Indonesian Mee Soto Ayam

When i was working with a Government Board in Malaysia, I have many friends who were of Javanese descent and they have introduced me to their favorite Mee Soto Ayam. Although they called it Mee, it was actually Chicken soup with glass noodles(suon) and i have been served the alternative to glass noodle(suon) which was with rice cake(nasi impit).......

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Fruit Rojak

It is not so much fun eating this fruit rojak without the CRISPY.  I have been searching for this CRISPY recipe for a long long time but no one is sharing.  So have to put on my thinking cap and try to cook some CRISPIES that go so well with this fruit rojak, they are a perfect match.  

This is one of the favorite snack of all snacks, especially to Sandra and if it is so to you too  please 'like' it on my facebook page, if not, do tell me what is your favorite snack??????.........

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Crispies is HERE

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Sambal Belacan

What type of sambal do you like best? But before you can answer, you would have to know what Sambal is. Sambal is a chili based sauce which is popular in South East Asia and normally used as a condiment...........

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Spiku/Kue Lapis Surabaya

It is good to know the fact that the name of this cake 'Kue Lapis Surabaya' is unknown to the citizens of the city of Surabaya, Indonesia.  So, don't go around asking about Kue Lapis Surabaya if you meet anyone from Surabaya, they will be just as blank as you are.  Ask them about 'Spiku' and there will be a conversation until the cows come home  I have seen many types of 'Spiku' and they all look great but since this is the first for me have to have a go for the original which consists of three layers of very moist and dense sponge type cake with the chocolate layer cake in the middle, sandwiched between two golden sponge cake.  Every layer require 10 egg yolks!!!!!!!.  Shocking but yes, without any egg whites, the texture of the cake is soft, moist and rich.  Good european butter added extra richness and i should say, it's a requisite.


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Pandan Flavored Ban Jian Kuih

According to Wikipedia - a QUEST is a journey towards a goal and my QUEST is to make the perfect ban jian kuih and the GOAL is that it should be chewy and honey-combed.

Many attempts and i am still 'in search of"???.

For recipe continue to read HERE

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Gado Gado

Gado gado is a classic, traditional Indonesian salad drizzled with a luscious. mouthwatering  peanut sauce which has a rich, nutty flavor and a delightful creamy texture. Gado gado is such a hearty and filling salad that it can easily be eaten as a complete meal. A variety of vegetables can be used for this salad - like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, french beans, kangkong etc.  Preparing the vegetables is no big deal, just remember

to allow the water for blanching to return to a rolling boil after adding each vegetable to ensure they are cooked according to the times allocated. DRAIN the blanched vegetables and rinse under cold water to refresh.  For the potatoes - cooked them with skin on until fork tender, peel skin away and then cubed.  The only tedious prep is making the Peanut Sauce -if you have 'sambal paste' ready, it is not a big deal.  It will be easier if you don't want the roast the peanuts - use crunchy peanut butter.
.

Ingredients

Satay Sauce

Cooked potatoes—peeled and cubed

Green beans—cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inches lengths - blanched

Cucumber - sliced

Cabbage - cut into bite size and blanched

Bean sprouts - blanched

Fried Tofu - cut into bite size

Sweet peppers - cut into bite size

Hard boiled eggs - cut into quarters

PREPARE the satay sauce following the method from Malaysian Satay

To assemble the salad:

 ARRANGE equal amounts of each vegetable on plates, garnish with egg quarters, and drizzle with satay sauce to serve.

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Pennywort/Pegaga Drink - The Secret Fountain of Youth

"A hundred, oh Mothers, are your natures and a thousand are your growths. May you of a hundred powers make whole what has been hurt. Where the herbs are gathered together like a thing is an assembly there the doctor is called a sage, who destroys evil, and averts diseases.” - Hymn to the Plants, Rig Veda X, 97

Mother Nature has so perfectly planned her pharmacy so that it is is within everyone’s access.  It is there to nourish and supply us with abundant energy, as well as nurture us when we have some illness, we need only to become aware of its use for us

Pegaga is a polymorphous, creeping plant, rooting at nodes, with sometimes significant tap root, cylindrical and glabrous stems. Other names of pegaga including Centella asiatica (L.), Hydrocotyle asiatica, gotu kola, Indian pennywort (English), Mandukaparni (India), pegaga (Malaysia), and Ping Da Wan (崩大碗), Di Qien Cao (地錢草), Zhi Xue Cao(积雪草), 雷公根, 蚶殼草, 地堂草, 銅錢草, or 落得打, rau ma (vietnamese)

Read about it's medical benefits from factOdiz bite-sized knowledge

Ingredients


2 handfuls pennywort, with stems pinched off
200ml boiling water
180g sugar or honey to taste







Method:

If using sugar, make a simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in the boiling water the allow to cool completely.

Add all the ingredients to a blender along with 5 or 6 ice cubes and water(as concentrated as you'd like), blend at high speed.

Then using a fine-mesh colander, strain out the leafy sludge. Taste and add syrup/honey or water if necessary.

Serve poured over ice.

Store the remainder in the fridge.

Enjoy!

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Kuih Pandan Lapis Batavia

I was left home alone one day, the silence was killing me.  There were no one to bug me and knowing me, cannot sit still and do nothing - my sister said that 'it must be the catholic schooling' in us - we feel guilty if we are not doing something.'  So, what a good time it was to stand in front of the oven and layer away.  This is a scale down from Kuih Lapis Batavia, not by choice but necessity, cos i had only a dozen eggs.  I have increased the sugar and egg white slightly thus making the batter lighter and the layers browned  faster with the addition of a little baking powder and the batter was sweeter.

Ingredients:

250g butter at room temperature
60g fine granulated sugar

12 egg yolks
60g fine granulated sugar
1 tbsp  brandy
2 tbsp condensed milk

80g cake flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites
30g sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp pandan paste


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350f . Line a 6 inch square baking pan with greaseproof paper, making sure that it fits exactly the base.Grease only the base of pan and greaseproof paper only.  Do not grease the sides of pan..
2. Cream butter with 60g sugar till creamy.

3. Beat egg yolk with 60g sugar till thick. Stir in  brandy and condensed milk.

4. Sieve flour, baking powder and mixed spice.

5. Mix butter and egg yolk mixture well. Fold in flour mixture by thirds and mix well.

6. Whisk egg white with medium speed till foamy, add in cream of tartar and continue to whisk till white in colour then add in sugar and whisk until thick, soft stiff peak.

7. Fold egg white into egg yolk mixture and mix well. Add pandan paste to 1/3 of the batter and leave the other 2/3 plain.
8. Spread 3 heap tbsp of batter evenly and bake for 10 minutes.  Turn on the top fire only and brown the top of the first layer.  For the second layer, spoon 2 heap tbsp batter into baking pan. Spread the batter evenly, put to grill . Grill  till brown.(time for browning depends on your oven and how close the baking pan is placed near the grilling elements)   Remove from oven, use a cake tester or toothpick to prick holes on the top of cake.   For the third layer, use the pandan paste batter. Repeat the layering, 2 layers plain and 1 layer pandan, till batter finish. (Use the same type of spoons for the plain and pandan batter so that the layers will be even)

9. Unmould cake immediately and turn on to wire rack to cool.

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