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!

Woku Chicken (Ayam Woku)

Again...another Manadonese meal...
I made it less spicy than usual, since I still had coughing and sore throat.

Ingredients:
- 5 whole chicken leg, cut into 4 each
- 6 cloves garlic
- 6 cloves small red onion
- 5 cm of ginger
- 3 cm of turmeric
- 6 chili paddy or bird's eye chili
- 5 candle nuts
- 3 lemongrass, use only 3/4 from the bottom, chop into small pieces
- 6 lime leaves
- a bunch of basil leaves (Indonesian-daun kemangi)
- 1 tomato, cut into 8
- 1 lime, use the juice
- salt
- sugar
- oil for saute
- water

Put the chicken in a big bowl and add the lime juice, mix it and let it immerse for 30 minutes.
In a chopper/grinder, put garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, chili, candle nuts and cut lemongrass, and grind it (Christian normally likes it a bit coarse). In a pan, saute this ground spices with a little bit oil for 2 minutes. Add salt and sugar. Add the chicken and cook, stir it occasionally. Add some water and continue to cook until the chicken tender and the water thicken. At last add the lime and basil leaves and also the tomato. Adjust the taste with salt and sugar.

Red Kidney Beans Soup (Sup Brenebon)

This is another Manadonese meal which I learned to make during my uni years. Really a great treat for the entire family during winter time.

Ingredients:

- 500gr red kidney beans, soak it in water overnightly
- 600gr pork ribs or pork leg, cut into small chunk
- 1 clove onion (Indonesian-bawang bombay), chop thinly
- 5 cloves garlic, slice thinly
- 2 green onion, chop thinly
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- sugar
- water
- oil for saute

In a big pot cook the soaked beans and water until half tender. Then add the pork ribs/pork leg. Cook until both of them really tender.
In a pan, saute the onion and garlic with a little bit oil for 1-2 minutes. Pour it into the pot. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and sugar bring to taste. Lastly, sprinkle the chopped green onion.
Serve it while it is hot.

Note: You may sprinkle some fried onion too if you like.

Pork/Chicken Rica-Rica

During my uni years, I used to live in a boarding house that have a Manadonese staying. I got along quite well with her and some of her friends too. She likes to cook and one day.. lucky me..she taught me to make Rica-Rica. In the native language, Rica means spicy or chili.

So watch out! for you who can not take spicy food, you better minimize the number of chili you add. I am not responsible for burning lips...

Ingredients:
- 600 gr of Pork (shoulder part is preferred) or chicken thigh, cut into small pieces
- 4 lemongrass, use 3/4 from the bottom
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 8 cloves of small red onion
- 4 cm of ginger
- 2 cm of turmeric
- a bunch of basil leaves
- 4 lime leaves
- chili paddy= bird's eye chili pepper= cabe rawit (you decide the number)
- salt
- sugar
- oil for saute

Put all the ingredients in a blender except the basil leaves, meat and oil. Blend all together until smooth. In a frying pan, saute the smooth blended spices for 1-2minutes. Put the meat in, lower the heat and stir occasionally until cooked. Put the basil leaves at last.
Taste it and adjust your preference with sugar and salt.
Eat while hot with warm steam rice and fresh cucumber or lettuce.

Note: In the picture, instead of putting the basil leaves at the end I blended it together with all the spices, so you can not see the leaves. Some people may like to put tomato, I don't coz tomato makes the food easily spoil.