Stir Fried Spinach and Mushroom

This meal is a combination of two veggies that we like the most. It is very simple and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
- a bunch of spinach, wash and cut
- 350gr mushroom, wash and cut into 4 each
- 6 cloves of garlic, chop thinly
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- salt
- 2 tsp ground white pepper
- water

In a pan, saute garlic with sesame oil until brownish. Add mushroom and cook until half-cooked. Add 1/2 cup of water and salt and pepper to taste. Add more sesame oil as needed. At last add spinach and cook for another 2minutes.

Lime-Grilled Chicken (Ayam Bakar Jeruk Nipis)

It has been a while I have not been cooking chicken, whilst chicken is my husband's favorite meat. So yesterday I cooked this yummy grilled chicken for him. He likes it so much.

Ingredients:
- 6 whole chicken legs/chicken maryland
- 3 lime
- 5 cloves of small red onion
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 5 lime leaves
- 1/3 can of coconut milk
- sweet soy sauce as much as you like
- salt
- oil for saute

Side dish:
- green salad
- mandarin orange Asian dressing with sesame seeds

Drizzle 1.5 lime on chicken legs, sprinkle some salt and let it set for 15min.
While waiting, chop the onion and garlic in a chopper. Saute them with a little bit of oil in a frying pan for 2min. Add lime leaves and continue to saute for another 2min. Add the lime-salt marinated chicken legs. Cook for 10min. Add sweet soy sauce and coconut milk. Bring to boil and flip over the chicken occasionally. Continue to cook for another 10min.
While cooking, slice thinly the rest of lime. Preheat an oven at 350F for 5min.
When it is ready, place the chicken on aluminum pan and put sliced lime on top of the chicken one each. Grilled for 15min for each side, or until it is well cooked.
Serve with warm steam rice, green salad with your favorite dressing and belacan chili paste (Indonesian-sambal terasi)

Spinach and Tofu Rice Porridge

Spinach is a rich source of iron. Moreover it contains calcium, vitamin A, C, E, K, magnesium and antioxidant. Tofu is rich of protein. Combination of the two of them, makes this porridge very healthy.

Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp Jasmine rice, rinse it
- 1/2 block of medium firm tofu, chop into very small pieces
- 60gr of chicken meat
- 6 spinach leaves, chop into very small pieces
- a little bit of salt
- water

In a small pot, boil chicken meat with water until tender. Take out the meat and chop into very small pieces. You may use chopper to make fine coarse (for the meat and spinach too). Use the broth to cook rice. Cook for app. 25min, stir it occasionally and add some water as needed until the rice becomes porridge. Add chopped spinach and tofu and continue to cook for 5min. Add a little bit of salt to taste. Stir it evenly. Place it in small containers and feed it to your baby or keep it in fridge or freezer for longterm use.

Note: before feeding it to baby, make sure that it is not too hot which may burn the tongue.

"Me Style" Fried Vermicelli (Bihun Goreng)

I cooked this one last week, but did not have time to post it here. Today is Sunday and while waiting for the "Amazing Race" program on TV, I am typing it (apparently it is pushed back because they broadcasted the football games first).

Ingredients:
- 1 package of vermicelli noodles
- 3 egg
- 3 hotdog sausage, cut into small pieces
- 8 beef balls, cut into 4 each
- 100gr beef/chicken meat, slice thinly
- 50gr dried shredded black fungus
- 3 green onion, chop thinly
- 5 cloves of small red onion, chop thinly
- 6 cloves of garlic, chop thinly
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 3 Tbsp sweet soy sauce, add more as needed
- salt
- ground white pepper
- oil
- water

Preparation:
In a pot, boil vermicelli with water until cooked (not too soft). Drain the noodle with a strainer. While it is still hot, add a little bit of oil, mix it evenly. Add the sweet soy sauce and mix it again until all the noodle changed color to brownish. Put it aside.
In a small pot, boil water. Add the shredded black fungus and cook for 5min or until tender. Put it aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg. And then scramble with a little bit of salt and pepper. Put it aside.

Now to make the fried vermicelli use a big non sticky pan. Saute chopped onion and garlic with a little bit of oil for 2min. Add the beef/chicken meat and continue to cook. Add cut sausage and beef balls. Continue to cook for app. 10min. Add fish sauce, salt, pepper and a little bit of sweet soy sauce. Add the vermicelli and stir it evenly. Add chopped green onion and cooked black fungus. Stir it evenly. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. At last pour in the scrambled egg.
Serve while it is hot. Sprinkle some fried onion on top.

Potato and Egg Yolk Puree

Egg yolk can be introduced to baby who are 8mo old and older. It is source of protein and fatty acids and major source of egg's vitamin and mineral. The easiest way to prepare the egg yolk is by boiling egg and then taking out the egg yolk and mashing it with a fork. You may mix the egg yolk with rice porridge or cooked veggies. This time I made mashed potato and mixed it with the boiled egg yolk. My Bianca loves it.

Ingredients:
- 2 egg (1 egg yolk per serving)
- mashed potato (see how to make it on "Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Dill Sauce")

Boil the two egg and when it is cooked, separate the yolk and the white. Use only the egg yolk to feed your baby, whilst you may used the white for other menu. In a small container, mash the cooked egg yolk with a fork until smooth and then mix it with the mashed potato. Add some hot water as needed. Serve the freshly made for your baby, do not keep in the fridge nor freezer, because the mashed potato will get so dry and does not taste as good as the fresh one.

Beef Rendang

Even though I am not in a good heath now, cooking still has to go on, cause we still have to eat. Luckily the back pain is not that bad during the day, so I manage to cook something. Yesterday I made beef rendang from scratch (normally I used instant seasoning, but this time I did not have it). I copied the recipe from Lia Surabaya, with a little modification in the quantity and also because I did not have big red chili and could not find the turmeric leaves here in Canada.
It turned out well in term of taste, however the color is a bit pale, maybe because it missed the red chili.

Ingredients:
- 1.5kg lean meat, cut into small chunk
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 tsp tamarind
- 8 lime leaves
- 1 lemon grass, cut into 2cm in length
- 20 chili paddy or bird's eye chili (this will make the rendang really spicy)
- 7 cloves of small red onion (in Indonesia the red onion is normally smaller than what we have here in Canada, so 7 is enough I think)
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 3cm galangal
- 4cm ginger
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp ground white pepper
- 4 star anise (Indonesian=buah pekak)
- salt
- 200ml water

In a cup, put tamarind, star anise and water. Microwave it for 1.5min. Take out of the microwave with care and stir it. Put it back and microwave for another 1min. Take it out and stir until all the tamarind distributes evenly. Take out the star anise. In a blender, put the star anise and blend with all the ingredients except meat, coconut milk, and 5 lime leaves (put the other 3 in). Blend with the tamarind juice until smooth.
In a pot, place the cut meat, the smooth blended seasoning and the lime leaves. Cook under medium heat for 30min. Add coconut milk, stir occasionally and continue to cook until all the water/juice immersed and the meat tender.
Serve while it is hot with steam rice.

Shrimp a La King

Last Saturday I bought some shrimp and ground pork with a thought that I would make fried wonton. However, yesterday instead of making wonton I decided to cook the shrimp separately and I chose to cook this meal.

Ingredients:
- 500gr headless shrimp, peel of skin, leave the tail on
- 1 onion, chop thinly
- 1 package of a La King seasoning powder
- 300gr mushroom, wash and cut into 4 each
- 1 green bell pepper, wash and cut into small pieces
- 250ml milk
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- salt

In a bowl whisk the seasoning powder with 250ml milk. Put it aside. In a pan, saute the onion with butter for 2min. Add the shrimp and continue to cook for 4min. Add the bell pepper and mushroom, continue to cook for 2min. Pour in the seasoning mix and stir it constantly until thick consistency appears. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Do not overcook the shrimp nor the veggies.

Batakese Seasoned Tilapia (Arsik Ikan)

My mother in law used to say that if you want to be acknowledge as Batakese's wife you have to be able to cook Sang-sang and Arsik. Since my husband comes from Batakese tribe, I have tried to adapt some of the cultures, which includes the foods. When I first cooked Arsik, my husband said that it was delicious. Well I guess I passed the first test then. For next I still have to learn how to make Sang-sang.

Ingredients:
- 2 Tilapia fish, clean out the stomach and skin
- 1 lime
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 8 cloves of small red onion
- chili paddy or bird's eye chili (as much as you like)
- 2 tsp Sezchuan pepper (Indonesian=andaliman)
- 6 candle nut
- 4 lemon grass, cut into 4cm in length
- 2 tsp tamarind
- 6cm galangal, cut into 3
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- a bunch of basil leaves (Indonesian=daun kemangi)
- salt
- sugar
- water

Cut lime in half and squeeze out the juice on top of the fish. Let it immerse for 15min. Meanwhile, in a blender, blend garlic, onion, chili, Sezchuan pepper, candle nut, salt and half of the lemon grass until smooth. Add some water as needed. Make tamarind juice by mixing the tamarind with 250ml hot water, and then discard the pulp.
Fill up the fish stomach with smooth blended seasoning. Do not forget to add ground turmeric to the seasoning and mix it well just before filling up the stomach cavity. In a big pan, arrange the remaining lemon grass and galangal and then place the fish on top of it. Pour the rest of the seasoning. Cook under medium heat. Add tamarind juice and a little bit sugar and stir (be very careful not to flip over the fish too many times). Cook until done in one side and then flip over the fish and continue to cook until both sides are cooked. You may cover the pan with the lid during cooking.
At last add the basil leaves just before turning off the stove.
Serve with warm steam rice.

Chicken and Beef Balls Noodle (Bakmi Ayam dan Bakso Sapi)

Last Sunday we had good friends coming over to our place, since the kids had not been seeing Bianca for awhile. I prepared this meal for them. It's good to eat on a rainy day. This recipe is good to make 10 bowls of noodle.

Ingredients:
- 1 package egg noodle
- 400gr caisim/mustard green (see above picture)
- 1 can of preserved cabbage (tongcai)
- fried onion
- chili sauce
- water to boil
- frying oil

In a pot, boil water, when it is boiling add the egg noodle and cook until soft. Drain all the water and instantly add oil and stir the noodle to distribute oil evenly.
Boil the vegetable/caisim until half cooked. Drain the water and put the vegetable aside.

To make the soup:
- the broth from 4 whole chicken leg
- 20 beef balls
- 3 green onion, wash and chop thinly
- 2lt water
- 1 cube chicken broth
- salt
- sugar
- ground white pepper

In a big pot, boil chicken in 2lt water until cooked. Take out the chicken and put it aside (to make topping). Add beef balls into the broth. Add chicken broth cube, salt, sugar and pepper. Continue to cook for another 10min. At last add chopped green onion. Make this soup not too salty, since the topping will add the saltiness.

To make chicken topping:
- 4 cooked whole chicken leg
- 2 can of whole straw mushroom
- 4cm ginger
- 6 cloves of garlic, chop thinly
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
- 3 green onion, wash and chop thinly
- ground white pepper
- sugar
- water
- oil for saute

Shred the chicken meat into small pieces and discard the bones. In a pan, saute the garlic and ginger for 2min. Add the shredded chicken meat, continue to stir. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and sugar. Add mushroom and then sweet soy sauce, stir constantly. Add water as needed. Add green onion and adjust the taste.

To serve in a bowl, place the noodle first, and then vegetable and chicken topping. Pour the soup and beef balls on top of it. Sprinkle some preserve cabbage and fried onion. Add some chili sauce if you like it spicy. Serve while it is hot.

Beef and Carrot Rice Porridge

Since Bianca 8mo old and has her little teeth, I started giving her coarse food (no need to blend into smooth and thin consistency). This porridge is easy to make and healthy.

Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp jasmine rice
- 60gr of beef
- 1 carrot, peel, wash and cut into small chunk
- water
- salt

In a pot boil beef in water until tender. Take out the meat and chop into fine coarse and put it aside. Use the broth to cook rice. Cook for app. 20min until the rice becomes porridge, add some water as needed. While cooking the rice, chop carrot in a chopper. Add the fine coarse beef and carrot to the porridge and continue to cook for another 5min. Add a little bit of salt to taste. Keep it in small containers for one serving or to keep in a fridge/freezer for longterm use.

Indonesian Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng)

This is one of known Indonesian foods which you may find in Indonesian restaurant worldwide. In Indonesia there are lot of food stalls that have this fried rice in their menus. As for me, fried rice sold at street vendor is the best.

Ingredients:
- 2 plates of steam rice, keep it in fridge for one night to make it dry
- 100gr lean meat/beef/chicken, boil in water and shred it into small pieces
- 2 beef/chicken sausage/hotdog, cut into small pieces
- 8 beef balls, cut into 4 pieces each
- 2 egg
- 2 green onion, wash and chop thinly
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 5 cloves of small red onion
- 5 red chili, you may add more chili if you like spicy
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
- salt
- oil

In a pan scramble the egg with a little bit of oil until dry. Put it aside. In a blender, blend garlic, onion, chili and shrimp paste until smooth. Then saute it with oil in a big nonstick frying pan. Add the meat, beef balls and sausage and continue to fry for 3minutes. Add tomato paste, fish sauce and sweet soy sauce. Add steam rice and mix it well. Adjust the taste with salt and sweet soy sauce. At last sprinkle chopped green onion and scrambled egg. Serve while hot. Garnish it with cut fresh cucumber and/or tomato and/or lettuce.

Note: Basically you can use any kind of meat for fried rice and you may add mixed vegetable (corn, carrot, peas) to it too.

Apple and Red Kidney Beans Puree

Red kidney bean is an excellent source of fiber, iron and magnesium. However it is a source of toxin as well if it is eaten raw or prepared with slow cooking. The toxicity is eliminated by cooking it under high heat for at least 10minutes.
Since Bianca 8mo old, I have given her these well-cooked beans mixed with apple. I noticed Bianca has constipation if she eats too much of it for more than two days.

Ingredients:
- 2 red delicious apple, peel, discard the core, wash and cut into big chunk
- 100gr red kidney beans, soak it in water over nightly
- pear/apple juice for baby or water

In a pot, cook the soaked beans with water under high heat until tender. Add the apple and continue to cook until soft. Put it in a blender and blend it until smooth. Add some juice if you find the blade is hardly moved. Place the puree in small containers for one serve or to keep in the fridge or freezer for longterm use.

Stir Fried Beef Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Cah Brokoli Sapi Saus Tiram)

It is good to be home again after almost two weeks vacationing with the Sianturi's. Well, the vacation was great, but when you got back you will feel a lot more tired even though during the holiday you did not do any job, most of time you did not have enough sleep either.
It's been a while I did not post anything to this blog. We are back to our routine niche, so hopefully I will have enough time to cook and to post it here.

Ingredients:
- 1lb lean meat, slice thinly
- a bunch of broccoli, wash and cut
- 5 cloves of garlic, chop
- 4cm of ginger, crack it with pestle
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- salt
- sugar
- water
- oil for saute

In a pan, saute garlic with a little bit of oil until brownish. Add the ginger and continue to saute for another minute. Add thinly sliced meat and continue to cook until done. Pour the oyster sauce and add a little bit of water. Add ground black pepper and adjust the taste with salt and sugar. At last add the broccoli, stir for couple minutes. It may be served together with steam rice.