Cemplang Cemplung

Chocolate to try : Self-saucing chocolate pudding

2012-02-12T07:01:00.000+07:00

Chocoholic is someone who is addiction to chocolate. Test yourself to know how chocoholic you are on Chocoholic Test. I've tested myself and came up with "Chocoholic Tendencies" :p How about you ?

I remember when my son had ordered a chocolate ice drink from a café, took a sip of it and then he refused to drink it again. When I asked him why, he said "This drink is too bitter, I don't like it !". But it was tasted fine in my tongue. So, I replied him with "This is not bitter. It's creamy, chocolatey and sweet !". How come my hubby and my son said the drink was bitter while it was okay for me ? Dunno :D I'm also easily attracted to chocolate cake, cookies, brownies, pudding recipes.

I have listed down some best looking and interesting recipes with chocolate as the main ingredient and I can't wait to try them one by one. I'm planning to post one recipe of chocolate each month (I named it with "Chocolate to try" event) and share it to another chocoholic friends out there. For the first strike, I chose Self-saucing chocolate pudding from Donna Hay. It caught my attention right away ! The pudding is soft and dense. At this point, I recommend this recipe to anyone who loves chocolate.

Enjoy...

Lunar New Year and Wedang angsle for IDFB Challenge#3

2012-02-04T08:30:00.000+07:00

One of my best friend had bought herself a new DSLR camera. She looked forward to go out some place so we can take pictures together. Then one day, we (me, my friend N, H and A) went to Chinatown in Glodok. We planned to see Chinese Lunar New Year activities over there and take some pictures.

The Chinese ethnic in Indonesia has been allowed to celebrate their ritual openly. Thanks to Gus Dur (Indonesian former President) ! We can see Dragon dancing or Barongsai and we can learn how Chinese people celebrate Chinese New Year. When I was taking pictures outside of the temple (vihara), I was impressed by their hospitality. They let me in to take pictures inside the Vihara. People devotedly prayed to their Gods. There were red giant candles everywhere, statues of the Gods and Goddesses and of course the thick smoke from the incense sticks. :D

Here are some photos I snapped during Lunar New Year. Enjoy the photos !

Yet another new challenge from idfb (Indonesian Food Blogger) with "Indonesian Beverages" as the new theme. Hopefully, I could see more traditional beverage recipes through this challenge. Indonesia has various kind of hot and cold beverages. Bajigur, pokak saripu, bandrek, es teler, wedang ronde, wedang sereh, es kacang merah, es palu butung, es pisang ijo, es cendol and many more. So, I had drowned in a whirlpool of ideas.

In the rainy season like these days, I personally like something warm for my body. The soupy drink that has strong ginger flavor. The using of ginger in Indonesian traditional beverages is very common. Ginger is good for your health especially during cold and flu season. The traditional wedang ansgle which originated from East Java has white color and sweet taste sauce. It usually served warm with bread pieces, steamed mung bean, putu matang (noodle shaped flour cake), roasted peanut and tapioca sticks. It's slightly similar to sekoteng.

To Indonesian Food Blogger, here's my entry. Good luck !

Enjoy.......

Announcement : Blogiversary giveaway winner

2012-02-01T12:10:00.000+07:00

First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU for your participation on my 2nd blogiversary. I know this event wouldn't be complete without you. Of course, everyone has their own reason why they started blogging. Keep it going and make it useful.

17 comments have been left for this post, but I only count comments with URL of your post. The winner was drawn via random.org. I don't want to keep you waiting too long until tomorrow, I decided to announce the winner today. So, the winner of a set of white porcelain bowl with wooden tray is.... *drum roll* ..... Nanik from Bermain-main dengan rasa

Congratulations ! The winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim the prize or another winner will be chosen.

Thanks

Guest Post : Shrimp Curry with Pomegranate and Coconut Milk from Soma of eCurry

2012-01-24T19:00:00.000+07:00

Some of you might already know, the cuisines of India are similar to Indonesian cuisines. The key is the using of various spices to make the food flavorful and to give the natural color to the food. So it sure looks exotic in your eyes and scrumptious in your taste buds. Even though I have never eaten Indian food but some of Indonesian foods are close enough to Indian foods. We have kari and roti cane which I believe those were derived from Indian cuisine.

After long time of waiting, I finally can feature a special guest post on my blog written by Soma Rathore of eCurry. Never thought she would say "yes" when I asked her to write a guest post for me. She has tons of delicious recipes with beautiful photos. No wonder she has won DMBLGiT for several times, because her blog looks good ! Soma, my dear cyber world friend and a sweet nice lady, has done a wonderful job for me through this post. She cooked a famous dish from West Bengal. Let's give her a big welcome with her homemade and traditional cuisine from India which also the first Indian food recipe on my blog, Shrimp Curry with Pomegranate and Coconut Milk.

Reminder : The giveaway event is still open and you still have few more days to join in. Please read here for details.

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These delightful shrimp curry carries the flavors from my home. Cooked in creamy coconut milk, it is redolent of cardamom and cinnamon – spicy but with a hint of sweet. And to this packet with memories, I have also added some pomegranate, a twist which worked out really well.

When Tika of Cemplang Cemplung asked me if I could write a post with a traditional recipe for her, I could think of nothing but my love for this particular shrimp curry cooked in coconut milk. A curry with a sweet aroma and the naturally orange hue calls my name. Chingri Maacher Malaikari is a classic. It is a well known and well loved recipe from my home state – West Bengal. Almost every special occasion (and not so special ones too) call for these jumbo shrimps and the air in the home dances with the fragrance of them getting cooked. I remember how I would eagerly wait for the meal time to lay by hands on these huge shrimps, all with head and tail on and the very aromatic yellow orange sauce seeping through the hot steaming rice.

The authentic recipe uses fresh coconut along with freshly squeezed coconut milk. My ma had to go though a very time consuming process of grating fresh coconut and making coconut milk at home. There were no pre-packaged cans; and even if there were, I double she would use it. The head of the shrimp does add a very different taste, texture and to some extent the orange hue to this quintessential dish.

The sight of these colossal shrimps enticed me as I walked by them; I turned around and came back to the counter and bought myself a few pounds. They reminded me of the times when my dad visited the Sundarbans (the largest mangrove forests in the world), for his work, he would get these really enormous shrimps, almost sized like lobsters. And when he got them, all I could think of was my next meal.

I “met” Tika in Flickr. Along with the cooking, the love for food photography leads most food bloggers to Flickr; the spot to mingle with like minded people, to learn and discuss food photography. Her beautiful stream of photographs, led me to her blog. Besides the traditional recipes, she also writes about food photography which are like treasure posts for those who want to learn. Light, angles, tricks, you can find it all there. I am so happy to do this post for this warm wonderful lady.

This time, I did play around with the authentic recipe a tiny bit. I have the luxury of using ready to use cans of coconut milk. I have not used any fresh coconut. The original dish is spicy with a hint of sweet, and I though of using the fresh pomegranates that the season offers to further enhance this “little” sweet. The crunch and the juicy fresh pomegranates do add another dimension to it.

I also marinated the shrimp for a little while in pomegranate molasses. It might sound like a very unlikely combination, but the little tart and the depth of flavor of the molasses accessorized the dish without having it lose the original essence. And the scallions were crisp, fresh and very non traditional, but lovely too.
Here is the recipe for my friend! I am really happy to do it for you.

Thank you!

Shrimp Curry with Pomegranate and Coconut Milk

Ingredients: (serves 3-4 as a side dish)

1 pound (head on if you want) jumbo/colossal shrimp, de-veined, but tail on (you can keep the shell on if you want)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric + 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
2.5 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1.5 cups coconut milk
1.5 inch ginger, peeled and grated or made into paste
2 hot green chili pepper, slit
3 tablespoon oil
2 small green cardamom
1 inch stick cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
4 stalks of scallions – green parts only, finely chopped
1/2 cup pomegranate arils to garnish/add before serving

Method:

1. Clean, de-vein and wash the shrimps. Leave the tail on and if you wish leave the shell and the head on. Pat them dry. Place the shrimp in a bowl. Add some salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and pomegranate molasses to the shrimp. Toss to coat and set aside to sit for about 15 – 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the marinated shrimp to a pan and cook with a couple of tablespoon of water added to it, for a couple of minutes, or just until the shrimp changes color and start to curl up. Remove from heat.
3. Combine coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, cinnamon, salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, sugar and red chili powder; set aside.
4. In another pan, heat oil. Add the cracked cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle and pop, add the slit green chili pepper and the grated ginger. Stir it for about a minute at medium heat. Do not overcook or brown the ginger. Just when the spices starts to get fragrant, add the spiced coconut milk, stir everything in and simmer from about 5-8 minutes in medium heat. The sauce will come to a boil. Add the partially cooked shrimp and any leftover liquid with it in to the pan. Partially cover the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes.
5. Switch off the heat and add the chopped scallions into the pan and stir them in. Adjust salt.
6. Just before serving add the pomegranate arils to it and stir them in (add the fresh pomegranate only to the part you would be serving as the arils wilt and change color in the sauce and does not taste as good if stored and saved for later). I would want to suggest that you serve the pomegranate arils by the side and garnish it as you eat.
7. Serve over hot white rice or with some nice crusty bread.

Rujak kangkung / Boiled water spinach with chili sauce

2012-01-16T11:45:00.000+07:00

One day I was craving for Plecing kangkung, a traditional dish from Lombok. I can almost taste the sambal (spicy chili sauce) at that time. I'm familiar with this dish, since my maternal grandpa was originally from Lombok. My mom is a good cook. Sometimes she cooks traditional dish from Lombok for our lunch or dinner. My favorite would be plecing kangkung and mesre (I can't find anything about mesre on the internet). Mesre is shredded beef cooked in chili sauce. I'll post about it some other day :)

Sadly to say, my plan turned 180 degrees, I made Rujak kangkung instead of Plecing kangkung. :) Why ? Because I didn't have any tomato as one of plecing kangkung ingredient. :D Rujak kangkung is almost the same with Plecing kangkung (except for some of the ingredients). The sambal (chili sauce) of Rujak kangkung doesn't use tomato and limo lime. Plecing kangkung or rujak kangkung, whatsoever, at least I didn't have to hold on my craving !

I'm not sure which part of Indonesia does this food come from. But knowing the blanched water spinach with sambal like this one, yup this is Indonesian food. From what I read, some people in Kuningan, West Java, sell Rujak kangkung and they also claimed that it originally from Kuningan. :D One thing I should tell you, it worth to try. The water spinach tastes crunchy and the sambal really rich in flavors! Spicy, sweet and sour.
I have a list of "Indonesian foods I desperately want to try" in my hand. I manage to post at least 1 of Indonesian food recipe in a month. So, Tata & Momon, you can count me in for the next few months :)

Reminder, my 2nd blog anniversary giveaway event is still open until the end of the month. If you're interested to join in, read the details here. I'm waiting for your participation, the more the merrier. Once again, good luck everyone !

Enjoy...

This is how I enjoy sweet corn

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000+07:00

I want to share my happiness with you (again). I already received the prize from Nela of Beloved Star, a beautiful Camera Locket Necklace. It has a camera and heart-shaped locket and also has dove color. Although I don't like wearing necklace, ring, earring or any other jeweleries, but I'll keep it in my jewelery box. It's one of a kind to remember that I won the first prize.

Five days in a week, I walk through the traditional market near the train station on my way to the office. Despite the place is squashy, smell and dirty, I do love traditional market. I could find fresh vegetables and fruits in low price. Sometimes I also find unexpected props for my food photography, such as enamel wares and earthen wares (not forget to mention that I got a vintage sieve for free, how lucky !). Absolutely a good place to treasure hunt ! :D

These are pictures I took from one of traditional market in Jakarta. Fresh fruits and vegetables are everywhere. Farmers sell their harvests on the market. Busy activities like this will continue until dawn the next day. Buyers come from around the market area even farther only to find the best products with good price.

This is the place where I bought sweet corn for my afternoon snack. The seller sells corns with husk still on and corns that have been cleaned from the husk. You can bargain down the price of things you want here. Just ask the price, bargain, deal, pay and take it home. I believe, traditional market will be one of the place I miss if I live abroad.

So, one day I simply enjoyed my afternoon tea time by serving boiled sweet corn on the cob for the whole family. The rain poured down, the wind breezed up kissing my face, enjoying a cup of tea with warm boiled sweet corn. What a peaceful afternoon I had that day.

Reminder : I'm hosting a blog anniversary giveaway event. Have you left comment on my post yet ? If you haven't read about it then you better start now, you still have plenty of time to join in. Read the rules here. I'm waiting...

Enjoy and good luck !

Brownie Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting and my first GIVEAWAY

2012-01-01T17:15:00.000+07:00

What motivated you to start your blog ?

I started to write my first post on this blog about two years ago. The main reason why I made it was for my food photography. I wanted to submit my food photos to DMBLGiT, an international monthly food photo contest. One of the rules says that I must have a blog where the photos were posted. So, it all began with a simple post and photos. :)

For the last 2 years I've been keeping my works, passion and love through words and photos. From preparing all ingredients, cooking, food styling, photographing, editing and finally I write a post on my blog and share it with you. I enjoy every steps though. But I never say it was easy, writing a post is not easy for me. Now, this blog has become my second home. I keep it neat and clean.

As I promised you on my post on December 2011, I'm celebrating my 2nd blog anniversary. Before you go to the details, please enjoy Donna Hay's Brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting. I did some adjusting in the recipe (I reduced the sugar) and made it not too sweet for my tooth. :D I also stored the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. It tastes much much better !!

Brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting

Ingredients :

Brownie cookies :
- 175 gr dark chocolate, chopped
- 20 gr butter
- 1 eggs
- 50 gr caster (superfine) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 13 gr plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

Peanut butter frosting :
- 60 gr icing (confectioner’s) sugar mixture
- 140 gr smooth peanut butter
- 40 gr butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 40 ml single (pouring) cream

How to :

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Cookies : Place the chocolate and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.

3. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Stir through the flour, baking powder and chocolate mixture and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

4. Spoon tablespoonfuls of the mixture at a time, onto baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on trays.

5. Peanut butter frosting : place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 6 minutes or until light and fluffy.

6. Add the cream and beat for a further 2 minutes.

7. Spread half the cookies with the peanut butter frosting and sandwich with the remaining cookies.

SECOND BLOG ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY **CLOSED !!

To show my gratitude on my 2nd blog anniversary this year, I'm hosting a BLOG ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY ! A set of porcelain white bowl with a wooden tray as the prize. Looks perfect for your food photography props or you could use it daily on your dining table.

A set of porcelain white bowl with wooden tray

How to enter :

1. Write about "The reason why you started blogging" on your post and mention about this event (and link back to this post).

2. Leave a comment in this post telling me you have done so, including the link of your post. (can be written in English or Bahasa Indonesia).

Terms and conditions :

1. This giveaway is open internationally.

2. Only one comment per person. (only comment with URL of your post will be counted)

3. This giveaway will run until January 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM. I will announce the winner on February 2, 2012.
4. The winner will randomly be chosen.

Good luck everyone !

Happy Holidays to you all

2011-12-25T17:10:00.002+07:00

Wishing you all "Happy Holidays"

Enjoy the rest of 2011 as if you were eating a cup of chocolate pudding

you will smile after you finish every bit of it !!

Then you are ready for another cup...

"Happy New Year"

Grilled fermented cassava

2011-12-21T08:13:00.000+07:00

Can't believe time flies so fast and 2011 will be over soon. December is like a festive month for me, Christmas and New Year. Yes...party, party, party ! I'm very enthusiastic with the upcoming festive season. For you who celebrate Christmas, I'm sure you already chose what you want to serve for your family. Everyone will be serving their best foods !

While I do not celebrate Christmas, but I will post good foods. Like the grilled fermented cassava which is suitable for tea time or late night snack. It's an alternative snack you can munch on new year's eve. :D Perhaps you could serve it to your guests on Christmas as well.

Fermented cassava is made from cooked cassava. The fermentation process is by adding yeast on top of cooked cassava. Store it for 3-5 days in air-tight container before being used. I never make fermented cassava since I can find the sellers easily in traditional market. But hey...it's worth a try to make some with my son for his homeschooling project :D

It's not Christmas yet, but I already got a present ! Remember the Foodography Photo Contest I mentioned on my previous post ? I won the first prize and also deserve a camera locket necklace !!! Check out the announcement here. Talking about gift, I will celebrate my 2nd blog anniversary next month. Wait for the announcement because I have something for you :)

Grilled fermented cassava

Ingredients :
- 250 gr fermented cassava
- 2 tsp margarine
- 1 tbsp sugar
- chocolate sprinkle
- sweet condensed milk (plain)

How to :

1. In a bowl, mix fermented cassava, margarine and sugar until well-blend.
2. Place a non-stick pan over low heat. Take about 3 tablespoons of fermented cassava mixture and grill. Shape into square (the size is up to you) and cook until golden brown on each sides.Remove from heat.
3. Serving : place the grilled fermented cassava on a plate. Pour sweet condensed milk and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkle. (you could also sprinkle grated cheese if you like)

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan :

- 250 gr tape yang matang , buang bagian tengahnya (ambil dagingnya saja)
- 2 sdt margarin
- 1 sdm gula pasir

- mesis (untuk taburan)

- susu kental manis (untuk coretan)

Cara:

Campur tape, margarin dan gula pasir sampai rata dan halus.
Lalu dibentuk kotak2 / bebas (kalau saya dibentuk kotak di atas wajan anti lengket tidak usah pakai margarin lagi dan langsung dimasak sampai kecoklatan)
Penyajian, tata tape bakar di atas piring coretn dengan susu kental manis dan taburkan mesis.

This post is also an entry for IFP (Indonesian Food Party).

Enjoy.....

Simple eggnog

2011-12-14T09:15:00.000+07:00

When my son suddenly came rushing into my room and said, "I want to make eggnog !", I was really surprised. What is eggnog anyway ? And how did he know about it ? So, I just answered him with "Okay". Google is always be my hero in that situation. All I need to do is only type the right keywords, and voila.... :)

Eggnog is egg-based drink with milk/cream, sugar, liquor and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and nutmeg. In US and Canada, eggnog is popular and associated to Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Since it consists raw eggs, I search for the simplest and not using too much eggs. Some recipes using only egg yolks, so I just have to skip that (I don't want to waste too much egg whites).

Simple eggnog
(adapted from http://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-eggnog.html)

Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons brandy (I don't use this)

How to :

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Whisk in the vanilla extract, half of the nutmeg, milk and brandy.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill.
4. When you're ready to serve, pour the eggnog into glasses and sprinkle a little nutmeg across the top to serve.

Enjoy......

Cendol, a guest post from Marvie @Lekkericious

2011-12-07T13:25:00.000+07:00

I proudly present to you, the first guest post on my blog ! Let's say it's an exchange post. After my guest post on her blog few months ago, and now it's her turn to write something on my blog. :D Marvie Yap from Lekkericious is a dear Filipino friend who has a lot of activities. From Software QA Engineer, make-up artist, cook, cat rescuer and food blogger. I can imagine she is extremely busy. :) Though we never met, but we still can be best friend. This is one of the reason what makes me happy for having friends from around the world.

Once Marvie told me that she loves cendol on my photo of cendol on Flickr but she couldn't find the seller near the neighborhood. So, I appreciate that she finally tried to make it. Nothing can beat homemade ! Without further ado, I welcome Marvie to show her cendol feast.

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I first learned about cendol in Holland, during my summer visit in 2009. It was funny to have the first taste of this asian delicacy in a western country, when I have lived all my life in Asia. Es Cendol is a green, worm-like jellies made from rice flour, tapioca flour and mung bean flour served with coco palm sugar syrup, coconut milk and shaved ice, topped with jackfruit - a very popular drink/dessert in Indonesia. Cendol was a love at first taste experience. I was in constant search for it here in Manila, but unfortunately, it's not available anywhere. I find it odd that I could never find it in any of my favourite Asian restaurants around the city when it is super popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, our neighboring countries.

So I did a little research how to make it for myself and for my husband who also loves this Indonesian delicacy.

Finding the right ingredients was a bit of a challenge for me though - gula jawa and mung bean flour in particular. I scoured all specialty Asian shops for these and didn't have any success. Nevertheless, I found coco sugar, the closest alternative I can get for gula jawa, although in my opinion, gula jawa's sweetness complexity still is the best. I gave up on mung bean flour and settled for the rice flour and tapioca flour combo - which ended up in a disaster. My cendol just melted a few minutes after it's submerged in the ice water. Although most Indonesian cendol recipe say it's just rice and tapioca flour, for some reason I couldn't succeed. So I thought the mung bean flour was the only key, and I don't have it. After numerous attempts with rice flour and tapioca flour in different proportions, I finally called it off and decided to wait on my cendol dreams. But thanks to Tika, she revived my cendol hopes and sent me that precious mung bean flour. I finally made my first successful cendol!

Cendol

In this recipe, I only used mung bean flour

Ingredients:

Cendol Jellies
- 80g mung bean flour
- 500ml water
- green food coloring
- pandan leaves (or pandan flavor)
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- iced water in a bowl
- colander

Coconut Milk
- Kara Coconut Cream (or better, fresh coconut and get the "kakang gata" or the first milk)
- pandan leaves
- salt

Syrup
- 250 coco sugar, or coco palm sugar
- 250ml water
- Pandan leaves

Cendol Jellies Preparation :
1. Dissolve the mung bean flour in 500ml water.
2. Add few drops of green food coloring until you reach the color of electric green. You may also use pandan leaves to make the color natural.(To do this, put pandan and 500ml of water in a blender. Sieve and
take the liquid extract and use that to dissolve the mung bean flour).
3. Add sugar and 1 tbsp of pandan flavor, stir until dissolve.
4. Set your stove in low heat and begin stirring the mixture in a pot. Continuously stir until it thickens.
5. When it's paste like and super thick turn off the heat and get ready to mold!
6. Put the colander on top of the iced water.
7. Pour the cendol thick mixture on the colander and start scraping back and forth with a use of a spatula. The holes in the colander will serve as your mold to make that little green worms. DO NOT WAIT TOO
LONG, otherwise when it gets cold it will be hard to mold.
8. When done, set aside.

Syrup Preparation :
1. Combine coco sugar and 250ml water in a pot, in low heat.
2. Stir until sugar's dissolve.
3. Make a knot out of about 4 pandan leaves and simmer it together
with the sugar. If you don't have pandan leaves, just add 1 tbsp of
pandan flavor.

Coconut Milk Preparation :
1. Heat the coconut cream (kakang gata) in a pot using low-heat.
2. Add about 2 tbsp. pandan flavor, or make a knot out of pandan
leaves and put it in the milk.
3. Add a dash of salt.
4. Turn of the stove when it starts to bubble.

To serve:
In a glass or bowl, layer it with coco sugar syrup, cendol jellies,
crushed ice, and coconut milk. You can top it with fruits like langka
(jackfruit) or banana. Add more cendol jellies on top if you wish.

Brownie in cups

2011-12-01T06:15:00.000+07:00

What does chocolate give to you ? If your answer is "pleasure" then we are the same :) Chocolate makes me happy and gives me feeling of excitement. The funny thing is I already feel the excitement only by looking at chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownies, chocolate cookies, chocolate candy, chocolate bar, anything about chocolate. Mouth watering sweet temptations.

Same thing happened when I saw this recipe from Donna Hay. I was so excited to bake some. This actually a brownie cookies recipe, but something went wrong in the process. Thus, I put the batter into the paper cups and turned them into brownie cupcake :D But it was a pretty and yummy accident though !

Brownie in cups

Ingredients :
- 350g dark chocolate, chopped
- 40g butter
- 2 eggs
- 120 gr caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 35 gr plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder, sifted

How to :

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Place 200g of the chocolate and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Stir through the flour, baking powder, chocolate mixture and remaining chocolate and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
4. Spoon tablespoonfuls of the mixture at a time, onto cups lined with paper cups. Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely on trays.

Nela from Beloved Star is running a Foodography Photo Contest. If you wanna join the contest but you don't know the rules or wanna see the prizes, please click here. She told me that this contest is open internationally. So, pack your bag ! Choose one or two of your best food photos and send them to her.

Enjoy....

When tiramisu meets green tea

2011-11-21T06:55:00.000+07:00

When I heard the word "tiramisu", I think about creamy dessert, sweet, scrumptious and difficult to make (this was what I was thinking before I finally try to make one). I love...love...love tiramisu. Beat me, this is the simplest tiramisu I know how to make and I was really enjoy and satisfied with the result. For the introduction, tiramisu is an Italian dessert. In English, the word tiramisu means "pick-me-up" or "cheer-me-up". Now I know what I need to cheer myself up ! :D

I'm going to leave you with a super simple recipe of green tea-ramisu below. Am not going to make this as a long post. So you won't waste your time to read my ramblings :P

Green Tea Tiramisu

Coffee solution :

- 35 gr sponge finger, cut into thirds
- 2 tsp instan coffee
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 100 ml of boiled water

Green tea mascarpone mixture :
- 300 gr mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 tsp tiramisu paste
- 1 tsp matcha / green tea powder
- 125 gr sweet condensed milk (white)
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (for dusting)

How to :

1. Coffee Solution : mix instan coffee, sugar and boiled water in a bowl. Mix to dissolve. Set aside.
2. Green tea mascarpone : beat mascarpone cheese, tiramisu paste and matcha until smooth and creamy. Add sweet condensed milk and heavy cream. Mix to blend well. Set aside.
3. Dip the sponge fingers into the coffee liquid. Let them soak on each side enough to become damp but not soggy.
4. Line the bottom of the glass with a layer of sponge fingers. Spread the green tea mascarpone mixture on top of the sponge fingers layer.
5. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or preferably overnight to let it set well.
6. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Bahasa Indonesia

Larutan kopi :
- 35 gr sponge finger, potong-potong
- 2 sdt kopi instan
- 1 sdm gula pasir
- 100 ml air mendidih

Green tea mascarpone :
- 300 gr keju mascarpone
- 1/2 sdt pasta tiramisu
- 1 sdt bubuk green tea
- 125 gr susu kental manis putih
- 100 ml krim kental
- 1/2 sdt coklat bubuk (untuk taburan)

Cara :

1. Larutan kopi : campur kopi instan, gula dan air mendidih. Aduk rata. Sisihkan
2. Green tea mascarpone : kocok keju mascarpone, pasta tiramisu dan green tea bubuk sampai rata. Masukkan susu kental manis dan krim kental. Kocok rata. Sisihkan.
3. Celupkan sponge finger ke dalam larutan kopi.
4. Tata di dasar gelas kecil. Sendokkan campuran green tea mascarpone.
5. Dinginkan dalam kulkas.
6. Sajikan dingin setelah ditaburi coklat bubuk.

Enjoy.....

Breakfast time ? It's poffertjes time

2011-11-12T06:35:00.000+07:00

My mum gave her poffertjes pan to me ! Yippiieee.... She likes to buy things she doesn't really need. And after that, those things she bought still remain in the box for years without ever being used. Not even once ! I think this was my luck, I want to make poffertjes but I don't have the pan and my mum give it to me. Alhamdulilah....

I already posted a recipe of Indonesian thick pancake (click here) and now the famous Dutch mini pancakes take control. Poffertjes usually served hot with powdered sugar and butter. I did some research on google about the shape of Dutch poffertjes. Is it ball-shaped or like a mini pancake ? I ended up with a conclusion that Dutch poffertjes are not in ball-shaped. *cmiiw

I had so much fun making poffertjes. I enjoyed the process of shaping the poffertjes into balls (it's the best part) ! :D At first, I overwhelmed with how to do it right. Some poffertjes from my first attempt were almost sphere-shaped. But they had mouth wide open on one side :D Just like someone laughing and you can see the inside.

Poffertjes with strawberry jam filling

Ingredients :

- 250 gr all purpose flour

- 75 gr caster sugar
- 1 tsp instant yeast

- 3 eggs

- 400 ml fresh milk

- 50 gr butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp salt
- strawberry jam for the filling
- powdered sugar for dusting

How to :

1. Mix flour, sugar and instant yeast in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Remove from the heat, set aside. Beat eggs. Pour milk, mix well.
3. Make a hole in the flour, pour the egg mixture. Stir it all together. Make sure there are no lumps int the batter.
4. Add melted butter and salt. Stir to give the batter the desired consistency.
5. Let the dough sit for 30 minute.
6. Preheat the poffertjes pan and lightly grease with butter.
7. Fill them only halfway or less with the batter. Filled with strawberry jam. Pour more batter over the pan. Let the poffertjes cook for while until the bottom has started to harden. Use bamboo stick or bamboo skewer to turn them around. Pierce the poffertjes with the skewer and use a circular scooping motion to roughly flip the half-ball over, so that the uncooked batter flows out into the mold to form a ball. Don't forget to turn them around for several time until cooked and until golden brown color.
8. Transfer onto a serving plate, dust with powdered sugar on top.Serve hot !

Note : The recipe in Bahasa Indonesia is here. I used exactly the same ingredients, except for the filling. I changed the cheddar cheese with strawberry jam.

Enjoy....

Birthday cupcakes : Black sesame matcha cupcakes

2011-11-05T13:00:00.000+07:00

This recipe from Xiaolu - 6 Bittersweets has stolen my attention from the very beginning I came across to the post. Black sesame on the cake is new to me. If you have time to sneak out and take a look at Xiaolu's photos of these cupcakes (which are really far away better and prettier than mine), you must be agree with me ! I don't know what was wrong with my frosting. Mine was too runny, while Xiaolu's was firmer and steady.

I made this on my second attempt with cold cream cheese, the swirls look much better than my first attempt

I have to admit, these cakes are delish, rich in texture from the grounded black sesame seeds and the sweet smell from vanilla extract. Even the unbaked batter already spread the good smell throughout the kitchen. And for the result....I'm in love with the shape, smell and the taste of it !

I made it for my hubby's birthday. Though we didn't celebrate his birthday with a party, but we like to spend the time only for the three of us (me, hubby and son). All my best wishes goes to you, Ayah. Hope Allah give you health and strength. Amiin.

Black sesame matcha cupcakes (adapted from 6 Bittersweets)
makes 12

Ingredients for cupcakes :
- 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar (I use 1/2 cup sugar)
- 1/4 cup black sesame seeds PLUS extra for garnish
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups (155 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup PLUS 3 Tbsp milk

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with 12 baking liners.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove over medium heat, stirring them constantly, until they are fragrant (about 2 minutes). Crush toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle OR spice grinder until they are the texture of damp sand and set aside. Separately, sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the ground sesame seeds, egg, and vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually beat in half the dry ingredients. Add the milk and mix well. Lastly, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until batter is well-combined and smooth.
4. Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full. Lift the pan 1-inch above the kitchen counter and carefully slam it down to expel any large air bubbles in the batter. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan as soon as safely possible. Cool completely before frosting as desired. Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with extra sesame seeds.

Ingredients for matcha cream cheese frosting :

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 1 to 2 cups (4 to 8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted (more if needed)
- 10 ounces cream cheese, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tsp matcha (green tea) powder, or to taste

How to :

Sift powdered sugar and matcha together into a small bowl. In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar mixture, and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in).

Enjoy.....

Indonesian Snack : Apang Gula Merah

2011-11-01T07:30:00.000+07:00

Indonesian Foodblogger group on FB is running a new challenge. IDFB Challenge Chapter 2, with Indonesian Snack as the theme. I feel very happy that this group challenges its members to cook Indonesian food. Means that I can try and explore Indonesian foods in my kitchen. Yet the monthly feast on Indonesia Food Party hosted by Tata and Momon growing by numbers, I celebrate the party by sending this post as an entry.

Like this one, Apang gula merah is a traditional snack from Manado, North Sulawesi. Usually serve on takir (the pandan leaf cups). Make pandan leaf cups is quite challenging, but I'd rather to play safe :D . So I used paper cups, but don't worry, because I didn't change the recipe. If you want to make apang gula merah, feel free to choose what do you want to use for the cups, pandan leaf cups or paper cups like me. I leave it in your hand.

Apang cakes or kue apang usually cracked open on the surface once they are steamed. Coconut sugar gives a specific taste and flavor, mixed with spekoek powder make this cake so special. The wonderful smell of this cake come from spekoek powder. Sweet and fragrant. If you know nothing about spekoek powder, I will explain a little about it. Spekoek powder is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and clove. You can make it by mixing the cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, clove powder and cardamom powder.

Apang Gula Merah

makes 18

Ingredients :

- 150 gr coconut sugar
- 130 ml coconut water
- 1 pandan leaf
- 150 gr rice flour
- 75 gr all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 180 ml coconut milk from 1/2 coconut
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp spekoek powder
- 1 tsp baking powder

Topping :

- 100 gr grated coconut
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 pandan leaf

How to :

1. Boil coconut water, coconut sugar and pandan leaf, keep stirring until coconut sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and strain, measure 200 ml.
2. Pour a little into the rice flour while stirring until smooth. Let it cool.
3. Add flour, yeast, coconut milk, salt, and spekoek powder while stirring for 15 minutes.
4. Let stand for 30 minutes. Add baking powder. Mix well.
5. Pour into muffin pans that have been filled with paper cups.
6. Steam for 15 minutes over high heat until cooked.
7. Topping : Mix grated coconut, salt, and pandan leaves. Steam for 15 minutes until cooked.
8. Serve with a sprinkling of grated coconut.

Bahasa Indonesia
18 buah

Bahan :
- 150 gr gula merah, disisir halus
- 130 ml air kelapa
- 1 lembar daun pandan
- 150 gr tepung beras
- 75 gr tepung terigu protein sedang
- 1/2 sdt ragi instan
- 180 ml santan dari 1/2 butir kelapa
- 1/2 sdt garam
- 1/2 sdt bumbu spekuk
- 1 sdt baking powder

Bahan taburan :
- 100 gr kelapa parut kasar
- 1/4 sdt garam
- 1 lembar daun pandan

Cara :

1. Rebus air kelapa, gula merah dan daun pandan sambil diaduk sampai larut. Angkat dan saring. Ukur 200 ml air gula.
2. Tuang sedikit-sedikit ke tepung beras sambil diuleni hingga lembut.
3. Setelah dingin, masukkan tepung terigu, ragi instan, santan, garam dan bumbu spekuk sambil dikocok perlahan 15 menit.
4. Diamkan 30 menit. Tambahkan baking powder. Aduk rata.
5. Tuang dalam cetakan muffin yang sudah dialasi paper cup.
6. Kukus 15 menit di atas api besar sampai matang. Angkat.
7. Taburan : aduk rata kelapa parut, garam dan daun pandan. Kukus 15 menit sampai matang.
8. Sajikan dengan taburan kelapa.

Enjoy......

Ladies days out, Indonesian Food Party and Heart Locket Award

2011-10-13T06:20:00.000+07:00

After one month scheduling our plan for a trip to Bandung, finally me and my co-worker, Novi, off to Bandung. This was ladies days out, 2 days 1 night. We had listed the places we want to visit. It was really fun ! Aside that we don't know the Bandung areas very well, we were carried our heavy backpacks for hours before we finally arrived at the hotel, but thank God we have Google Map. LOL

Too many places we wanted to visit in so little time. Novi wanted to try Martabak Bolu, so we went there. The owner of Martabak Bolu, Nadia Damara, gave me one free box of Martabak Bolu :) (she's nice and very friendly) That was because I asked her permission to take pictures of the store and the products. I said I want to feature the products on my friend's blog. Click here. (I wrote in Bahasa)

After that, we continue our trip to Cihampelas. I love the view in Ciwalk (Cihampelas Walk). Big trees, green, fresh and eco friendly. Beautiful place, indeed. Then we had dinner at Cimanuk Street, ramen time at Kuma Ramen. Been curious with Kuma Ramen since I read the review in a food magazine. Nice place, nice people, delish foods, I'll be back again, Bandung !!! *Back to Jakarta

I'm very excited with Indonesian Food Party (IFP) event hosted my Tata and Momon. I think it's a good idea to preserve Indonesian culinary heritage. Proud to be one of the participant and cook something that come from our motherland. Indonesian food is rich in flavors and heavily spiced. With so many regions, cultures and influences have made great number varieties of Indonesian food.
With this event I hope every Indonesian food bloggers, no matter where you are, can take part in this noble event. Cook, shoot and note. Easy, right ?

Every family has their own favorite food. Something delectable, has specific taste and memorable. I love soto Kudus since I was a kid and now my son loves it too. My parents used to take their children to soto Kudus restaurant at Radio Dalam. It was long long time ago.

Kudus is a small town in Central Java, Indonesia. So, soto Kudus is a Kudus style chicken soup. Indonesia has various types of soto. My mum cooks her own style of soto, also my grandma cooks different type with my mum's, while my mother-in-law, gosh....her soto Surabaya always make me craving for more and more.

One fine day on Sunday morning, I made this especially for my hubby and my son. Not exactly the same taste as the one I used to eat at the restaurant, though. But it taste good. To all my dear Indonesian readers who read this post, I'll be grateful if you give me the recipe of Soto Kudus which has the same taste with the one at Soto Kudus Restaurant.

Soto Kudus / Kudus style chicken soup

Ingredients :

- 1 chicken, cut into 4 pieces
- 3 boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
- 100 gr bean sprouts, boiled half done
- 2 tbsp finely chopped celery
- 2 tbsp garlic, sliced and fried
- 75 ml soy sauce
- 2 lime fruits, cut into 4
- 2 lemongrass
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1500 ml water
- cooking oil for sauting

Spices Paste :
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 6 shallots
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
- 6 candlenuts
- 3 cm ginger

How to :

1. Simmer chicken in water until tender.
2. In a wok, heat cooking oil with medium heat. Stir fry the spices paste until fragrant. Add in lemongrass.
3. Pour into the chicken pot, add salt, sugar and fried garlic. Cook over medium heat until 25 minutes to let the chicken absorb the flavor. remove from the heat.
4. take the chicken out, remove the meat from its bones and thinly slice it into bite-size pieces and discard the bones.
5. Serve the soto in a small bowl with warm rice (if you like), chicken, bean sprouts, eggs, celery then pour with hot chicken broth from soto and squeeze the lime juice.

Enjoy.....

My dear foodie blogger friend, Tata from Bonita's Cooking & Bento Wonderland gave me a Heart Locket Award ! Thanks so much, Ta. But now I have to find 7 wonderful blogs to pass this award to them. If you received this award, please read these rules carefully :

1. If you get this award, pass it on to other 7 blogs

2. Put in the award picture in your post

3. Don't pass the award back to the award giver

4. Answer the questions below and post them in your blog

Only 2 questions, it's good to know you better :D

1. What makes you feel great about yourself?

2. Who inspires you most? Also be more specific, which qualities inspire you, in each person? You can list as many people you like.

My answers :

1. I think I'm a self-taught person and I believe the power of sharing. So I love to share what I've learn so far to anyone who want.

2. I do take good things from everyone around me. I was inspired by my mom for her generosity, my hubby for his patience, my son for his kindness, my dad for his courage and my mother-in-law for her modesty.

So, this award goes to :
1. My Diverse Kitchen
2. Smoky Wok
3. Food and Story
4. Lekkericious
5. Rosa's Yummy Yums
6. Violet's Hill
7. Swing your cooking spoon

Okay...my job is done :)

A slice of caramel pudding

2011-10-07T14:30:00.000+07:00

You could use this recipe if you have leftover egg whites. Really really need extra effort to make this pudding. But hey...don't hold yourself if you want to make it. Just be patient and follow the steps carefully then you will get the perfect layers and shape. Because mine wasn't perfect after all !

Peanut Caramel Pudding

Ingredients :
- 24 sponge finger/lady finger biscuits

Pudding 1 :
- 175 gr granulated sugar
- 600 ml hot water
- 18 gr agar-agar powder (no color)
- 3 tsp instant coffee powder
- 50 gr granulated sugar
- 3 egg whites

Pudding 2 :
- 500 ml fresh milk
- 18 gr agar-agar powder (no color)
- 2 yolks
- 100 gr peanut jam
- 3 egg whites
- 100 gr granulated sugar

How to :

1. Use sponge finger biscuits standing them upright to cover the outer edge of the cake. Line side of a round mold (22 cm in diameter, height 6 cm) with sponge fingers.
2. Pudding 1 : melt 75 gr sugar in a sauce pan over moderate heat stir until golden brown. Add hot water and stir evenly. Add in agar-agar powder, instant coffee powder and 50 gr sugar, bring to boil. Remove from the heat. Take about 250 ml from the agar-agar mixture. Set aside.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks. Pour in the lukewarm agar-agar mixture into egg whites a little at a time. Stir well after each addition.
4. Pour it into the prepared mold. Wait until the surface has set.
5. Reheat the 250 ml agar-agar mixture, stirring constantly then bring into boil. Remove from the heat. Pour over the first layer. Let it chill.
6. Pudding 2 : bring milk and agar powder on a saucepan. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil. Set aside.
7. Beat the yolks until thick. Add in peanut jam. Mix well.
8. Pour in the milk and agar mixture into the yolk mixture. Mix well.
9. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar, keep beating until stiff peak form. Pour in the yolk and agar mixture a little at a time. Mix well.
10. Pour over the second layer on the mold. Spread evenly. Let it chill in the fridge before serving.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan :
- 24 biskuit sponge finger

Pudding 1 :
- 175 gr gula pasir
- 600 ml air panas
- 1 1/2 bungkus agar-agar putih
- 3 sdt kopi instan
- 50 gr gula pasir
- 3 putih telur

Pudding 2 :
- 500 ml susu cair
- 1 1/2 bungkus agar-agar putih
- 2 kuning telur
- 100 gr selai kacang
- 3 putih telur
- 100 gr gula pasir

Cara :

1. Tata sponge finger di sisi loyang bulat diameter 22 cm tinggi 6 cm.
2. Pudding 1 : gosongkan 175 gr gula pasir. Tambahkan air panas sambil diaduk hingga larut. Tambahkan agar-agar bubuk, kopi instan dan 50 gr gula pasir sambil diaduk hingga mendidih. Ambil 250 ml rebusan agar-agar. Sisihkan.
3. Kocok putih telur sampai mengembang. Tuang sisa rebusan agar-agar sedikit demi sedikit sambil dikocok rata.
4. Tuang ke dalam loyang yang sudah disiapkan. Biarkan hingga setengah beku.
5. Panaskan sisa rebusan agar-agar (250 ml) sambil diaduk hingga mendidih. Tuang ke atas lapisan pudding pertama. Biarkan setengah beku.
6. Pudding 2 : rebus susu cair dan agar-agar sambil diaduk sampai mendidih. Sisihkan.
7. Kocok kuning telur sampai kental. Masukkan selai kacang. Kocok rata.
8. Tuang rebusan agar-agar ke dalam kocokan kuning telur sambil dikocok rata. Sisihkan.
9. Kocok putih telur sampai setengah mengembang. Tambahkan gula pasir. Kocok sampai mengembang. Tuang campuran kuning telur sedikit demi sedikit sambil dikocok sampai rata.
10. Tuang ke atas lapisan pudding di dalam cetakan sedikit demi sedikit hingga rata. Bekukan.

Enjoy......

Lemon and Pistachio Biscotti

2011-10-01T19:30:00.000+07:00

Hi guys....new look on my blog. I did some changes here and there. I added horizontal menus, change the background, header, I also added link of beautiful blogs from wonderful and talented people around the world. I will continue to update the link if I find out new ones. So, welcome and hope you enjoy your ride here. And I hope you like my new blog appearance as much as I do :)

Do you see the picture above ? It has reached more than 300 viewers and more than 30 favorites on my Flickr in less than a week since the first time I uploaded it. I didn't expect that some of the viewers love this photo. And some of my friends love the colander :D (sssttt...I bought it on ACE Hardware).

Frankly speaking, I was looking for an idea with the pistachio. Right after this photo being uploaded, Aisha Yusaf (my dear Flickr friend) offered me the recipe of biscotti. What a nice coincidence :D The following week, I insisted to make it. I want to serve this for tea time on the weekend. But good intention is not always enough.

My handmixer suddenly stopped working while I was beating the butter and sugar. Oh nooo....I just started ! Maybe this is one of a cook's nightmare. But finally I could managed everything back on track (you don't want to know what I have used to mix the mixture :D and I won't tell you either, hahaha...shame on me !)

But my nightmare was not over yet ! I set the oven temperature too high and also forgot to line the baking tray with parchment paper. Bad..bad..bad... !! So you can see, my burnt biscottis. It tastes good though :p (Aisha ... I promise to make it again and I'll make it in a good and pretty shape ! Promise).

I should tell you, "No, those aren't potato wedges !"

Lemon and Pistachio Biscotti
(a recipe from Aisha, written as what she wrote to me)

Ingredients :
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shelled pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped

For the icing:
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice

How to :

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. (The dough will be soft.)
5. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half.
6. Lightly flour each piece and shape it into a log about 1 1/2" in diameter and 9" long. Place the logs about 3" apart on the baking tray.
7. Press each log down to make it about 3/4" thick and 3" wide.
8. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven until puffed and lightly browned on top, about 25-30 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the tray.
10. Carefully slide the logs onto a work surface. Using a long, sharp knife, cut each log crosswise into 3/4" thick slices. (Make each cut with a single swipe of the blade. Don't use a sawing motion, which will break the biscuits.)
11. Place the slices cut side down on the baking sheet (can be touching to fit them all on the sheet).
12. Bake on the middle shelf for about 8 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven, turn the biscuits over and bake for another 8 minutes till golden. (Keep an eye on them, you don't want them to burn.)
14. Immediately transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing:
1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat until smooth. Beat in additional drops of lemon juice if necessary to make an icing that will coat the biscotti lightly.
2. Dip one whole side of the biscotti in the icing (you just want one side dipped in the icing not both.)
3. Place on a wire rack icing facing up until the icing sets.
4. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy....

Black and White Wednesday - Javanese Food Stall

2011-09-21T21:08:00.000+07:00

Javanese Food Stall for Black & White Wednesday hosted by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Indonesian style grilled fish cake wrapped in banana leaves

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000+07:00

I submitted this recipe as an entry on Food by its country by Indonesian Foodblogger Group.

Another fish cake recipe from me, but this one is grilled one (I've posted a recipe of fried Indonesian fish cake here). Indonesia as a maritime country has so many varieties of recipe with fish as the main ingredient. Some regions also have their own specialties. Palembang famous with pempek, kemplang (fish cracker) and otak-otak and Makassar is best known for its fresh seafood especially barbequed fish.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are some countries where you could find the street vendor of grilled otak-otak easily. Otak-otak panggang or grilled otak-otak is very addictive. With peanut dipping sauce as a perfect accompaniment to grilled otak-otak. One is never enough !!

Like any other weekend, when I stay at home I take time to cook something I haven't cooked before. Wake up early in the morning and feel enthusiastic with the weekend project. Clean up the house, go to the market (I love traditional market !) and cook ! It will be complete when the house is clean, food is ready to be served, we eat together and my family enjoy the food. Plus a big smile on their faces as a bonus. Yes....this is what I call refreshing on my weekend.

Grilled fish cake
makes 22

Ingredients :
- 200 gr ground mackerel fillets
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg white
- 2 shallots
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 50 gr mung bean starch
- 1 stalk onion leaf, finely chopped
- 150 ml thick coconut
- banana leaves for wrapping

Peanut sauce :
- 150 gr roasted peanuts
- 2 bird eye chilies
- 3 red chilis
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 60 gr sugar
- 250 ml hot water
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar

How to :

1. Fish cake : grind shallots, garlic and white pepper to a fine paste. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, add in fish, salt and egg white. Mix well.
2. Add grounded shallots, garlic, white pepper and sugar.
3. Pour coconut, beat the mixture until smooth. Add mung bean starch and onion leaf. Mix well.
4. Rub some oil in the inner side of banana leaf before placing the fish mixture. Place about 20 gr of the fish mixture, fold and secure it with toothpick.
5. Preheat the grill and place the the fish cake on the grill by flipping them for couple of times until set.
6. Peanut sauce : blend roasted peanuts and chilies in a blender until smooth. In a medium bowl, place all ingredients. Stir evenly.
7. Serve fish cakes with the sauce.

Bahasa Indonesia

Otak-otak panggang
22 buah

Bahan :
- 200 gr daging ikan tenggiri, haluskan
- 1 sdt garam
- 1 putih telur
- 2 butir bawang merah, dihaluskan
- 1 siung bawang putih, dihaluskan
- 1/4 sdt merica bubuk
- 1 sdm gula pasir
- 50 gr tepung hunkwe
- 1 batang daun bawang, diiris halus
- 150 ml santal kental dari 1/2 butir kelapa
- daun pisang untuk membungkus

Sambal :
- 150 gr kacang tanah goreng, haluskan
- 2 cabai rawit, dihaluskan
- 3 buah cabai merah keriting, dihaluskan
- 1 1/4 sdt garam
- 60 gr gula pasir
- 250 ml air panas
- 1/2 sdm makan cuka

Cara :

1. Otak-otak : Aduk rata daging tenggiri, garam dan putih telur.
2. Masukkan bawang merah, bawang putih, merica bubuk dan gula pasir.
3. Tuang santan. Aduk sampai kalis. Tambahkan tepung hunkwe dan daun bawang. Aduk rata.
4. Oleskan minyak di bagian dalam daun pisang yang akan diletakkan adonan. Sendokkan 20 gr adonan ke daun pisang. Bungkus. Sematkan lidi.
5. Panggang di atas bara api sambil dibolak-balik sampai matang.
6. Sambal : aduk rata kacang tanah, cabai, garam, gula pasir, air panas dan cuka.
7. Sajikan otak-otak bersama dengan sambalnya.

Enjoy......

Martabak Brownies

2011-09-10T09:30:00.000+07:00

For my birthday last year, my husband bought me a magic pan :). "It would be so useful", he said. The pan has upper and lower plate and it's a nonstick pan too. Martabak brownies was the first recipe I tried using this pan and it worked !

In Indonesia, martabak is very popular as an evening snack. There are two variation of martabak, sweet and savory. The sweet martabak, is Indonesian style thick pancake stuffed with chocolate, cheese, sweet condensed milk and chopped peanut. But now, the martabak sellers has offered you variety of toppings and you may also choose your own martabak topping, banana, black sticky rice, shredded coconut, corn, durian, sesame seeds, jack fruit, almond and fruit jams.

While the savory martabak is a crepe-like dish with egg filling. The filling is a mixture of eggs, onion, green onion, cooked minced beef and seasoning. The martabak's skin is made by spinning the pastry until it became very thin. If you have time to come to Indonesia, you should see how the martabak seller spins the pastry :-D

Martabak Brownies is a modification of sweet martabak. Chocolate was added to the batter and makes the chocolatey thick pancake.

Martabak Brownies

Ingredients :

- 500 gr all purpose flour or med protein flour

- 2 tbsp chocolate powder

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp instant yeast

- 700 ml fresh milk

- 150 gr margarin

- 75 gr dark cooking chocolate

- 5 eggs

- 75 gr granulated sugar

Topping:

- 100 gr granulated sugar

- 100 ml sweet condensed milk

- 100 gr dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped

- 200 gr cheddar cheese, grated

- 200 gr butter

How to :

1. Sift flour, chocolate powder and baking powder to make sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
2. Mixed the milk and instant yeast, stir evenly. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth.
4. Beat the eggs and sugar until you have a silky consistency. Add alternately another half portion of sifted flour with milk. Beat until combine.
5. Add the melted chocolate, stir evenly Rest the batter for 30 minutes in room temperature.
6. Heat the pan over medium heat. Pour in the batter till it reaches about half the height of the pan.
7. Cook over small heat, when bubbles starts to form sprinkle sugar. (bubbles indicate that the martabak consists pores). Cover the pan, let it cook until set. Then take it out of the pan.
8. Spread martabak with butter, sprinkle with chopped dark cooking chocolate and grated cheese. Pour condensed milk over the martabak.
9. Cut into half and put one half on top the other half. Spread with butter for the last time. Cut as desire.

Martabak Brownies

Bahan Martabak:

- 500 gr tepung protein sedang

- 2 sdm coklat bubuk

- 1 sdt baking powder

- 1 sdt ragi instant

- 700 ml susu cair

- 150 gr margarin

- 75 gr dark cooking chocolate

- 5 telur

- 75 gr gula pasir

Bahan Taburan :

- 100 gr gula pasir

- 100 ml susu kental manis

- 100 gr dark cooking chocolate, serut

- 200 gr keju cheddar, parut

- 200 gr mentega

Cara :

1. Ayak tepung terigu, coklat bubuk dan baking powder hingga rata. Sisihkan. Campur ragi instan dan susu, ratakan. Sisihkan.
2. Campur margarin dan dark cooking chocolate, masak hingga coklat larut. Sisihkan.
3. Kocok telur dan gula hingga mengembang.
4. Tambahkan campuran terigu perlahan bergantian dengan susu sambil diaduk hingga rata.
5. Tuang campuran coklat perlahan, ratakan. Diamkan adonan selama 30 menit.
6. Panaskan cetakan, tuang adonan hingga 1/2 tinggi cetakan.
7. Panggang hingga berpori, taburi dengan gula pasir. Tutup cetakan, masak hingga matang. Angkat.
8. Olesi margarin, taburi dengan coklat dan keju parut. Beri tambahan susu kental manis.
9. Potong menjadi dua bagian sama rata, lipat martabak, olesi kulit dengan mentega. Potong dan sajikan.

Tips : Pastikan cetakan panas pada saat adonan dituang. Karena cetakan yang tidak panas akan menyebabkan martabak tidak berserat.

Enjoy ...

Black and White Wednesday - Yong Tau Fu

2011-09-07T20:00:00.000+07:00

Yong Tau Fu Restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia. My entry for Black & White Wednesday hosted by Susan from The Well Seasoned Cook.

Horse mango for dessert

2011-09-06T07:44:00.001+07:00

I don't know if you are familiar with this fruit or not, but I will explain a little bit about it. Horse mango or kweni or kuweni or kuwini is a mango variety often found in Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The fruit is light orange in colour and juicy sweet when ripe. The tree flowers throughout the year and the flowers too are strongly scented with its fragrance. The sap on unripe kweni fruits is poisonous. (Wikipedia)

This Horse mango sorbet is one of Indonesian traditional dessert from Madiun, East Java. I know I'm not a sorbet kind of person. But this sorbet is not like any other sorbets you've known (I mean in presentation !). You don't need to make puree from this fruit and also you don't need to freeze it in the fridge before being served.

Horse Mango Sorbet
makes 4

Ingredients :
- 3 (400 gr) ripe horse mango, washed, peeled and seeded
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 150 gr sugar
- 1 liter water
- 400 gr shredded ice

How to :

1. Cut the horse mangoes into small cubes. Set aside.
2. In a sauce pan, boil water, salt and sugar still evenly until sugar dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the horse mango cubes if the water is warm enough. Allow it to cool.
3. Serve with shredded ice.

Bahasa Indonesia

Serbat Kweni
4 porsi

Bahan :
- 3 buah (400 gr) mangga kweni, kupas dan pisahkan dari biji.
- 1/8 sdt garam
- 150 gr gula pasir
- 1 liter air
- 400 gr es serut untuk pelengkap

Cara :
1. Potong-potong kecil mangga kweni. Sisihkan.
2. Rebus air, garam dan gula pasir sambil diaduk sampai gula larut. Biarkan hangat. Masukkan mangga. Biarkan dingin.
3. Sajikan dengan es serut.

Enjoy ....

When I made these in smaller size :p (Chocolate Chinese Flaky Pastry, a guest post on 6Bittersweets)

2011-09-01T11:00:00.000+07:00

Do you know how foodie bloggers treat their friends from around the world ? You could invite them to write guest post on your blog, then they will cook tasty foods in their own kitchen especially for you, they will spend their most valuable time to take photographs of the foods and finally they will write the post as if it will be up on their own blog. One thing, they will do it all for the love of friendship !

My fourth guest post is for Xiaolu Hu from 6 Bittersweets, a sweet lady who has so many friends from around the world. Lucky to know her as foodie friend, because everything about her is loveable ! She's also a fantastically baker and food photographer, which you already know if you are a reader of her blog. She always comes up with creative ideas with food. Spools of thread cake pops, Cookies n' cream owl cupcakes, Lemon macarons in such cute shape :D , S'mores cupcakes are some of delicious foods you can find in her blog.

My second attempt on Chinese flaky pastry went perfectly well. I found the right technique to show the layers on the outside. And I also made these in smaller size. Cute. :D I invite you all to come and view the full recipe at 6 Bittersweet where it posted as guest post over her blog.

Enjoy......