Urap ( Cooked Vegetables with Coconut )

Ingredients:

8 oz fresh green beans
8 oz bean sprouts
4 carrots
1 can bamboo shoots
small cabbage
1 cup fresh grated coconut
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli sauce (sambal ulek)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp lime juice


Directions:

1. Wash bean sprouts, pinching of any brown tail.


2. Pour boiling water over bean sprouts, then rinse under cold water tap.


3. Drain well.String beans and cut diagonally or bite-size lengths and cook in lightly salted water until just tender. Beans should still be crisp to bite.


4. Scrub carrot and cut into thin strips, cook until tender. Drain well.


5. Slice cabbage, discard the center stem.


6. Blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, until tender but not limp. Drain and refresh with cold water.


7. Cut bamboo shoots into strips the same size as the beans.


8. Place fresh grated coconut into a bowl, add onion, chili sauce, salt, lime juice and the shrimp paste which has been grilled for a few minutes, or heated in a dry frying pan.


9. Mix thoroughly together.


10. Sprinkle this grated coconut mixture over vegetables, reserving some to garnish the dish when served.Put vegetables in a steamer and steam for 5-8 minutes.


11. Put the steamed vegetables to a serving dish/platter and sprinkle with reserved grated coconut mixture.


12. Use as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a salad by itself.

6-8 servings.

Kue Lumpur (Indonesian Mud Cake)

Ingredients:

75 g margarine or butter
250 ml water
150 g flour, sifted
100 g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
450 ml coconut cream
100 g raisins
100 g coconut, flesh, slivered

How to:

1. Melt the margarine/butter in the water, add the flour and blend it until smooth. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. When the batter is well blended, take off the fire and cool down.
   


2. Break the eggs one by one into the batter, beating well after each addition. Add the santan (coconut milk) little by little and beat until batter is smooth.
   


3. Heat the mud cake molds, oil them and fill them ¾ full. Cover with their heated kuds and cook until they are half done. Open the lids and cook until they are half done. Open the lids and scatter a few raisins and coconut slivers on top.
   


4. Cover again and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Unmold and serve.

Putu Ayu (Steamed Coconut Cupcakes)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp green food coloring
1/3 cup desiccated coconut, soak in water to moisten
1/2 tsp salt

How to:

1. Grease 15 cupcake moulds.


2. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs on high speed until pale and creamy.


3. Fold in quarter of the coconut milk, quarter of the flour, then stir gently to combine. Repeat this step until all milk and flour are folded inches.


4. Fold in the food coloring and stir to combine.


5. Put 2-3 tbs of dessicated coconut into each mould, press firmly into base.


6. Fill the moulds with batter until full.


7. Place in a saucepan half-filled with hot water, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, then steam for 35-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.


8. When the cakes are cooked, leave to stand for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each mould, then ease the pudding out onto a serving plate.

Sayur Asem / Asam (Mixed Vegetable Soup With Peanuts)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw peanuts


• 1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp paste, toasted


• 6 shallots, thinly sliced


• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced


• 1 large red chili, seeded and sliced


• 4 thick slices galangal, bruised


• 2 fresh or dried salam leaves


• 4 cups light chicken or beef stock


• 7 ounces minced cabbage


• 1 small zucchini or chayote, peeled and diced


• 3-1/2 ounces green beans, cut in short lengths


• 3 tablespoons tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/2 cup warm water, squeezed and strained to obtain juice


• Minced palm or soft brown sugar to taste


• Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Put the peanuts in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
   


2. Put the shrimp paste into saucepan with the shallots, garlic, chili, galangal, salam leaves, and stock. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
   


3. Add the peanuts and vegetables and return to the boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are cooked, 10 to 15 minutes.
   


4. Add the tamarind juice and simmer for about 1 minute. Add sugar and salt to taste; if you prefer a really sour soup, sugar will not be necessary.
   


5. Remove galangal and salam leaves, then transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Ayam Goreng Jawa (Javanese Style Fried Chicken)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 ½	pounds	Chicken, in pieces
5		Shallots, peeled and finely sliced
4		Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely sliced
2	teaspoon	Ground Coriander
½	teaspoon	Ground Cumin
1	pinch	Of Sereh powder *
1	pinch	Of Laos powder *
1	pinch	Of grated Nutmeg
1	small	Cinnamon stick
1		Bay Leaf
1	teaspoon	Brown Sugar
		Salt to taste
3 ¾	cup	Water
		Oil for deep-frying

How to:

1. Put all the ingredients except Oil in a large heavy pan.
2. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken and leave to cool.
3. Heat the Oil in a deep fryer to 350 deg.
4. Fry the chicken a few pieces at a time for 10 minutes.
5. Drain on paper towels.
6. Serve hot.

From "The Encyclopedia of Asian Cooking" Indonesian section by Sri Owen

* Available at Asian markets and in the Asian section of some supermarkets. If you can't find them don't worry, the recipe will still work OK. The Javanese seem to like their chicken pretty well done and chewy. I prefer mine a little more tender and fry it for a bit less than ten minutes. It has been a while since I made this, but I believe about seven minutes is enough for me. This chicken is delicious and also good cold. Make lots of it.

Sambal Goreng Telor / Telur (Spiced Eggs)

Yield: 2 Servings

Ingredients:

5 Eggs, hard-boiled and Sliced into halves

2 tbsp Peanut oil

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

1 Candlenut, grated

1 tsp Laos (galangal)

1 tsp Sambal Ulek (Look for Sambal Ulek Recipe in my recipe list to learn how to prepare it)

Salt to taste

½ tsp Brown sugar

1 Salam leaf

1 cup Coconut milk

How to:

1. Place the sliced eggs in a serving dish.
2. In separate pan, heat up peanut oil.
3. Saute onion, garlic, candlenut, laos (galangal), sambal oelek and salt.
4. Be cautious to avoid burning.
5. Add brown sugar, salam leaf and coconut milk.
6. Bring mixture to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Pour mixture over hard-boiled eggs and serve.

Ikan Asam Pedas (Hot And Sour Fish)

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Fish,Cubed Any Kind
• 1 Lime Lime Juice
• Salt And Pepper, To Taste
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 4 Medium Shallot
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Galangal
• 2 Medium Jalapeno
• 1 tsp Tumeric
• 2 tbsp Peanut Oil
• 3 tbsp Water
• 20 Leaves Mint, Shredded

How To:

• Marinate fish in lime juice and salt and pepper for 1 hour.
• Place in blender, garlic, shallots, ginger, galangal, jalepenoes, tumeric, oil and water.
• Process into paste, transfer to frying pan and saute for 5 minutes, add fish and saute for 10 minutes.
• Serve over rice and sprinkle with mint.