-fry
a dash of salt to season the olive oil

Sauce:
Teriyaki sauce
Wasabi paste
Onion cheese spread

Method:
Quick boil the salmon in a bubbling water for about 3 to 5 minutes, take out from pan, set aside. Coat the salmon with olive oil, the rub the seasoning generously all over the fillet.

Heat 3 tbs of olive oil in a pan (better be non-stick) over a low heat, place the fillet carefully skin down first. Flip the fish after five minutes of cooking. Drizzle to top side with more olive oil and seasonings.

Once the flesh is firm and slightly brown, turn off the heat and arrange the fish on a plate. Serve with rice, teriyaki sauce, wasabi and onion cheese spread.

Simple Bean Sprout Stir Fry

This is just another simple recipe of stir-frying vegetables. Hubby loves bean sprout so much, and we bought loose beansprout from Marina two days ago. Actually, I should cook the beansprout right away, as two days in the fridge might cause some damage to the fresh and easily rotten beansprout. But thank God, it was just fine. I still have half chayote and lots of tomatoes on the vine. So I use it in this dish. It adds a nice tangy kick to the humble yet nutritious beansprout.

Here are the main ingredients. Simple and healthy.


Chop 'em all but the beansprout.


Heat the pan with oil (olive + sesame), stir fry the minced garlic 'till fragrant, then blend in the chayote, tomato, oyster sauce, fish sauce, honey, salt, pepper and water. Mix 'em evenly.


Once the chayote is softened and the tomato wilted, throw in the beansprout and green onion. Stir for a minute or less over high heat. This way the beansprout will stay nice and crisp.


Transfer to a serving dish nicer than my plain humble bowl ;p Enjoy with a meaty main dish. Or if you're on a diet, just this and plain white rice will do. But I will never do that ;p



Simple Bean Sprout Stir Fry
Ingredients:
2 handful of beansprout
1/2 chayote, sliced thinly
1/2 medium sized tomato, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks of green onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp honey
a pinch of salt and pepper
50 ml water

Methods:
Stir fry the minced garlic with olive oil and sesame oil. Add in fish sauce, oyster sauce, honey, chayote and tomato. Throw in a pinch of salt and pepper. Keep cooking until the vegetables wilt a bit. Add in the water, and keep stirring.

Throw in the beansprout and blend the mixture for a minute. Add in the chopped green onion, stir. Turn off the heat and serve hot.

Bak Kut Teh

A few years ago, when we still stayed in Singapore, we often drove to Johor Bahru to shop, buy gas, and eat good food. Other than Malaysian food, we also loved Chinese style paper wrap chicken from Bamboo Restaurant, Ampang Yong Tau Foo and also Bak Kut Teh. Too bad, I can't remember the name of the restaurant.

It's actually easy to make your own Bak Kut Teh at home. You can buy ready-made Bak Kut Teh spices in Chinese groceries anywhere. Our family friend, the Kwoks, often go to HK and bring back packaged herbs and spices, and give some to us. Among the many packages, we still have one left and finally use it for a hearty soup. It's cold and rainy outside. There's nothing better than a hot delicious bowl of home-made Bak Kut Teh.

Here's the mix that I use. Just add garlic, it's that simple.


This is the herbs and spices inside with a tea bag (hence the name: Bak Kut Teh)


Three hours later...The soup darkens kudos to the tea in the bag. The aroma is so invigorating.


Warm and refreshing!

Good for you soul.

Make one bowl today ^^




Easy Bak Kut Teh
Ingredients:
1 package of good quality Bak Kut Teh Mix
1 lb of pork ribs
2 liters of water
5 whole garlic
1 tsp of salt
2 tbs soy sauce

Method:
Boil 2 liters of water. Add in the mix, garlic, and the pork ribs. Boil for about 2 hours, and you can add more water if needed. Add the salt and soy sauce. Serve warm with rice.

Not the Prettiest Rolls

I've always wanted to make my own Vietnamese roll, but was not so sure how and where to buy the ingredients. Turns out that you can find the rice paper and all easily in any Asian grocery in town. Silicon Valley is really blessed with goods from around the world. Through this dish, I fall in love with cilantro; I can eat cilantro with everything, even thinking of putting it in my juice. I rarely find Cilantro in my hometown, Semarang; as it is not a popular vegetable there. Chinese parsley is the more popular variety (and I don't like it).

I really enjoy the texture of the rice roll and the overall taste of this healthy dish. I don't feel guilty at all even if I eat ten of them. Mine might not be the prettiest, but to me, they taste wonderful :)

These three are the basic ingredients other than the rice paper and hoisin sauce.


Once all the preparation is done, "relaxed" a piece of rice paper by dipping it quickly in a bowl of warm water. Spread it on a big plate. Arrange the shrimps in a row. I happen to have grilled pork, so I sneaked some in also.


You can either top the shrimp with the other ingredients then roll and dip, or like me, I'd like to spread the sauce over the rice paper first and arrange the fillings on top. Just like popiah.


Once all the fillings are in, fold the top and bottom edge, covering the fillings. Then take the right edge over the filling and roll.


The result should be better than this :( The rice paper is sticky so it's hard to be neat. Further more I'm better at eating than making a neat roll. This is good enough for us (so many excuses)


Anyway, the next day, I make a stir fry from the left over bean thread like this. And make more rolls. I love rice paper rolls. You can literally fill 'em with anything edible. And it would still be tasty.


The process is the same. Spread the sauce and arrange the filling.


Add veggie please...The color will boost the transparent roll.


Fold and roll. Tada! The result is still not pretty, but edible. And they were gone in seconds courtesy of my husband. He can eat anything, he's such a sweet guy.


But he told me once, "After cooking for myself for ten years, I can eat anything..."

What's that suppose to mean?? ;p



Shrimp & Vegetable Rolls (yields about ten rolls)
Ingredients:
1/2 lb boiled fresh shrimp (boil 'em with head on, and keep the stock for soup)
100 gr of boiled bean thread
10 Rice Paper
2 stalks of green onion chopped finely
a handful of fresh cilantro chopped finely
5 leaves of lettuce torn lengthwise
5 tbs of hoisin sauce mix with 1/2 tsp of chili paste

Methods:
Soften the rice paper by dipping it quickly in a bowl of warm water, put in a big plate.

For each rice paper, spread a teaspoon of the hoisin sauce-chili paste mixture over the middle part.

Arrange the halved shrimp in one row. Add a little bean thread on top of it, lettuce, cilantro and green onion. Fold and roll the rice paper carefully. You need to practice to make a perfect roll and so do I :)

Black Bean Pork & Tofu

My husband loves fermented black bean. Not just that, I think he likes all fermented, pickled stuff. Fermented black bean or tausi is a very popular ingredient in his household. I remember my late father-in-law used to order Kakap Tausi (Black Bean Snapper) every time we ate out. Those were wonderful days...

Anyway, yesterday we went to buy this small bottled black bean garlic sauce out of curiosity. I don't remember my mom ever cooked with this yummy sauce, that's why I should try it. So today I whipped up an easy peasy meal that was gone in five minutes. Black Bean Pork and Tofu.


There are few main ingredients including ground pork, black pepper, paprika powder (not here), chayote, tomato, green onion, garlic, evoo (extra virgin olive oil), and off course the firm tofu.


The first thing to do would be to brown the pork in a hot pan glazed with a tablespoon of evoo. It should be nice and done in five minutes on high heat.


Make a little opening on one side of the pan, drizzle two teaspoon of oil from the black bean sauce jar. Then stir fry the garlic until fragrant. Mix evenly with the browned pork.


The smell was very stimulating to one's nostril.

Hubby could not stop sneezing. Was it from the pollen? Flu? Or simply from the devilish aroma of black bean garlic oil? Make a guess.

The next step would be to add in the tomato and chayote. The color combination was just superb. Maybe I should add red bell pepper too...and also the yellow, orange, and green one. Next time...


Once the chayote turned tender but still crisp, and the tomato wilted, we can throw in the diced tofu anc chopped onion. Stir a bit, and add in the yummy black bean garlic sauce. Four teaspoon in all. Don't skimp on it, let the strong flavor tickle your tongue. Oh, smells so yum!


Stir, stir, stir...mix all the goodness for a minute or two over high heat. I bet my neighbors think that a new Chinese restaurant has just opened nearby--the smell is pretty strong at this point. I felt guilty for not sharing it with them.


Serve over warm rice. It's a comfort food.

So comforting, it's gone in five minutes.

Who knows that simple ingredients can be that good, if you like fermented black bean.


Black Bean Pork and Tofu

Ingredients:
1/2 lb lean ground pork
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 package of firm tofu, diced
1/2 chayote, cut into thin strips
1/2 medium sized tomato, diced
2 stalks of green onion, chopped
1 tbs evoo
4 tsp of black bean garlic sauce
1/2 tsp of paprika powder
1/4 tsp of coarsely ground black pepper
salt to taste

Methods:
Heat a frying pan, glazed with evoo, brown the pork for a good five minutes over high heat. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and paprika powder.

Make an opening in the pan, pour in two teaspoon of oil from the black bean sauce jar. Stir fry the garlic in there. Then mix the pork and garlic.

Add in the tomato and chayote, cook until tender but crisp. Then the tofu and green onion can be added in the pan. Mix everything evenly.

The last step would be to add four teaspoon of the black bean sauce, and mix the whole thing together. Keep cooking for another two minutes. Turn off the heat, and serve over white rice.