Tinutuan (Manadonese Mixed Porridge)

When I went to a university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia I had many friends from other provinces. It was a great time to know other cultures, including their foods. My first impression of this Manadonese porridge was not that appealing...seemed like they just put everything in a bowl...However, when I tasted it, I felt in love with this food. Lucky me, I got a chance to learn how to cook it from a friend when we lived in a boarding house together.
Last week, when I made it..surprisingly enough, my 1y old daughter loved it, of course without the side dishes...

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of rice
- water
- bunch of spinach (or water morning glory)
- 1 lemon grass, cut into 5cm in length then crack it with pestle
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 3 green onion, chop thinly
- bunch of lime basil leaves
- 2 medium sized sweet potato (or squash), peel off the skin and cut into small chunks
- 1 can of corn (sweet and peaches)
- 1 tsp of ground white pepper
- salt
- sugar
- oil for saute

Side dishes:
- fried onion
- fried tofu or anchovy fritter (this time I only had fried anchovy and veggie fritter)
- fried salted fish (I did not have it this time)
- Manadonese chili paste-dabu-dabu or sambal terasi

In a big pot, boil rice, lemon grass and water until cooked and become porridge. Add some more water as needed. Add sweet potato and continue to cook until soft and then crush the sweet potato. Add corn and green onion and continue to cook until boiling again.
Meanwhile, in a pan saute garlic with a little bit of oil until brownish and then add it to the pot. Adjust the taste with pepper, salt and sugar.
At last add spinach/other veggies and basil leaves and continue to cook until boiling again.

To make dabu-dabu:
- 10 chili paddy or bird's eye chili
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 5 cloves of small red onion
- 1 tomato, cut into small chunks
- 1 lime
- salt
- sugar

In a chopper chop chili, garlic and onion until coarsely smooth. Place it in a small bowl. Add cut tomato, salt and sugar. Drizzle some lime juice and mix it well.

To serve, place the porridge in a bowl and add the side dishes. Sprinkle some fried onion on top.

Note: Please bear with the blurry picture, since I was shaking when taking it...too starving maybe!