Tahu Isi - Tofu Fritters with Vegetables Filling

Another homecooking recipe delivered fresh to you all.

Tahu Isi for y'all :)

I have to admit, cold weather adds some extra urge to create something in my kitchen. And nothing comfier than the food from home, Indonesia.

This time, I have tahu isi or tofu fritters with vegetable fillings. Again, it's an uberly popular and everyday  munchies for us Indonesian, back home. So popular you can probably find tahu isi fendors easily in many corners of the street. 

Tahu isi pun populer dengan banyak nama sepertinya. Di Lampung, misalnya, biasa disebut tahu bunting or literally translated as pregnant tofu, as its veggie filling makes it look like a preggy belly. Sementara di Bandung biasa disebut gehu, dan tempat lain ada juga yang menyebutkan tahu berontak karena isinya yang banyak membuatnya seolah-olah berontak dari si tahu. Satu hal yang pasti, 

Inspired by Robonator, Bo's latest creation which combined robot, alligator and tofunator- or shall I say, tofu lover :), we recently eat a lot of tofu at home. Bo et Obi love it.

So here we go.

Ingredients:

Fried tofu - it's abit different from uncooked, white tofu. Usually brown and empty inside.

Flour

Vegetable oil for frying

Garlic powder

Pepper

Coriander powder

Salt 

Sugar

Filling:

Bean sprout

Carrots

Cabbage

Scallion

Onion - sliced

Chili - as desired 

Any other vegetables you deem fit :)

How to cook:

First, we get the filling ready.

Easy breazy.. Just briefly saute onion and all the veggies then set it aside.

Then we prepare the coating flour. Mix all the spices and flour, add water and mix it well until it's tick enough but not too runny.

Once ready, cut fried tofu in a half and fill the veggies in the middle. Dip the tofu in the coating flour then fry it until golden brown. Done.. Your fried tofu with vegetables filling is ready. Eat it with chili if you like or with warm steamed rice. Yuuuum.

Memasaknya pun super gampang. 

Cepat dan mudah saja.

fill the tofu

Pertama tumis semua sayuran dan sisihkan. Lalu kita campur tepung dan semua bumbu dan air sedikit demi sedikit sampai adonan teung menjadi kental tapi tidak terlalu encer. Potong tahu pong di bagian tengah sedikit saja untuk memasukkan sayuran yang sudah ditumis tadi. Setelah selesai, celup tahu yang sudah diisi sayuran di adonan tepung lalu goreng hingga kecoklatan.

Jadi sudah tahu isi kita :).

Tinggal ditaruh di piring atau mangkok saji dan makan dengan cabe rawit untuk mereka yang suka pedas seperti saya :p. 

Super yuuum indeed.

Hope you like it and enjoy.

Botok Tempe - Steamed Spicy Tempe

Ready for another Indonesian delicious home cooking?

I am back with easy breezy Indonesian food for you to try. This time, I am still using tempe as the main ingredient.

Botok tempe, everyone?

Tempe is surely one of the most popular ingredients back home in Indonesia. This fermented soybean cake is famous for its exquisite taste and unique texture. And I have to say it's addictive! That is why I was super excited when I found that tempe is easy to find here in NYC. And I am not only talking about buying it in Asian market or shops, but I can also find tempe in many big chained supermarkets in NYC like D'Agostino and Trader Joe's. Apparently it becomes quite famous as vegan staples here. Great! So I can introduce you all with more Indonesian food using tempe as one of the ingredients.

Siapa yang tidak suka tempe?

Rasanya jarang saya menemukan orang Indonesia yang tidak suka dengan makanan sederhana namun sehat ini. Yang ada malah ketagihan seperti saya. Ke mana pun pergi, selalu menyempatkan diri (dan berusaha keras :)) mencari tempe. Rasanya kalau bisa mendapatkan tempe seperti memenangkan undian berhadiah lipstik setahun #eeeh. Dan bahagianya, di New York City tempe bukanlah bahan langka. Asal hapal jadwal tempe-tempe ini didrop di berbagai toko bahan makanan khas asia, maka tempe segar yang biasanya dipasok dari daerah Philadelphia dan New Jersey pun bisa kita nikmati. Bahkan dengan bonus bahan makanan khas tanah air lainnya seperti sambal pedas, bumbu-bumbu masakan, sampai teh kotak :).

So, what do we have here today.
I'd love to introduce you to Botok Tempe - steamed spicy tempe.
A la mama Bo et Obi :).

Kali ini saya mau berbagi resep sederhana a la dapur Astoria. 

Botok tempe :).
Botok itself is a famous dish in Indonesia and it has many varieties. It can be mainly composed of tempe, tofu, mushroom, and other vegetables. Some use grated coconut and dried fish as well. Originally, it's wrapped in banana leaves, which make it somehow more delicious, before you steam it. But for the practical reason, I just put it in the steamer without wrapping it with banana leaves. Back home, I just need to go to the backyard to fetch some banana leaves. But surely not here in NYC :).

And here we go.

Ingredients:
Tempe - one pack, cute in cubes 
Red onion or shallots - thinly slices
Garlic - peeled
Coriander - one tea spoon, seeds of powder 
Kemiri or candlenut - 2 pieces
Fresh chili - if desired
Cilantro - sliced
Salt - as desired
Sugar - as desired

Bahannya sederhana dan relatif mudah didapat, bahkan untuk teman-teman yang sedang tidak berada di Indonesia. Tempe, bawang merah, bawang putih, cabe, dan bumbu-bumbu khas Indonesia seperti ketumbar dan kemiri. Kemiri juga relatif mudah dijumpai di sini karena ternyata banyak yang menggunakannya untuk memasak. Di sini saya juga menggunakan cilantro, bukan daun bawang, karena wanginya yang khas. Berhubung tidak ada kemangi, kebanyakan adanya daun basil, maka cilantro is a good substitute.

How to cook:

Put all the spices - garlic, red onion/shallot, coriander, candlenut and chili in the grinder. I usually use stone grinder because it feels authentic, like cooking it at home (I do bring my stone grinder from Indonesia :). But you can of course use your usual grinder or food processor for this. Once it's well grounded, add tempe, coarsely grind it and mix it well with the spices. Add salt and sugar as desired. 

using the stone grinder, we mix all the ingredients

If everything is well mixed, put them in a bowl or steamer and steam it for 20 minutes. Once it's ready, it will be best to eat it with steamed rice.

ready to steam :)

You can certainly substitute or add the ingredients with tofu or mushrooms. These are two of my favorite ingredients.

Gampang kaaan buatnya. Kalau di tanah air, botok tempe biasanya dicampur dengan teri asin atau sayuran lainnya seperti pete cina ya. Tapi berhubung di sini mencari bahan-bahannya perlu perjuangan, jadi memasaknya memanfaatkan bahan yang ada. Dapet tempe aja bahagianya sampai sejagad raya :).

Bon appetite!

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 :)

Siomay time :)

Indonesia is indeed a culinary heaven.
If you have tried Indonesian food, I think you will nod as well..

We are very proud of the richness of our authentice cuisines and delicacies :).

Come to Indonesia and you instantly spot many interesting and of course delicious, culinary destinations.

And todaaay..I feel the urge of eating SIOMAY :).
Have you tried Siomay before?

Siomay is the Indonesian steamed fish cake.
We usually eat it together with hard boiled egg, steamed potatoes and cabbages, spinkled with spicy peanut sauces and sweet soy sauce on top.
Supeeer yuuum :).
If you are alergic to peanuts, you can skip the spicy peanut sauce and still enjoy this delicacy by dipping it to chili and sweet soy sauce. 

It might sound similar to shiumai that you can find in Chinese restaurant but Indonesian version is much more delicious. At least for me :)
And it's not that difficult to make.

So let's try it together..

Are you ready? 

Here are the ingredients: 

some of the ingredients..

For the siomay

-          White fish fillet, 1 lbs 

-          Fresh shrimps, 1 lbs 

-          1 medium shallot or red onion, or as you like

-          2 cloves Garlic, 

-          Salt and pepper, as needed

-          2 spoonful of fish sauce, if you like and as needed
-         Flour and tapioca flour, 1 lbs, as needed (I usually use the ratio 70%              four -30% tapioca)

-          Scallion, finely chopped
-         Grated carrots, for garnish

-          2 Eggs, for mixing 
-          Wonton skin, ready to use

If you like, you can also add the following:

-          Potatoes, steamed

-          Cabbage, briefly steamed 

-          Hard-boiled eggs

Peanut sauce

-          peanut, roasted or fried 

-          onion

-          garlic, crushed

-          chili if you like

-          brown or palm sugar

-          oil

-          salt

How to make it:

For the siomay, put the white fish fillet and fresh shrimps, together with the onion, and       garlic into the food processor and grind them all together. Once it's well mixed, add the salt and fish sauce, then add the flour and tapioca little by little to mix it well. Add the eggs and scallion and mix it well. 

Once our siomay base or the fish paste is ready, take a spoonful of it and put it in the middle of the wonton skin and shape it like a mini cupcake. you can garnish it with grated carrots on top. Steam it for about 15 - 20 minutes until it is well cooked. You can check it with the toothpick to know whether it is ready or not.

For the peanut sauce, grind the peanut, onion, garlic, chili (if you like) and palm sugar. Once it's well mixed, add some water to turn it into sauce. Warm up the skillet, put the  crushed garlic and cook it well, then pour the sauce and slow cook until it's boiling a bit and look like a thick sauce.

Serve the siomay, some hard boiled eggs, potato and cabbage,  with peanut sauce on top. 
If you can't take the peanut sauce, siomay is good to go as well without the sauce.

Hope you like it and enjoy :)

Pastel sayur dan ayam - Indonesian chicken and veggie pastel

It's cooking time again ;).

I love cooking but I don't always have time to do it. 

But then again I guess cold weather  successfully roared up my cooking spirit. Cold is creeping in and out and as always, comfort food is highly demanded :).

This time, I try to make veggie and chicken pie. A la Indonesia.

It's a bit different from regular pies we have here but as delicious as ever.

Back home, we call it pastel. 

It is usually filled with chicken, eggs, vermicelli and vegetables.
I can say it's everyone's favorite and again back home, it's easy to buy it everywhere.
But in NYC, we have to cook them ourselves, unless we want to go to Queens to my favorite restaurant ;).

Soooo... Let's cook then.
Are you ready?

We will have to prepare the pastel or crusty pie skin and the filling.

Here are the ingredients:

For the pie skin
250 gr of Flour

100 gr Butter or 50 gr butter and 50 gr vegie oil 1 Egg

Salt as needed

Water as needed

Parmesan powder if you like. I like it because it gives you the extra flavour. 

To prepare the crusty pie skin, melt the butter and pour the flour as well as the egg until they are well mixed.

Shape them into small balls and get the filling ready

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get the pastel ready..

For the filling

Chicken, cut or shredded into small pieces. You can also change it with mince beef or shrimp or any meat you like or even with no meat at all. Feel free, okay :)

Vermicelli, soften with hot water.

Carrots, cut in dice or sliced.

Green peas.

Boiled eggs, cut into small dice

Scallion, cut thinly.

Shallot or onion, sliced. I prefer shallot or red onion because it smells good. 

Garlic, crushed.

Pepper and salt as needed.

Oil as needed.

To prepare the filling, get the skillet/pan ready and put the oil until it's hot enough. Then put the garlic, shallot or onion and saute it before mixing it with chicken and cook it well until they soften and fragrant. Once the chicken is well cooked, put the carrots, peas and vermicelli and saute it for a while. Don't forget to sprinkle salt and pepper as needed. 

And there.. We are now ready to fill our pastel :).

Get the small ball of the dough, flatten it and put a spoonful of the mixed veggie and chicken, plus a small dice of boiled egg, in the middle. Fold the skin and shape it nicely.

You can shape the edge of it by using the fork and press it or like me, I pinch the edge of the dough and twisted it :)

There.. Once it's ready, you can fry it or bake it.

ready to eat :)

Serve it with chili sauce and pickles if you like.

As always, I have Bo et Obi assisted me during the process. Gladly, they did help a lot..not just messing around with the dough. And once the pastel's ready, look who's ready to devour it :).

Happy cooking..