Tempe Bacem (Sweet Taste Tempe / Tempeh)

When I was in college, Tempeh Bacem is my substitute for meat.
The taste is Sweet, Thick, and Delicious... Yummy...


Ingredients:

• 7 oz Indonesian Cuisines tempeh, sliced
• 1 stem (stalk) of lemon grass, crushed/smashed flat
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 inch of fresh galanga, crushed/smashed flat
• 2 1/2 cups of tap water
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 medium size red onion, chopped fine
• 1 medium size clove of garlic, crushed/smashed flat
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tbs of brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp of coconut powder
• 1 tsp of "sambal oelek" (coarse red chili sauce), if you like it sweet and "hot".

How to prepare them:

1. Mix all ingredients.
2. Slow cook them on medium heat untill most of the "bumbu" solution (mixture of condiment) is absorbed by the tempeh
3. Stir occasionally
4. Finally, fry the tempeh submerged in sufficient oil on medium-high heat until the color of the tempe changes to light brown, but the tempe is not crispy.
5. Serve warm. Enjoy!

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"Cooking the Indonesian Way: Includes Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks)"




Recipe source:
http://www.soytempeh.com/TempeBacem.html

Image source:
http://k43.pbase.com/g4/76/410576/2/60953782.P1090565copy.jpg

Bandeng Presto (High Pressure Cooked Smoked Milkfish)

Pressure cooking was first introduced by French Physicist, Denis Papin. He invented Steam Digester to reduce the time needed to cook foods. Basically what the steamer do is tighten the air pressure inside it to increase the boiling point of water, therefore the food would be cooked faster.

Bandeng Presto uses high pressure cooking technique that probably was introduced during Dutch colonization in Semarang, Central Java. Bandeng or Milk Fish contains many bones that makes it harder to eat when cooked with regular pressure. Bandeng Presto is Smoked Milk Fish which cooked with High Pressure Cooker.

Bandeng is a large toothless silver fish that lives in warm parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans and related to the herring and the salmon, is commonly used in Indonesian cuisine. Presto came from Italian language “quickly”, but in this case, it refer to the pressure cooker brand “presto” – the first pressure cooker penetrated the market in Indonesia.

It is readily prepared by deep frying or bake it in the oven and serve hot/warm. There is no additional ingredients needed. A vacuum packed smoked milk fish is the most commonly used method for preserving Bandeng Presto and widely sold in Semarang Stores. It can be kept for 6 months - 1 year in the cool place without reducing the freshness and nutrition.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (or 3) fresh milkfishes, remove gills and stomach part
• 1 tablespoon tapai yeast (read below), grounded
• 2 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoon tamarind water
• 10 bay leaves
• 10 cm galangal (see: opor ayam), sliced and pounded
• 2 1/2 litre water

Grounded spices:

• 14 cloves red onion
• 7 cloves garlic
• 4 cm ginger
• 4 cm turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 150 g big red chili peppers, boiled
• 10 small green chili peppers, boiled
• 8 cloves red onion, boiled
• 4 cloves garlic, boiled
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon terasi (shrimp paste), fried

Other Ingredients:

• Banana leaves for wrapping as needed
• Egg’s white or flavoured flour as needed

Method:

1. Slice the stomach part of the fishes. Clean them up using water and let them dry.
2. Smear the fishes with tapai yeast, salt, and tamarind water. Leave them for about 1 hour.
3. Smear the fishes with grounded spices evenly.
4. Put bay leaves and slices of galangal on top of the fishes.
5. Wrap with banana leaves so that the fishes are easy to lift from the pressure cooker.
6. Pour 1 litre water into the pressure cooker. Put a sieve on top of the cooker
7. Arrange the wrapped fishes ontop of the sieve.
8. Cook until the cooker hissed, 30-50 minutes depending on the type of pressure cooker you use.
9. Let the cooker cool with open lid.
10. Pour water again and cook until the water is no more.
11. Take out the fishes and let them dry.

Method for chili sauce

1. Heat vegetable oil.
2. Sautee grounded spices until the sauce smells good.
3. Put into plate and let it cool.

Serving:

1. Smear the fishes with egg’s white or flavoured flour.
2. Fry until brown.
3. Serve with chili sauce.

Unveil more of Indonesian Secret Recipes and The Stories Behind Them:
"The Indonesian Kitchen: Recipes and Stories"

Images Sources:
http://afeministblog.blogspot.com
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2152563196_dcfa836013_o.jpg

References:
http://discoverpressurecooking.com/history.html
http://sofhaljamil.com/2008/10/14/from-semarang-with-bandeng-presto/

Tempe Tumis Sapi (Fried Tempeh with Beef )

The origin of Tempe / Tempeh is still considered a mystery until now. Some believe that Tempe is invented by Javanese. The record of Tempe is found in one of ancient Javanese Literature called Serat Centhini that's written in 16th century.

Other records also show that tempe might be produced using black soybeans before 16th century by Javanese Rural Community in Mataram.

The word tempe probably came from Javanese Ancient Word "tumpi".

But some also believe that Tempe was first introduced by Chinese immigrants who came to Java. They introduced 3 recipes made from soya beans called Tofu, Tom Ping, and Toya. Tom Ping is Tempe itself.

Enough the story, whether Tempe originally came from Java or China, It's an undeniable fact that Tempe is an Indonesian Traditional Food. And Indonesians eat most of the tempes in the world :)

Ingredients:

250 g tempe, chop into pieces
150 g beef, boil until softened and dice
50 g green chilies, chop into 1cm size
25 g red chilies, chop into 1cm size
100 g tomato, tear into pieces
6 shallots, slice
3 cloves garlic, slice
1 salam leaf
1 cm galangal, crush
250 cc water
5 tbs kecap manis
1 tsp salt

How to:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry garlic until brown, add shallots, green chilies, red chilies, salam leaf, galangal and tempe.
2. Add beef, tomato, water, kecap manis and salt, stir fry until the soup evaporate.

Reference:
http://indotempe.com
http://zumaladwi.blogspot.com/2008/06/original-of-indonesian-traditional-food.html

Recipe source:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/miho/selamatmakan/recipe/menulisteng.htm#zensai

Image source:
http://rucheechesse.wordpress.com/category/kuliner/

Gangan (Belitung style fish soup)

This is a Belitung / Belitong Style Fish Soup. Indonesian Popular Novelist Andrea Hirata who wrote the Tetralogi, "Laskar Pelangi", "Sang Pemimpi", and "Edensor" stated the menu as one of his favorite dishes in one interview.

Honestly, this is a very unique dish for me... It has Cassava cut into pieces and added into the soup, Hm.. that's very tempting...


Ingredients:
500 gr ikan bandeng (mackarel)
500 gr singkong (cassava)
1000 ml water
2 salam leaves
1 tsp asem (tamarind)
1 tsp palmsugar
1/2 tsp salt

Spices to grind:
2 shallots
3 candlenuts
4 cloves garlic
3 cm ginger
2 cm laos
3 cm turmeric
4 red chillies
1 tsp shrimp paste / terasi /belacan
1 lemon grass


Directions:

1. Clean the fish and slice it into pieces.
2. Slice the singkong (cassava) into small pieces.
3. Pound or grind the ingredients for the bumbu fine into a paste.
4. Heat in a pan the water and add the spices, the salam and the singkong (cassava).
5. Lower the heat and add the fish, the salt and the palmsugar and let it simmer slowly until the singkong and the fish are cooked.

Recipe source:
http://asianrecipe.eu/indonesian/sopsoto/616-gangan-fish-soup-with-cassave-from-belitung

Image source:
http://rustameffendie.multiply.com/journal/item/1

Sepat Banang (Fish Dish From Sumbawa)

Sumbawa is a beautiful island of Indonesia. It has unique cultures. Most of its residents are from Sasak, Bima, Sumbawa and Bali ethnic groups. But unfortunately its culinary richness is still not widely exposed even to Indonesians. So it's still a lot more to explore from this unique island that is still considered as a neighbor to Bali which most of foreigners already know.

The recipe below is taken from an Amazing book by the author that compiled many Original Indonesian Recipes, Sri Owen, in "Indonesian Regional Cooking"

Ingredients:

• 4 Medium Red Snapper
• 1 Lime Lime Juice
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 8 Jumbo Shrimp
• 3 Large Macadamia Nuts
• 3 Medium Shallot
• 1 Large Red Chiles
• 2 Medium Bird's Peppers
• 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Large Eggplant -- Roasted
• 2 Medium Tomatoes -- Chopped
• Salt And Pepper -- To Taste
• 20 Leaves Basil -- Chopped

How to:

1. Marinate fish and shrimp in lime juices and salt for at least 2 hours.
2. Place nuts, shallots, both chilies and broth in a blender. Blend to a paste.
3. Skin the roasted eggplant and chop into small pieces.
4. Coat fish and shrimp in the paste. Remove and set aside. With the remaining paste, add the eggplant pieces, tomatoes,salt and pepper.
5. Saute fish and shrimp until done about 4 minutes per side. Heat the eggplant mixture to a serving temperature.
6. Serve fish over rice, topped with eggplant mixture and sprinkled with basil.

Ayam Masak Tauco (Chicken Cooked with Salted Yellow Beans)

Indonesians develop their Culinary Skills by embracing and combining other ethnics cooking style and ingredients. Such example is Tauco, it's a kind of salted yellow beans that originated from chinese cooking ingredient.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Roasting chicken
• 2 Onions
• 4 Cloves garlic
• 2 tsp Dark soya sauce
• 3 tbsp Tauco (salted yellow beans)
• 1 tsp Brown sugar
• 1 tsp Paprika (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Tamarind water
• 1 cup Water

How to:

1. This recipe calls for tauco which can be either salted black beans or salted yellow beans. Either can be found in a Chinese market as salted black bean or salted yellow bean sauce. Or you can track down Indonesian salted yellow beans and smash em up yourself. Thai markets carry them.
   
2. Cut the chicken into serving pieces; wash, and dry. Slice the onions. Pound the garlic and the tauco into a smooth paste.
   
3. Fry the onions in the oil for half a minute. Add the tauco, then the chicken. Stir well, so that every part of the chicken is coated with tauco.
   
4. Put in the soya sauce and the rest of the ingredients. Cover, and simmer very gently for 45 minutes. Then take the lid off, and cook for a further 5 minutes to reduce the sauce.
   
5. Serve hot.
   
6. Makes 4 servings.

From "Indonesian Food and Cookery", Sri Owen, Prospect Books, London, 1986." ISBN 0-907325-29-7.

Content source:
http://www.bigoven.com

Image source:
http://ningnong.multiply.com/recipes/item/126

Ayam Goreng Lengkuas (Galangal Fried Chicken Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 kg Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 tbsp Shredded galangal
5 tbsp Oil
2 Salam leaves or bay leaves as substitute
1 stalk Lemon grass, bruised
Oil for deep-frying



Spices:
3 cloves Garlic
5 Shallots
3 Candlenuts, roasted
1 tsp Tamarind
1 tsp Chopped turmeric
Salt and sugar to taste



Method :

1. Combine chicken with ground spices and shredded galangal and mix thoroughly.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken.
3. Add salam leaves and lemon grass.
4. Cover the pan and fry over low heat, adding a little water if necessary.
5. Remove the chicken when it is half-cooked.
6. Deep fry the chicken until golden brown, then drain.
7. Serve the chicken with fried shredded galangal sprink

Image source:
http://www.jphpk.gov.my

Content source:
http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com