WW: Japanese Food I Love

When it comes to Japanese food I love, I certainly have tons of choices :)
Not only that they are delicious, they look super cute as well.

And we have some halal options as well!

Super happy!

my soba with vegetable fritters..super yuuum!

starting from 300 Japanese Yen ..

Original crepe with cream cheese ..

See...so many choices and I guess I need to write one dedicated post for all these yummy food and snacks! 
Well, I don't drink alcohol so that cuts down some extra options on beverages.

Which one is or are your favorite(s)?
I have to admit I love them all :)

Join us on Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the linky party

Semur Daging dan Telur - Egg and Beef Indonesian Stew

It's been quite sometimes I did not post any recipes here.
Well, haven't had enough time to take pictures of all those food I have cooked should not stop me for sharing more Indonesian food recipes indeed.
And winter is here!
Surely I have many favorites Indonesian food that my family love to enjoy in cold, winter days. Including those delicious ones for your festive day!

semur daging dan telur :)

And this time, I have semur daging dan telur - egg and beef Indonesian stew.
It's more like a free translation of it.
So if my Indonesian friends have better term or translation for it, please let me know :).

We love semur because of its exquisite taste.
A combination of beef or chicken broth with palm sugar, sweet sow sauce and traditional spices like nutmeg and coriander is indeed delicious. 
I don't know exactly where this menu is originally from but I guess almost every Indonesian is familiar with this. Either you cook it with beef or chicken, and add some extra eggs, tofu or potatoes, it all blends very well and you can get everything ready to eat it together with rice. Of course, slow cooking is best because all the spices will be well blended and the meat will be soft and tender.

So, enough with the introduction and let's cook. 
Let's start with the ingredients.

Ingredients:

Beef - 2 pounds, cleaned and cut into cubes or as desired.
Eggs - 4 or less, hard boiled and peeled.

Garlic - 3 cloves

Shallot - 2 medium cloves

Coriander - 1 teaspoon
Candlenuts - 3 pieces

Nutmeg powder - as desired, just a tiny pinch to give the extra aroma
Worcester sauce - 1 teaspoon
Sweet soy sauce - 2 spoonfuls

Salt and pepper - as desired

Palm sugar or white sugar - as desired
Vegetable oil

Spring onion - all serves as garnish and my fave is cilantro and spring onion
Fried onion.
A bowl of steam rice.

Just a little note that in some recipes, they use coriander, some do not. 
You are indeed welcomed to use it as it brings an exquisite aroma to the soup and it blends very well with the beef. I. But I make sure that nutmeg is added as it is delicious!
Some also like it with extra soup, while I love it with less watery soup but more like the thick sauce after the slow cooking. Whatever you prefer, they all taste wonderful!

Here's how to cook:

First, we get all the spices ready. 
Using mortar and pestle (traditional way is the best way for me :)), grind the garlic, shallot, coriander and candle nut. Of course you can and are welcomed to use your food processor.

Then heat one spoonful of vegetable oil and sauté the ground spices until it's well cooked and fragrant. The spices will look gold and you can tell when it is adequately cooked.

In a large pot, boil the beef, together with the spices, until it is soft. I takes around 3 hours or less to get it tender, depending on the type of beef you are using. Once the meat is tender, put the hard boiled eggs and boil it together for 15 - 20 minutes to ensure the spices are well blended with the eggs as well. 

Don't forget to add the Worcester and sweet soy sauce along the way. Make sure you have enough soup and add the water as you boil the stew together. Once the beef is tender, you know Semur Daging dan Telur - Egg and Beef Indonesian Stew, is ready.

eat with a bowl of steam rice and it's yuuum!

The best way of eating it is together with a bowl of steam rice.
It will be great to enjoy this for your holiday dinner or lunch. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do and bon appetit! 

Bakso Isi Telur - Indonesian Egg-filled Meatball Soup

"Give me bakso and I will be the happiest girl in the world"

                                                                       Obi Frakarsa, 2017

B.A.K.S.O

Bakso has always been my favorite.
Always.
No matter what the weather is, be it super cold and perfect-for-a-bowl-of-hot-soup night or scorching hot summer days, bakso has been one of the most wanted dishes at home.  
During winter, I always have  chicken or beef broth ready, with some bakso .
My kids and I adore it!
I can eat them on daily basis, although I know too much meat is not good.

In NYC, we do have options to buy bakso from Asian or oriental groceries.
But they are usually not halal or use too much MSG :(, so really not a good choice for me. 
The best choice for me is to cook it myself.

While we're away from home, us, the Moslems, often worry about the food we eat as we are bound to at halal food. As we don't eat pork and all its derivative products, we  have to be careful with the ingredients of all the food we have. Something that we don't have to worry about when we are in Indonesia. That's why I love cooking everything myself to make sure about it. I know we share the same concern with one of my dearest friends from Em(b)ak Ceria, Isti"adzah Rohyati. She used to live in Suly, Iraq and although Iraq is pretty much
 dominated by moslems, but being away from home makes us cook almost everything. Even Isti is very good at making tofu at home! Yes, home-made tofu! How I envy here :). She's back to Indonesia now and I believe she has more relaxing time at home in Indonesia.
 
So now, are you ready to cook it with me?
Wanna try Bakso Isi Telur or Indonesian egg-filled meatball soup, if I may freely translated it? 

Let's start with the ingredients:

Minced beef - 250 gr. Feel free to substitute it with chicken, mutton or no meat at all.
Beef chunk - 100 gr,  for the soup broth.
Maizena - 1 spoonful

Soy sauce - 1 teaspoon

Worcestershire sauce - 1 teaspoon

Sesame oil - if desired, 1 teaspon

Salt - as needed

Pepper - as needed

Nutmeg  - as needed

Sugar - as needed

Eggs - 4

Shallots - thinly sliced

Onions - finely chopped

Spring onions - thinly sliced

How to cook:

First, boil the eggs until done and peel the shell. Put it aside. 
You can have the whole egg in one jumbo meatball or you can cut them into half or what you desire.
Boil the beef chunk for broth, add onions, salt, pepper and a bit sugar if you like, until it's nicely done and tasty. Sprinkle it with thinly slices spring onions.

Then mix the minced beef with all the sauce and spices, make sure they are all well blend.

Add one spoon of maizena to help forming the meatballs.

Shape the meatballs with eggs inside.

Cook it on a boiling pot of water, or broth will be better, until it is done and floating on the pot. Depending on the size, it takes at least 15 minutes in boiling water to cook those meatballs, but slightly longer is better so that we're sure that the meatballs are well-cooked.

Hope you enjoy this super simple recipe.
Eat it hot with some extra fried onion and chili if you like. Some also like to add egg noodles or bihun or vermicelli on a bowl of bakso.
I also like to add extra kick with apple cider vinegar.
And voilaaaa...

Enjoy Bakso Isi Telor - Indonesian Egg-filled Meatball Soup

WW: Eid Mubarak 2017 - the Food

Eid mubarak!

What a celebration!
And what a celebration will be without the glorious, traditional food from home.
Here are a view snaps of the Indonesian food, as well as delicacies and desserts,  from our Eid celebration.

Let's start with martabak coklat kacang :)

And more to enjoy...

Like this grilled halal ribs, fresh salad, lontong and kerupuk

Or more of the heavy one.. sayur labu dan buncis, sambal goreng kentang, dan opor ayam.
I'll write them down in details on separate posts :).

Some extra dessert and appetiters like this chocolate vanilla pudding and martabak telor.

Bon appetit!

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and enjoy those fabulous links.

Cumi Tumis Cabe - Spicy Sautéed Squid

It's cooking time...
Kita masak yuk!

It's been quite sometimes since I share some of our easy-to-make favorite dishes.
Just coming back from our spring break road trip, I just realized that I didn't have much on the fridge.
 
But I got dried squid, onion, garlic and jalapeño, plus some chili and a bit of asparagus.
Looks like I could use some of those.
And one of the easiest recipes that comes to mind is spicy sautéed squid or cumi tumis cabe ijo.

Berhubung baru selesai liburan hampir selama 2 minggu, kulkas pun isinya minimalis banget karena belum belanja.
Kali ini, saya punya cumi kering, bawang, cabe dan sedikit asparagus.
Daripada susah, mari kita buat cumi tumis cabe ijo. 
Sudah pernah coba?

cepat jadinya dan gampaaang :)

Setelah hampir dua minggu kami menikmati Spring break dengan anak-anak minggu lalu, saya jadi kangen masak.
Banget!
Buat saya, masak itu obat penghilang stress dan capek.
Bukan hanya sekedar pemuas perut lapar.
Pusing dengan laporan yang menggunung, negosiasi yang tough dan tidak selesai-selesai atau tumpukan dokumen yang menggapai-gapai minta dibaca dan diselesaikan, saya selingi dengan masak supaya pikiran bisa lebih fresh. 
Bahkan pulang dari trip ke 2 negara dan 7 kota yang notabene buat badan 'remuk redam' karena berjam-jam nyetir dan 'ngukur jalan' alias eksplorasi kota yang kami datangi, tidak menghalangi saya untuk bebongkaran kulkas dan masak!

Dan seringkali, I cook with a 'dumping style', alias masak pakai bahan apa aja yang ada di kulkas hehehe.
  
Ini asli cara masak paling gampang dan murah meriah, paling tidak buat saya.

So, are you ready to cook spicy sautéed squid or cumi tumis cabe ijo?

Here are the ingredients.


Dried squid, 1 pound. If you have fresh squid, you can definitely cook it the same way.
 Onion or shallots, thinly sliced. 
 Garlic, 2 cloves or more as desired, thinly sliced.
 Jalapeño and/or chili, as desired, chopped.
Asparagus, cut as desired.
Cooking oil, 1 spoonful.
Salt and sugar, as desired.

Here's how to cook:

Prepare a pan and put one spoonful of oil, then cook onion and garlic for around 2 minutes or until golden and fragrant. 

Then put the squid, cook  for a while and add a bit of water (approximately 3 spoonful) to make it softer 
Add salt and sweet soy sauce. 
Mix it well and cook until the squid is tender.
Finally add the asparagus, cook it for two extra minutes until it's tender.
And that's it! 
As easy as one, two, three and this Cumi Tumis Cabe Ijo or  Spicy Sautéed Squid is best to eat together with steam rice :).

Add caption

Sebelum makan, biasanya saya selalu foto-foto dulu :).
Bukan hanya tukang masaknya yang narsis, makanannya pun perlu eksis kan.

 Selamat makan!

Annecy, France in Half a Day

So, where will you go when you only half a day to explore one beautiful town?

Last trip to Geneve, Switzerland, this February, I had a half day on weekend as I arrived in Geneve at 10 in the morning.

The first place I had in mind was Annecy, a beautiful town in the border of France and Switzerland dubbed as the Venice of the Alps.

When we were living in Geneva back in 2007 - 2011, Annecy was certainly one of the most visited towns. Driving less than 1 hour from GE, we usually took families and friends coming to Geneve and staying with us to this wonderful town. Spending a day or slightly a half day here is marvelous, especially for those who enjoy traditional French food, beautiful landscape, and other wonderful vista mother nature can offer.  

Annecy is also famous for its annual Venetian Carnival. 
Le Carnaval Vénetien à Annecy.

Le Carnaval Vénetien à Annecy in 2009

Yup, like Carnevale Venezia, the one being traditionally held in Venezia, Italy, but this time it is conducted in Annecy, the Venice of the Alps. 
Now, you know why this wonderful town is nicknamed likewise.

Carnevale Venezia 2009

As we went to Carnevale Venezia in 2009, we were excited to see some similar costumes and grandeur environment during the Carnaval Vénetien at Annecy, held approximately 1 - 2 months after the one in Italy or around March - April.

My hubby and I at Carnevale Venezia

Well, what would the Carnevale and le Carnaval be without those glittering masks, glamorous costumes and great pose?

In green...Venezia, 2009

You can compare these photos, taken in Venezia, and the ones up there and down here taken in Annecy during the Carnaval.
The difference is of course the background.
But the fun remains the same!

My hubby and friend were happy to pose with these cute ladies and their puppy!

Now, of course there are so many interesting things to do and places to visit in Annecy.
Including the annual Carnaval I was talking about before.
But since I last visited Annecy in February and only have a half day, merely 5 hours, here are a shot list of places and things you might want to consider for a half-day itinerary.

So, ready to explore Annecy, France in Half a day?

Let's start it with its famous lake, Lac d'Annecy.

Lac d'Annecy is beautiful and huge.

As the third largest lakes in France, the lake cover around 28 km square surface of clean water. Super clean so you can see the bottom of it when you are strolling around its bank.

In fact, this lake is coined as the cleanest lake in Europe, as I read in Wikipedia.

No wonder it becomes everyone's favorite spot.

From the romantic  Pont des amours and walking along Quai Napoleon III, you are more than welcomed to enjoy Jardin de l'Europe. 

On the other side of Jardin de l'Europe, you will find the Hotel de Ville or Mairie d'Annecy, the city town hall. 

This charming city hall is of course a beautiful photo spot.

Hotel de ville..

Or you can also walk on Canal du Vassé, slightly off the lake but heading to the same direction, pose a while and immortalize yourself in one lovely picture!

at Canal du Vassé, back in 2009 :))

Just simply strolling around, sitting on the grass or in one of the many benches there, or reading your favorite book will bring you peace and joy!

As for me, I keep taking pictures (you bet!)

Next, we have Vieille Ville Annecy, the old town.

As many old town in Europe, Vieille Ville Annecy is indeed charming with its petit restaurants, shops, boutiques, churches and lovely old apartments. 

Saint Franćois de Sales church in Annecy

All those centuries old shops and petit alleys are cute.

ready to shop?

For me, just walking around its cobbled alleys and enjoying every corners of this old city is a pleasure. Whenever I found some lovely corner, I just take a snap or pose :).

One corner of the old town.

The old part of Annecy is also famous for its Palais de l'Îles, the old mansion as well as prison now turned into museum, built on top of Le Thiou, the river outflowing from Lake Annecy. The last time I went here it was under maintenance.

the Palais is the petit one above the water

And of course, don't forget lunch time!

There are so many restaurants and cafes scattered around Quai de l'Îles or Quai Perrière, near Le Thiou and the old town. My favorite delicacies here are the crepes a la Savoyard, but as we were super hungry after arriving from NYC, we chose full blast menu at Le Sarto (go check lesarto.com for more info), au bord du Thiou

There we ordered the creamy mushroom soup, salad savoyard sans jambon, fondue Savoyarde - the cheese fondue with speciality from this region, 'Cafe des Paris' - the famous steak with special butter sauce, cocotte des mules marinières - the pot of clamps with butter and herbs, and creamy chicken and musroom a la Savoyard.
They tasted marvelous!
Please feel free to enjoy the photos of those lovely food.

And last but not least, Château d'Annecy, the Castle of Annecy.

A little hike up the hill at the back of the Old Town of Annecy, you will find this lovely Château. It's another beautiful castle built around the 12th century, with its famous Queen Tower. Wiki said it used to be the residence of the Counts of Geneve.

Too bad when we arrived there it was 15 minutes before closing time and being Swiss, the lovely guard didn't let us in even when we plead as we came a looong way to this beautiful place. So, if you happen to be here, make sure you check the opening hours and the last entrance. I could only take a few pictures from outside.

From the Château, we just simply walked back to the Old Town and enjoyed the beautiful weather and lovely atmosphere

And last sweet touch, don't forget to get your favorite gelato in one of the ice cream and waffle kiosks at the Old Town!

And finally, as the sun set down, we were heading back to Geneve.

Here's the map to give you clearer direction in this beautiful city of Annecy.




So, that's Annecy, France in half a day.
How do you like this town? Do you like it as much as I do?
Do you also enjoy exploring little town?
What's your favorite?