Steamed Brownie

I had a piece of this steamed brownie and I could feel both my tongue and my tummy said... "WOW!!!" It was one of the most wonderful tastes they've ever had... it's good, it's complicated... all combined to make one whole yumminess!!! Brownie... Indonesian style, so it's steamed instead of baked. From many sources in the internet... and a few experiments. So here it is.

(There are 4 parts of ingredients. Please combine them first as per part -- except the last one -- before mixing the different parts further)

Part one :

6 large eggs

225 gr sugar

1/2 tsp salt

10 gr vegetarian cake emulsifier (optional; but without this, you will have a denser brownie)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Part two:

125 gr all-purpose flour (better yet, cake flour)

60 gr cacao

3/4 tsp baking powder

Part three:

175 ml vegetable oil (no olive oil, please! Olive oil can alter the taste)

125 gr dark cooking chocolate

Part four:

75 ml sweetened condensed milk

Heat up the steamer on high heat. Lightly grease a standard cake pan.

With high speed, cream part one ingredients until the batter becomes stiff and fluffy. If you use no emulsifier, the batter may not become as stiff as expected. This takes about 15 minutes. Then gently fold-in all part two's ingredients untill well-blended. Last but not least, mix-in all part three's ingredients.

Divide the batter into three parts.

Pour the first part into the pan. Lower the heat to medium (about 4 to 5, scale 0-8). Important note (!!!): cover the steamer with a towel before closing the lid. The towel will absorb the water from the lid. Steam the first batch for 15 minutes.

Mix the sweetened condensed milk into the second batch and pour over the cooked first batch. Steam for another 15 minutes.

Pour the third batch and steam for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely before removing from pan. Cut into pieces. The brownie will get denser after it sits for a couple hours or more.

Enjoy!!!

Baked Honey Chicken

I grew up with this chicken dish. Having a mother who went to a NHI for college is a blast because you get to experience nice cooking experiments from around the world as a child. I've experimented many versions of this honey chicken dish, and yet so far, the following recipe is a wonderful one. A lot of friends I've made this dish for are pleased with the result. I'm still experimenting with a simpler version, however, knowing this one already has big fans lining up for it, I think this dish is ready for the world. ;-)

8 pieces of chicken thigh (feel free to replace it with other chicken cuts. I just find this easier to manage)

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp chili sauce (optional)

2 tbsp indonesian sweet soy sauce

1 medium onion - quartered

1/2 bulb garlic

salt and black pepper

1/4 cup brown sugar

Heat the oven on 350-375 F. Mix all the condiment together and taste first (!). Feel free to add more stuff as necessary. When you're done, coat the chicken with the sauce. Place the chicken on the pan top-side up.Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken and bake again for another 20 minutes. Turn the chicken again to darken the top surface for another 5 minutes. Remove completely from the oven.

Cool down for about 5 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Note: best served with garlic meshed potatoes. yumm!

Mba Jumi's Balado Tenggiri (Mackarel Scad in Spicy Sauce)

I came across this dish at a friend's house. Mba Jumi (an incredible friend and cook) made a number of dish for a few of us and this fish dish was a hit! The spiciness built up as we ate more and more of the fish. The fish texture was also sooo right for this dish. We compared it with tilapia fish (although you could still make it with tilapia). I couldn't take my mind off that dish and I pretty much became so determined to make it. After a couple weeks, I finally saw Mba Jumi again last night and I 'interrogated' her about the recipe, the tips, etc. So, here it is!

for the fish:

6 mackerel scad fish (a smaller kind of mackerel, about 10-inch/25-cm long and 2-inch/5-cm in diameter), washed clean and gutted

2 tbsp white vinegar mixed with 1/2 liter water

salt and white pepper

1 cup corn starch or tapioca starch

1/2 cup canola oil for frying the fish

for the sauce:

1 medium-size onion

1 bulb garlic

2 red thai chilies (or 1 tbsp sambal bajak or 1 tbsp 'sambal oelek' ground chili paste)

1 tsp terasi/ belacan (fermented shrimp paste)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp white pepper

5 candle nuts (kemiri)

2 tbsp sugar

3 lime leaves (slice into 2-3 pieces per leave)

2 medium tomatoes, quartered

With food processor, process all the spices together except the lime leaves and the tomatoes to make a fine-textured paste. 

Heat up the oil on medium heat. 

Clean the fish well and make sure the fish are well-gutted and the gills are gone. Soak the fish in the vinegar mix for 1-2 minutes inside-out. Discard the vinegar mix and rub all inside and outside surfaces thinly with salt and white pepper. Leave for about 5 minutes and coat with the starch. Fry the fish, about 3-5 minutes for each side. Remove fish from the pan and drain the excess oil.

Discard half of the oil and reheat the rest of the oil on medium-low heat. Pour the spice paste and stir until it becomes fragrant. Put in the leaves and the tomatoes, cook until all the tomatoes blend in with the spice paste and the juice adds up to the sauce. At this point you have to taste it and feel free to add either salt or sugar (or even chili paste!!) to reach the desired taste. Combine the fish into the sauce and stir until all the fish surface are covered with the sauce. Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off altogether and cover the pan with the lid for another 5-10 minutes to nicely settle all the flavor. 

Remove to a nice plate and serve with warm rice. Enjoy!

Banana - Chocolate Spring Roll

The first time I had this was about 17 years ago when I was waiting for the Marching Band practice to start. It is commonly known in Indonesian language as Pisang Coklat (Chocolate Banana - given the taste and the ingredients). I had it at a small cafetaria across the street from SMA 3 (#3 Public High School, that's how public school's named in Jakarta), about 4 blocks away from my Junior High complex. I was soooo surprised by the complexity of the texture and the simplicity of the taste. This desserts is so wellknown in Jakarta, even people would drive to there out of nowhere to get it. Being a culinary enthusiast, I've felt challenged to find out the best way to make it with the best ingredients so that at least I can say that MY version of Pisang Coklat is the best ever! (best enjoyed very warm with vanilla ice cream and chocolate shaving on top)

10 sheets of spring roll pastry (get the more expensive ones because they don't break easily)
5 normal size bananas, cut into two shorter pieces*
5 (very generous) tbsp nutella or other chocolate spread**
2 tsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup canola oil for frying

Rotate the sheet so that the corner is facing you (diamond shape). With the chocolate spread, make a square in the middle and keep clear up to 1-1/2 inches from each edge. Leave the sheet clear about over 2 inches from the far-side corner. Place the banana on the sheet with the long side facing toward you. Start to make one full roll then fold the sides in and finish the roll. Use the butter to glue the remaining of the pastry. Make sure there's no hole around the sheet. Finish the remaining of the ingredients.

Heat up the oil on medium heat. Fry the rolls one by one and turn over untill all surface turns golden brown. Remove from pan and pat with paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Keep warm in the oven.

* Make sure the chocolate is straightened first prior to rolling
** You can also use melted normal chocolate too (preferrably dark.. mmmmm). Chocolate almonds, mint-chocolate, etc. can be used too... :-)

Stir-fry Chicken Crunch

The first time I tasted this food was 10 years ago at Sapo Oriental at Pondok Indah Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia. It was called Ayam Kacang Mede (Stir-fry Chicken with Cashew Nuts). I don't have the slightest idea if the restaurant still existed (since I've been out of the country for a few years) but nevertheless they introduced new twists in Chinese cooking to my palate. The crunch of course comes from the nuts used in this recipe. We could make some crispy chicken first before adding the sauce but that's for another recipe. Now I'm creating the simpler and way quicker version of it and (I think) it tastes way better. :-)

One chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch wide fingers
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/2 x 1/2 -inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, and cut into 1/2 x 1/2 -inch pieces
5 tbsp Maggie seasoning
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup salted roasted mixed nuts, containing at least 3 amongst peanuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. (preferrably the ones with honey)

Heat up oil on high heat. Put the onion first and stir fry for about 20 seconds then add the garlic and the bell pepper. Stir fry for another 20 seconds. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken immediately. Cook untill browned here and there. Pour the seasoning and mix well. Keep on stirring for another 5 minutes. Finally add the nuts in. Mix untill the nuts are thoroughly coated with the sauce, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cilantro. Mix well and serve.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Twist

This is not a new recipe. In fact I grew up with the same dish but different taste at different places. The Twist lies in the combination of versions that I've known all my life. I can't say how many since it's been years and years of food adventuring in different parts of the world so why don't we let the result speaks for itself!

2-half chicken breast, halved horizontally (now it becomes 4 thinner pieces)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour*
1 egg, whisk and mix with 2 tbsp water
1 cup fine bread crumbs (approximately)
1/2 cup oil for frying (preferrably olive oil or other healthy cooking oil)

4 garlic cloves, peel and chop roughly
1/2 medium onion, chop into big pieces
2 cups of pineapple pieces (about 1/2 x 1/2-inch in size)
4 medium tomatoes (preferrably each in different colours), quartered.
2 tbsp heinz ketchup**
1 medium red pepper, seeded and slice into 1 x 1-inch pieces
1/4 fresh cilantro, roughly chopped.
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oil (preferrably olive or other healthy cooking oil)

Heat up the oil on medium heat. Meanwhile dust the chicken breast with the flour, coat with egg mixture then roll on the bread crumbs. Repeat the steps on the egg and the bread crumbs to make a thick coating. This will make a crispier surface. Fry on medium heat untill golden brown. This will take approximately 8-10 minutes on each side. Remove from the frying pan and pat with paper towel to absorb the oil. Put on to a serving plate.

For the sauce: heat up the oil on high heat. Stir fry onion for 10 seconds then follow with garlic. Reduce the heat to medium and keep on stir-frying for about 2 minutes. Put in the tomato pieces then stir fry untill the tomatoes a little bit brown in colour here and there and untill they become soft. Crush the tomatoes to release the juice. Lower the heat to let more juice released from the tomatoes. Add salt, sugar and ketchup. Stir for another minute then add pineapple pieces. Stir for 2-3 minutes to let the pineapple juice nicely combine with the overall sauce. Mix the cilantro in and stir for about 30 seconds. Taste, if necessary add more salt and/or sugar.

Pour the sauce over the breaded chicken breasts and serve with either warm rice or thick toasts.

* Some people use all-purpose flour first before coating meats (in this case, chicken) with egg. The flour will help the chicken-meat surface to catch the egg liquid better. However, this is not a must.

** The ketchup already has a vinegar-wise taste combined with sweet tomato taste. Since ketchup is generally a staple in every kitchen, it's easier to get the sweet-sour taste from the ketchup instead of mixing different ingredients.