Combro - Spicy Tempe and Grated Yucca Fritters

Haloooo.. Apa kabar semuaaa?

Bagaimana liburannya?

Semangat tahun baru, semangaaat juga beraksi di dapur :).

How's your winter break?

I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones.

And now we better get ready for brand new days with renewed spirit and determination!

To a fabulous 2016 :)

And I guess, one of my (silent) resolutions for 2016 is bringing more Indonesian tradisional food and recipes here in my blog. I do wish I can fulfill that :). 

And to start with, today I have Combro, spicy tempe and grated yucca fritters :).

Combro with C, not K.

One of my favorite all-time favorite, mood-lifting, comfort food :). I know, I have a looooong list of favorite munchies and more than happy to share it with you all.

Kalau di Indonesia, beli combro memang gampang aja. Saya ingat kalau selalu punya andalan tukang gorengan yang buat combro enak di mana pun berada. Di Lampung, di Jakarta, bahkan di kantorku. Tapi memang makin lama makin susah dan makin sedikit yang jualan combro. Mungkin karena membuatnya relatif lebih ribet dibandingkan bakwan, cireng atau tahu isi ya? Atau oncom dan singkong makin mahal harganya? Hmmm. Perlu survey lagi nih :).

Combro, or the abbreviation of oncom di jero, or oncom inside in Sundanese, is believed to be originated from West Java.  The authentic combro is using oncom, or fermented soybean leftovers, which is a common staple food in Indonesia. But since we don't have oncom in NYC, I use tempe, another Indonesian traditional ingredient, that you can easily find here in the USA. Since both are made of soybeans, they have similar taste and perfect for this recipe.

Berhubung oncom ngg ada di NYC (sampai sekarang belum ketemu yang jual oncom di sini hehe), jadi isi combronya kita ganti dengan tempe ya. Rasanya enak jugaaa kok :).

Here are the ingredients:

Cassava or yucca - 2 big ones, grated

Tempe - 1 package, beaten or cut into small cubes

Chilies - 2 or 3, depending how spicy you want it to be, if desired

Onion - medium 1, thinly sliced

Shallot - 1,  thinly sliced

Garlic - 2, crushed

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt, sugar and pepper - as desired
Coriander powder - if desired

Bahan-bahan yang dibutuhkan tidak banyak kok, hanya singkong, oncom atau tempe sebagai pengganti, bawang merah, bawang putih, cabe, garam, gula dan lada untuk membumbui. Plus minyak goreng untuk menggoreng.

How to cook:

First, we get the filling ready. Put the thinly sliced onion and shallots plus crushed garlic on a hot skillet, cook them until fragrance and put the chilies and tempe then saute it. Put it aside and let it cool.

In a mixing bowl, put the grated yucca or cassava, salt, pepper, a bit of sugar and coriander powder (if you like) and mix them well. Then get a spoonful of the mixture, flatten it in your hand, put a teasponful of filling then cover it with the mixture and shape it oval or as desired. then the last thing to do is deep fry it until golden brown. And Combro is ready :). Feel free to eat it with fresh chili or hot sauce if you like.

ready to eat Combro :)

Memasaknya juga super gampang.
Pertama kita siapkan dulu isinya. Tumis bawang merah, bawang putih dan cabe hinga matang dan wangi, campur tempe dan jangan lupa bewi garam, sedikit gula, lada dan bubuk ketumbar kalau suka. Saya suka bangeeet dengan ketumbar karena wanginya khas :). Setelah isi jadi, tiang siapkan adonan singkong yang telah diparut dan juga diberi sedikit garam. Bentuk oval dengan tempe atau oncom di tengahnya dan rapikan bentuknya. Lalu tinggal digoreng deeeh :). Dan combro hangat siap dinikmati, apalagi jika ditemani cabe rawit segar dan teh hangat. Aaah bahagiaaa judulnya.

Dan kalau melirik jam dinding, proses membuatnya juga cepat kok. Less than 1 hour, ngga sampai satu jam. Oke kan :)

Hope you enjoy Combro, the spicy tempe and grated yucca fritters, as much as I do and happy cooking.

Cheese and veggie Bitterballen

Heloooo everyone ..

How is your holiday?

I hope everyone isenjoying one's break in this festive month. Spending lovely time with family and friends, doing all the things you love :).

We have some friends coming at the end of this year and it was great meeting up with them after quite some times. After exploring NYC in its drizzling Christmas day, we decided to sit down at home and just relax.

And time for delicious munchies :).
Waktunya untuk  menikmati camilan ringan tapi enaaaak :)

I have been trying to use more veggies in my cooking, especially for the kids. Then with a little mixing here and there, I managed to make veggie and cheese Bitterballen. Yummy and easy for everyone to enjoy.

Untuk mereka yang sudah sering dan biasa membuat bitterbalen, pasti tau bahwa resep bitterbalen klasik adalah campuran daging giling, keju, susu, dan tepung yang bersalut telur dan tepung panir. Cemilan yang berasal dari Negeri Kincir Angin ini memang sudah menjadi salah satu resep andalan di keluarga saya.Namun kali ini saya mengganti daging dengan aneka sayuran seperti wortel, kacang polong, jagung dan buncis, supaya anak-anak lebih banyak asupan sayurannya. Sedangkan bahan yang lainnya sama, yaitu susu, keju (berhubung persediaan keju di rumah sedang melimpah, saya mencampur parutan keju Edam dan Gruyere plus Parmesan bubuk), tepung, garam, lada dan sedikit bubuk pala jika suka. Plus telur dan tepung panir untuk pelapisnya sebelum digoreng. Ternyata meskipun isinya sayuran namun rasanya enak jugaaa :).

So, let's cook..

Here are the ingredients:

Mixed veggies - 2 cups. I used carrots, corns, green peas and green beans. You're indeed welcomed to use other favorite veggies of yours :)

Onion - a half, thinly sliced

Flour - approximately 2 cups or as needed

Milk - 1 cup 

Cheese - I used a mixture of grated edam, gruyere and parmesan

Eggs - 2, beaten

Breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper 

Nutmeg powder - if desired.

How to cook:

Put the onion in the hot pan and cook it together with mixed veggies. 
Once it's ready, pour the milk as well as salt, pepper and nutmeg powder, then slowly add the flour and cheese, little by little until everything is well mixed and no longer sticky. 
Then shape the mixture into small balls, dip them into beaten eggs then roll them in a plate of breadcrumbs. You can do that twice or three times until the layers get thicker. 
Deep fry it until golden brown and you can enjoy cheese and veggie bitterballen with mustard, mayo, or hot sauce. I even eat it with fresh chili :).  

Cara memasaknya gampaaang bangeeet. Pertama tumis bawang hingga harum, lalu masukkan sayuran dan masak sebentar hingga agak layu, tapi tidak terlalu matang. Masukkan susu, garam, lada dan bubuk pala lalu aduk. Sedikit-sedikit masukkan tepung dan keju ambil terus diaduk hingga adonan tercampur rata dan kalis, tidak lagi lengket jika dipegang. Setelah adonan agak dingin, ambil satu sendok dan dibentuk bulatan. Masukkan ke dalam telur yang dikocok dan gulirkan di atas tepung panir hingga semua permukaan tertutup. Ulangi 2 kali jika ingin lapisannya agak tebal. Goreng dengan api sedang hingga kecoklatan dan Bitterballen siap disantap. Jangan lupa sambal atau cabe rawit untuk pelengkap buat yang suka pedas seperti saya :).

See.. I guess it's pretty easy for everyone to try it at home and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do :).

Happy cooking...

Fish and Shrimp Fried Wonton

Hello there..

Ready for another home recipe from my Astoria kitchen?
I know the holiday season is in full swings and everyone is usually spoiling one's sweet tooth with lots of sweets, cookies and cakes. That's just wonderful. And for sure yummy :).

But since I have to be extremely careful with my sugar intake, I stick to my savory plates at home. Including in this special time of the year for those who are celebrating Christmas.

And this time I have fish and shrimp fried wonton.

Perhaps you are wondering why I keep using the same ingredients. I just love fish and shrimp. It might be a bit messy to handle but I usually process them together and then keep them in my fridge if I have some leftovers. But Most of the time, I use them all as everyone in my house like it :).

Previously,  I copy the recipe for siomay time here and this time, it will involve similar ingredients and slightly similar process in the beginning.

So let's start :).

some of the ingredients :)

You will need:

White fish fillet, 1 lbs. you can also use fish paste which you can easily find in the Asian store.

Shrimps, 1 lbs

Flour, as needed.

Eggs, 2.

Tapioca flour, as needed.

Shallot, sliced. 

Garlic, peeled and crushed.

Scallion, thinly sliced.

Carrots, grated or chopped.

Wonton skin, preferably the round one.

Salt.

Pepper.

Fish sauce, if you like.

Vegetable oil for frying.

How to cook:

First, we need to prepare the mixture.

Grind together the white fish fillet, fresh shrimps, onion, and garlic using your blender or food processor.  After all is well mixed, add the salt, fish sauce, flour and tapioca flour little by little. Mix it well using your spatula or spoon. Add the eggs and thinly sliced scallion then mix it well again. I also like to use carrots because they give pretty colors in the mixture.

Once it's ready, it will look like this :).

Next, get the wonton skin ready and put a spoonful of the mixture in the middle of the wonton skin, press the side parts and shape it like a flower. 

It will then look like this.

feel free to make another shape and creation with the wonton skin

Get your deep fryer ready and heat enough vegetable oil on it. Fry it until it's brownish and serve it while it's hot. Feel free to deep it in any hot or chili sauce if you like. You can also eat it together with beef/chicken broth soup.

bon appetit..

Well, that's what I have from my kitchen at this moment. 

Fish and shrimp fried wonton is ready :).

Hope you like it and happy cooking, everyone.

Thank you :)

WW: Singaporean Laksa, everyone..

Having a super delicious Singaporean Laksa, the authentic one here in New York City, really made my day.

Its rich and spicy coconut milk soup, combined with fresh prawn and noodles.. Heaven!

Courtesy of my dearest sister from Singapore, Adele, let's dig ini, at least through my photos ;).

Enjoooy..

                                            

Super yummy, rite :)

Singaporean Laksa, everyone..

Do you like Laksa as well?

Come and link up in (almost) Wordless Wednesday here :)