Indonesian Cucumber Pickles

Ingredients: 
1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into small cubes
5 bird's eye chillies
3 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp salt
3 to 4 tsp sugar
6 tbs water

In a bowl mix the vinegar, salt, sugar and water together. Pour in the cubed cucumber and whole chillies, mix it well. Put it in the refrigerator for few hours before serving.

Note: To the pickle you can add a tablespoon of sliced shallots and carrots.

Vanilla Cupcake

This by far the simplest and the best cupcake recipe i've ever tried. I reduced the amount of sugar in this recipe because it's a little too sweet for me, you can find the recipe in http://www.joyofbaking.com/VanillaCupcakes.html. You can decorate the cupcakes however you like, these sweet treats are the best for any kind of celebrations.

Ingredients:

For the cupcake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 

3 eggs

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest from 1 lemon

11/2 cup all purpose flour

11/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

60 ml milk

For the buttercream frosting

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs milk

Choice of food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 175 ˚C, line 12 muffin cups with paper liner.
2. In a large mixing bowl with an electric or a hand mixer beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beat well on each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine well the flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture and milk in three additions, mix it very well and not too long. 
5. Fill the muffin form evenly, about 3/4 full on each cup. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes and let it completely cool before frosting.
6. For the buttercream frosting: In a mixing bowl with an electric or a hand mixer beat the butter until its creamy and soft. Add the vanilla extract. On low speed add gradually the powdered sugar, beat until well mixed. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Add choice of food coloring and mix it well with your spatula. Decorate the cupcakes as you desired, you can use either a piping bag or icing spatula and top it with edible cupcake decorations.

Nasi Gila

One of Jakarta's popular street food

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 sausages, thin sliced
2 tbs cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sweet soy sauce
1 tbs tomato sauce
1 tsp or more chilli sauce
2 plates steamed rice
Fried shallots

In a cooking pan, preheat 2 table spoon cooking oil over medium  high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, add the sausages and cook until lightly brown, create an empty space on your pan and add the eggs, leave it cook for about 1 minute and then stir until scrambled. Stir everything to combine. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, cook and stir until well combined. Serve over steamed rice, sprinkle with the fried shallots.

Note: You can add sliced meatballs or shredded fried chicken to the ingredients.

Grilled Chicken With Mango Salsa

This is one of my husband favourite dish, it's very easy to make and the flavour is like party in your mouth. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do. 

Ingredients:
500g chicken breast fillet
2 tbs olive oil
21/2 tbs lime juice
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper

For the mango salsa:
1 mango, peeled and diced
3 stalks spring onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
3 tbs lime juice
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
1 bird's eye chilli, chopped (optional)
Cilantro leaves

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice, paprika powder, garlic powder, crushed garlic, salt and pepper, mix it well. Add the chicken into the plastic bag, mix until well coated and marinate it for few hours in the refrigerator. 
2. For the mango salsa: In a bowl combine all the salsa ingredients and mix it well, adjust seasoning if necessary. Put it in a refrigerator for few hours before serving. 
3. In a grill pan, preheat olive oil over medium high heat. Grill the chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
4. Top grilled chicken with mango salsa, serve it immediately. 

Simple Paella

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice

3 tbs cooking oil

100g chorizo (Spanish sausage), cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red paprika, chopped
300 g fresh or frozen peeled prawn, thawed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sweet paprika powder
A pinch of saffron
1 cup frozen green peas
800 ml water
3 tsp chicken stock powder
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges and chopped cilantro for garnish

1. In a skillet, preheat 1 tbs cooking oil and cook the prawns for about 2 to 3 minutes or until its pink (do not overcook the prawns), set aside.
2. In a large cooking pan with lid, preheat 2 tbs cooking oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook it until glassy, add the chorizo pieces and cook until its golden brown. 
3. Add the garlic, paprika, cook for few minutes and then add the rice, turmeric powder, paprika powder, saffron, mix it well. Pour the water and add the chicken stock powder, stir until well combined and let it boil until most of the liquid is absorbed, put the lid on and turn the heat to low. Let it stand for about 8 minutes or until the rice is cooked, uncover and stir. 
4. Pour the green peas over rice and then lay the prawns, put the lid back on and let it cook for another 5 minutes or until the peas are cooked through. Uncover, season it with salt and pepper, stir until well combined. Serve it with lemon wedges and chopped cilantro.

Soba Shrimp Pad Thai

Recipe from Men's Health Magazine Deutschland 

Ingredients:

200g soba 

300g shrimps

2 tbs peanut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs peanut butter

1 tbs honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs chilli sauce

1 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

5 tbs water

1 paprika, diced

100 g champignon, sliced

3 stalks spring onion, sliced

Salt and pepper

20g roasted peanuts, crushed

Lime, cut into wedges

• In a bowl combine the garlic, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli sauce and 5 tbs water. Mix it well.
• In a pot, bring water to boil and cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• In a cooking pan, preheat 1 tbs peanut oil over medium heat and cook the shrimps for about 2 to 3 minutes or until its pink. Set aside.
• In the same cooking pan, add 1 tbs peanut oil and sauté the paprika and mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Add the spring onion, peanut butter mixture, soba noodles and the shrimps. Stir until well combined and remove from heat.
• Garnish it with roasted peanuts and lime wedges.

Sweet and Sour Fish (Ikan Asam Manis)

Ingredients:

450g white fish fillet, pat dried with paper towel, cut into approximately 2,5 cm squares  

2 tbs all purpose flour 

2 tbs tapioca starch

1 tsp chicken stock powder

Salt and pepper

Cooking oil for deep frying

For Sweet and Sour Sauce:

2 tbs cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, bruised

1 onion, sliced

2 stalks spring onion, diagonally sliced 

1 red chilli, diagonally sliced

4 tbs tomato sauce

2 tbs sugar

1 tsp chicken stock powder

300 ml water

Salt and pepper

1 tsp tapioca starch, mix it with few tbs of water

• In a plate combine the flour, tapioca starch, chicken stock powder, salt and pepper. Preheat the cooking oil over medium high heat. Add the fish fillets into the flour mixture, turn them around until well coated. Deep fry the fish fillets for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown, remove from oil, place them onto absorbent paper for few minutes and transfer them to a serving dish. 
• For the sauce, preheat oil over medium high heat, add the garlic and onions, cook until fragrant. Add the spring onions, chilli and cook them for about 2 minutes, add water, tomato sauce, chicken stock powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Once its boiling add the tapioca mixture, stir until thickened, remove from heat and pour it over the fried fish. Serve it immediately with steamed rice.

Teriyaki Chicken Burger

Ingredients:
400g chicken breast fillet
4 slices pineapple (canned or fresh)
150 ml teriyaki sauce*
1 onion, sliced
4 slices any choice of cheese
Chilli flakes
4 hamburger buns

• In a resealable plastic bag, marinate the chicken breast fillet with teriyaki sauce for an hour or so.
• In a grill pan, grill the pineapple slices for 3 minutes on each side over medium high heat or until golden brown.
• Preheat oven to 160 ˚C
• Remove the chicken from the marinade, grill them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown over medium high heat. In a saucepan boil the teriyaki marinade and set it aside.
• Toast the burger buns for 1 to 2 minutes in the oven. 
• Briefly grill the onion slices.
• Place on each bun the grilled chicken with 1 table spoon of teriyaki sauce, cheese, pineapple, chilli flakes and onion. Enjoy!

Indonesian Chicken Satay (Sate Ayam)

Ingredients:

500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes 

1 shallots, sliced

1 tbs cooking oil

1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) 

2 tbs peanut sauce*

Wooden skewers, soak skewers in water for few hours to prevent burning

*Peanut sauce:

100g peanut butter

3 shallots

2 cloves garlic

3 - 4 candlenuts 

1 red chillies

2 tbs cooking oil

1 tbs sweet soy sauce

100 ml water (use more if the sauce is too thick for you)

A dash of sugar

Salt to taste

Garnish:

A drizzle of sweet soy sauce

Cucumber pickles 

Fried shallots

Chilli sauce (sambal oelek)

1. For peanut sauce: In a food processor puree the garlic, shallots, cooking oil, candle nuts, red chilli until smooth and sauté it in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant. Stir in the peanut butter, sweet soy sauce and water, mix it well, season it with salt and a dash of sugar.
2. In a bowl, combine the chicken thighs, shallots, cooking oil, sweet soy sauce, peanut sauce and sprinkle it with salt. Marinate it for about 1 hour. 
3. Skewer the chicken meat onto wooden skewers, about 4 to 5 cubes of chicken thighs for each skewer. 
4. Preheat grill pan over medium high heat, drizzle it with coking oil. Grill the chicken satay for 4 minutes on each side or until its golden brown and the meat is cooked through. 
5. Place the chicken satay in a serving dish, pour the peanut sauce over and drizzle it with sweet soy sauce. Serve the chicken satay with steamed rice, pickles, chilli sauce and sprinkle with the fried shallots.

Semur Daging (Indonesian Beef Stew) ala My Mom

Ingredients:
500 g beef stew, cubed
2 tbs cooking oil
4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cinnamon stick
1 red chilli, diagonally sliced
2 bay leaves
1 lt water
50 ml sweet soy sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
4 small potatoes, peeled, cut into half
Salt and pepper to taste

How To Cook:

• Heat the oil in the cooking pot, add the shallots and garlic, cook until fragrant and then add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and chilli, cook it for about 2 minutes.
• Add the meat and brown them at all sides.
• Add the water, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce and simmer for 11/2 hours or more with low heat until the meats are tender. Add some water if necessary. 
• After the meat is tender, add the potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes or until they are done. Don't overcooked the potatoes, just until a fork can get in easily. Season it with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm with steamed rice and crispy fried shallots.