Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles)

Mie Goreng or Bakmi Goreng is a very popular dish of Indonesia. This is very commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore at roadside food stalls or in restaurants. It means fried noodles which is spicy and flavourful.

Mie goreng are traditionally stirred fried made with yellow wheat noodles, shallots, onions, garlic, vegetables, eggs, meat, seafood, soy sauce and sambal oekel. However,there are many variations. Authentic mie goreng uses fresh ingredients and spices. Garnish the dish with tomato, chillies, cucumber or fried shallots. Server it hot. 

This dish was introduced by Chinese immigrants in Indonesia, and then got influenced by Indian immigrants from Malaysia and Singapore. I got this recipe from one Malay Aunty at my friend’s during my trip to Singapore last year. 

Ingredients

* 1 pack of Egg Noodles ready to use or cook the dry noodles following the packet instructions....

* 1 Onion cut into cubes

* 2 Garlic chopped

* 1 Carrot cut into half and sliced

* 6 to 8 French Beans cut into long strips

* 1 small bowl of 3 coloured Capsicum cut into cubes

* 1/2 cup Cabbage shredded

* 1 bowl of chopped Bok choy or Spinach

* 1 Tomato deseeded and cut into half and sliced for garnishing

* Few Cucumber sliced for garnishing

* 2 Birds Eye Chillies sliced for Garnishing

* 1/2 cup of boneless chicken cut into pieces

* 8 to 10 Prawns cut and cleaned

* 2 Eggs beaten with a pinch of salt

* 1/2 cup Sambal Oelek paste

* 4 tbsp Indonesian Asian Sweet Soy Sauce — kecap manis or Soy Sauce with 2 tbsp of palm sugar added to the sauce

* Salt to taste

* 1 cup Vegetable stock water

* 5 tbsp Oil

Method

Take a wok, heat a tbsp of oil, add the eggs and stir fry the eggs. Once done remove it. Add another tbsp of oil, on high flame stir fry the prawns. Remove and keep the prawns aside. Add another tbsp of oil. Now add the chicken pieces and stir fry the chicken, once done remove and keep it aside. Add the remaining oil in the wok. Add the chopped garlic and stir fry it for few seconds. Add the carrots, onion, beans and capsicum, stir for few minutes, add the cabbage and spinach. Continue to stir the vegetables on high flame for a minute. Add the prawns, chicken and eggs. Stir for a minute. Add the noddles, Sambal oelek paste, soy sauce, salt and stock water. Toss the noddles and the other ingredients well for a minute.

To serve the noodles, garnish it with tomato, cucumber and chopped red chillies. Serve hot.

Putu Ayu Ketan Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice and Coconut Steamed Cake)

It's an Indonesian steamed cake recipe. It's can be served as snacks and believe me it is moist, healthy and super tasty.

I have followed Anna dina's blog for this recipe, but I have reduced the quantity of the ingredients to half and recreated the recipe as per my convenience.

The Black Rice was one of the ingredient that I had received as prize from Original Indian Table in collaboration with Commeat. I have plated it on a Tapas plate which again was one of the prizes I had received from Le Creuset...

I made the rice flour at home. I took 125 grams of rice and ground it. Then sieved it. I have used dried grated coconut, but the fresh coconut is more preferred.

Black Rice known as forbidden rice, it is less popular than the other rice varieties, it is also an ancient grain that has been eaten in Asia for thousands of year. It has a powerful disease-fighting antioxidants, and it also contains dietary fiber, anti-inflammatory properties, and has the ability to help stop the development of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and even weight gain.

For the Coconut Layer

Ingredients

50 grams grated Coconut

3 drops of Vanilla Essence

A Pinch of Salt

1 Pandan Leaf

Methods

Add the coconut, salt, vanilla essence and pandan leaf into the bowl. Mix the ingredients and steam it for 2 minutes. Let it cool. Discard the leaf and keep it aside.

For the Cake

Ingredients

120 grams of Black Glutinous Rice Flour

60 grams Caster Sugar as per the sweetness required

A Pinch of Salt

1 Large Egg

100 ml Coconut milk

1 Pandan Leaf

Oil for greasing

Method

Boil coconut milk with pandan leaf. Let it cool then remove the leaf from the coconut milk. Boil a liter of water in a pot. Grease the putu ayu moulds or mini bundt moulds with oil. Put 2 tsp of the coconut into the mould. Press the grated coconuts well until it sets. Keep the mould aside.

Remove the pot of hot water from the flame. Take another bowl which can fit onto the pot. Add the egg, sugar and salt into the bowl. Beat on low speed until the sugar dissolves. Increase the speed of the beater and  beat until the batter becomes thick and pale. Add the flour in the batter in batches. Beat it further till the flour has mixed well. Now gradually add the coconut milk little at a time and continue to beat the batter until the ingredients are well incorporated.

Fill the moulds with the batter until full till the edge, steam it for 15 minutes or till the cake is done. Let the cake cool down before remove it from the moulds.

Paan Bahar Sandesh....

I have betel plant growing wild in my balcony. I love the flavor of the betel leaves with gulkand and sweet fennel mukhwas. My experiment with Sandesh continues. I have infused betel leaves and gulkand with paneer. Have it at the end of a meal. As you eat it, first taste is of the sandesh and then the flavour of the paan.. 

Ingredients 

10 small size Betel Leaves finely chopped 

200 grams Paneer / Cottage cheese

3 tbsp Condensed Milk 

3 tbsp Dessicated Coconut 

2 tbsp Gulkand 

1 tbsp of Sweet Fennel Mukhwas 

1 tbsp of Sweet Mix Mukhwas

Few Cherries cut into pieces 

Method 

Take the paneer and blend it in a blender. Take a wok, add the paneer, Betel leaves, dessicated coconut, gulkand and condensed milk. Keep stirring it continuously and cook on low flame till all the ingredients combines together and forms a dough. To check, take a small portion of the dough and roll it with your fingers. Remove it from the wok and keep it on a plate. As it cools down a bit. Knead it for a minute and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Mix the 2 types of sweet mukhwas together. Take a portion. Roll it into a ball and slightly flatten it. Create a dent in the centre. Fill up the centre with the mukhwas and add a cherry piece on top. 

Asam Pedas (Sour and Spicy Fish Curry)

Asam Pedas (Sour and Spicy Fish Curry)
It is an Indonesian, Malay curry dish. Vegetables like okra,  brinjal, potato and tomato are added in the dish along with the fish. Fish like mackerel, sting ray, prawns or sweet water fish can be used.

For the Wet paste
Ingredients
6 Shallots chopped
4 Garlic cloves
1 inch Ginger
2 stalks Lemongrass
1/2 tsp Shrimp paste
3 Candlenuts ( I did not have it so I used 5 Cashew nut)
6 Dry Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp Oil

 

Method
Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste. 

For the Curry
Ingredients
6 pieces Rohu Fish marinated with 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and salt.
2 Onions sliced
6 Okras cut vertically
1 Potato peeled and cut into wedges
1 small long Brinjal cut into wedges
1 Tomato cut into wedges
2 tbsp Tamarind paste
2 handful Laksa leaves (did not have so used coriander leaves)
Salt to taste
Wet paste
Oil to fry the Fish and make the Curry
2 cups of Water

Method
Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the fish until brown. Remove it and keep it aside. Remove the excess oil from the wok and let 2 tbsp of oil remain. Add the paste, saute it for 2 minutes. Add the potato, onion and brinjal.  Stir it. Add water and cook it till the vegetables are almost done. Add the tamarind paste, okras and green chillies. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, salt and the fish pieces.
Lastly, put in the fried fish and coriander leaves.  Let it simmer for 2 minutes.  Serve it with hot steam rice.  

Indonesian style Eggplant Sambal / Sambal Terong

Indonesian style Eggplant Sambal / Sambal Terong

 It has a tangy, sweet and spicy taste and is very delicious. It is very easy to make and it can be had with steamed rice. 

Ingredients

2 medium long  Eggplants cut into cubes 

10 Fresh Red Chillies chopped

6 Shallots chopped 

4 Garlic cloves 

1 tbsp Shrimp paste (Optional) 

1 tbsp  Palm Jaggery  grated 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Tamarind paste 

1/4 cup Oil 

Method

Take a bowl and soak the tamarind paste in 2 cups of water. Keep it aside. Grind chillies, shallots, salt, shrimp paste, palm jaggery and garlic in a mortar and pestle or grind it in a grinder. Heat oil for frying in a wok, stir-fry the eggplant till light pink in colour. Remove from the wok and drain it on a paper towel. Add the paste.  Stir fry for 2 minutes, on medium heat.  Add tamarind water.  Let boil, for  10 minutes. Add the eggplants. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve it with steamed rice.