Chef Kar Delight

Indonesian Rice Delights Part 3 Of 3 2024/04/18

Nasi means “rice” in Indonesian language. I am preparing 10 Indonesian rice dishes for 3 Episodes.

3 Episodes exploring:

Part 1: Nasi bogana; Nasi campur; Nasi goreng, Already published

Part 2: Nasi kucing; Nasi kuning; Nasi liwet, Already published

Part 3: Nasi padang; Nasi pecel; Nasi timbel; Nasi uduk; Now

▲ 7. Nasi padang

Nasi padang, sometimes referred to as Padang rice, is a Minangkabau dish of steamed rice served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the city of Padang, capital of the West Sumatra province. A miniature banquet of meats, fish, vegetables, and spicy sambals eaten with plain white rice, it is Sumatra's most famous export and the Minangkabau people's primary contribution to Indonesian cuisine.

Ingredients
2 cups of jasmine rice
4 cups of water
1 tsp of salt
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 lemongrass stalk
1 can of coconut milk
1 lb of beef rendang
1 lb of curry chicken
1 lb of spicy eggplant
1 lb of stir-fried green beans
sambal (spicy chili sauce) for serving

Garnish

Banana leaf

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice and add it to a rice cooker or pot with the water, salt, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf, and lemongrass stalk. Cook according to the rice cooker directions or bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
2. In a separate pot, combine the beef rendang and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened. Repeat this process with the curry chicken, spicy eggplant, and stir-fried green beans, using 1 cup of water for each dish.
3. Once the rice is cooked, remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf, and lemongrass stalk. Stir in the can of coconut milk and fluff the rice with a fork.
4. This dish is typically served family-style with all the meat and vegetable dishes arranged on top of the rice, and sambal on the side for those who want some extra heat.

Beef Rendang

Beef rendang hails from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia and is often served during special occasions such as weddings, celebrations, and festivals.

The Ingredients

Beef rendang is known for its complex and aromatic blend of spices, which typically include lemongrass, galangal, ginger, garlic, shallots, and a variety of ground spices such as cumin, coriander, and turmeric. These ingredients are combined to create a rich and fragrant spice paste, which forms the flavor base of the dish.

In addition to the spices, beef rendang also features tender chunks of beef, which are slow-cooked in a mixture of coconut milk and tamarind paste. The slow cooking process allows the flavors to meld together, resulting in a dish that is both tender and packed with bold, aromatic flavors.

The Cooking Process

One of the defining characteristics of beef rendang is the slow cooking process, which allows the flavors to develop and the meat to become incredibly tender. The dish is typically simmered over low heat for several hours, allowing the spices and coconut milk to reduce and thicken, creating a rich and flavorful sauce.

During the cooking process, the beef becomes infused with the aromatic spices, resulting in a dish that is both tender and bursting with flavor. The slow cooking also allows the meat to become incredibly tender, making it a true delight to enjoy.

Curry Chicken

Key Ingredients

Curry chicken is typically made with a blend of spices that gives it its distinctive flavor. Some of the key ingredients in curry chicken include:

· Curry powder: This is a blend of spices such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili powder.
· Chicken: The main protein in the dish, which can be bone-in or boneless, and skinless or with skin.
· Coconut milk: This adds a creamy texture and richness to the dish.
· Onions and garlic: These aromatics add depth of flavor to the dish.
· Tomatoes: Some recipes call for tomatoes to add acidity and sweetness.
· Other spices: Depending on the recipe, other spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and cloves may also be used.

Preparation

Curry chicken is typically prepared by first marinating the chicken in a mixture of yogurt and spices. The chicken is then sautéed with onions, garlic, and ginger until it is browned. The curry powder and other spices are added to the pan and toasted to release their flavors. Coconut milk and tomatoes are then added to create a rich and flavorful sauce. The dish is simmered until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melded together.

Indonesian Sambal Eggplant

Ingredients
· 1 pound eggplant, (cut into bite pieces)
· 3 oz shallots, (peeled and chopped)
· 1 oz fresh long red chili pepper, such as Fresno or red jalapeno, (stem removed and chopped) - use less or more according to your taste
· 5 oz tomato, (peeled and chopped)
· ½ teaspoon salt, (add more according to your liking)
· 2 teaspoons sugar, (add more according to your liking)
· 10 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
Optional:
· 3 kaffir lime leaves

Instructions

1. Heat ½ cup of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the eggplants in batches for 4-5 minutes or until tender and they release most of their cooking oil, stirring often. Transfer cooked eggplants to a plate and repeat the process with the remaining batches.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine 2 tablespoons of oil, shallots, garlic, and red chili pepper. Blend until smooth.
3. In a pan without oil, sautee the balado sauce over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add tomato to the pan and cook until it softens and releases its juices, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add water, kaffir lime leaves, sugar, and salt. Simmer the sauce until it slightly thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
6. Add the cooked eggplants to the pan and continue cooking until they are evenly coated with the balado sauce, about 2-3 minutes.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt and sugar according to your liking.

Preparing the Sautéed Long Beans

Long beans, cut 3 cm250 g
Water100 ml
Cooking Oil20 ml
Garlic Cloves4 pc
Shallots
Galangal, crushed1 pc
Red Chilli100 g
Red Tomatoes1 pc
Cayenne Peppers5 pc
Bay Leaves2 pc
Oyster Sauce 1kg30 g

Sambal ulek

Ground chilli pepper with salt, sugar, cooking oil, shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, shrimp paste, and anchovies

Beef Rendang

Curry Chicken

Sambal Eggplant

Sautéed Long Beans; Sambal ulek

▲ 8. Nasi pecel

Nasi pecel also known as Sega pecel in Javanese is an Indonesian rice dish from Java served with pecel (cooked vegetables and peanut sauce). The vegetables are usually kangkung or water spinach, long beans, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, and in East Java often used kembang turi. It is often eaten with fried tempeh and traditional crackers called peyek. It is popular in East and Central Java.

Ingredients:
250 gr peanuts(ready to use or you have to bake it first in oil)
10 birdseye chilies, if you like spice, you can add more
3 cloves garlic
1 small piece aromatic ginger
1 tsp terasi
Brown sugar
Salt
Water
Sweet soya sauce

Vegetables:
400 gr Mung bean sprouts, cooked lightly
300 gr spinach, cooked lightly
300 gr kangkung, water spinach cooked lightly
200 gr cassava leaves, cooked lightly
Tofu, fry dried, then cut into pieces
Tempe, fry dried, then cut into pieces

Instructions:
Make a paste of peanuts, if you use pestle and mortal, it would be heavy. Use food processor if you have. It’s easier, and spare so much time. But you need to know that you can only add the peanuts in the processor without any other ingredients. Wet peanuts make it heavier for the processor. Keep dry, and you would get the best results. Set aside.
Make a paste of Birdseye chilies, garlic, aromatic ginger, terasi, brown sugar and salt. Add this paste into peanut paste, and make a smooth mixture. Add water as much as needed. The paste has to be not too thin and not too thick. Just in between. Add Sweet soya sauce. Stir it until the mixture is well done. Add more salt and sugar if needed. And the sauce is ready to use.
Put all vegetables including tofu and tempeh on the plate. Pour some peanut sauce, and mix it until well.
Served with Rempeyek kacang or teri and sambal.

Kangkung Water Spinach

Spinach

Bean sprouts

Fried tempeh and tofu

Sambal ulek

▲ 9. Nasi timbel

Nasi timbel is an Indonesian hot dish, consisting of steamed rice wrapped inside a banana leaf. It is a traditional Sundanese cuisine from West Java. The heat of the hot-cooked rice touches the banana leaf and produces a unique aroma. It is made in ways similar to making lontong; compressed, rolled, and wrapped in banana leaves; it then evolves into a complete dish served with various side dishes such as fried chicken, empal gepuk (fried beef), jambal roti (salted fish), tahu goreng, tempeh, salted duck egg, sayur asem, with lalab and sambal. Nasi timbel later evolved to nasi bakar.

Ingredients

· 1 liter Indonesian rice washed
· 1 liter water boil
· banana leaves enough enough to make wrap
· 1 600 gram chicken tail size
· 6 shallots cloves
· 4 garlic cloves
· 1/2 tsp coriander and black pepper
· 2 cm turmeric
· 1/2 cm ginger
· 1/2 tsp palm sugar
· 1 tsp salt·
· 1 tbsp tamarind water

Preparation

1. Boiling the rice until it is partially cooked and packing it tightly into a rolled-up banana leaf. The leaf is secured with a wooden needle made from the central rib of coconut leaf or tooth pick.

2. Cooked in boiling water for about 90 minutes.

3. Once the compacted rice has cooled, it can be cut up into bite-sized pieces.

Sambal ulek

Ground chilli pepper with salt, sugar, cooking oil, shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, shrimp paste, and anchovies

Garnish:

Cucumber, tomato

Fried tempeh

Sambal ulek

▲ 10. Nasi uduk

Nasi uduk is an Indonesian-style steamed rice cooked in coconut milk dish, especially popular in Betawi cuisine.

For certain rituals or ceremonies, uduk is usually served with traditional Javanese dishes like kering tempeh, urap vegetables, and sambel goreng (kentang/potato, krechek/cow's skin, teri/anchovy, etc.). Humble protein sources, such as a hard-boiled egg, fried tempeh, or fried tofu, can also be included in the package.

In today's slametan, modern Indonesian food dishes (or from other regions), such as sliced fried egg, telur bumbu Bali (Balinese style egg), beef either as empal (sweet fried beef) or rendang, may also be included. Some people may also add bihun goreng (rice vermicelli) or mie goreng (noodle) to the dish. Krupuk, rempeyek, or emping can also be added.

Jakarta's style uduk is a cross between Javanese's uduk and Melayu's nasi lemak. It may include jengkol (brown stinky beans) as a Betawi touch, and some elements of nasi lemak, such as teri-kacang, similar to ikan bilis and peanuts in nasi lemak, which is also slightly similar to Javanese sambel goreng teri, except that it is not spicy.

INGREDIENTS

· 3 cups Jasmine Rice or long-grain white rice.
· 3 cups water add another 1/2 cup if cooking on the stove.
· 1/2 cup coconut cream (thick coconut milk).

AROMATICS:

· 1 stalk lemongrass
· 1 inch galangal thinly sliced, or use 1 Tbsp galangal powder
· 4 bay leaves
· 2 pandan leaves knotted

SEASONINGS:

· 1 tsp salt

EGG OMELETTE STRIPS:

· 4 large eggs beaten
· 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
· 1/4 tsp salt
· 1 Tbsp cooking oil

PAN-FRIED PEANUTS AND ANCHOVIES:

· 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
· 1 cup dried anchovies
· 2 tsp cooking oil divided

INSTRUCTIONS

WASH THE RICE:

1. Rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water runs pretty clear. Drain off all water completely

IF COOKING ON THE STOVE:

1. Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottom pot, except for the rice and let it cook over medium heat until liquid comes to a gentle simmer. Add the rice and stir to mix. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down to low and let it cook for about 5 minutes and stir again to prevent coconut milk catching at the bottom of the pot. Cover the lid back up again and let it cook for another 5 minutes then turn off the heat, but do not open the lid yet, let it sit for 10 minutes before opening. Remove all the herbs and spices and fluff the rice with a rice paddle

IF COOKING WITH RICE COOKER:

1. Place all the ingredients in the inner pot of the rice cooker. Stir to mix. Close the lid and use the white rice setting or whichever setting you usually use to cook white rice. Wait 10 minutes before opening to fluff the rice. Remove all the herbs and spices and fluff the rice with a rice paddle

MAKE THE EGG OMELETTE STRIPS:

1. Beat the eggs with a fork with seasonings

2. Preheat non-stick pan. When it's hot enough, add cooking oil. Pour the egg mixture onto the middle of the pan and swirl to cover the base of the pan. Let it cook for about 10 seconds. Use a spatula to push the edge and let the runny eggs flow to cover the base of the pan. When the bottom has set, flip over and cook until the other side is set. Remove from the pan

3. Roll it up and cut into strips

PREPARE PAN-FRIED PEANUTS AND ANCHOVIES:

1. Preheat a medium-size pan with 1 tsp cooking oil. Add anchovies and pan fry until crispy. In the same pan, add another 1 tsp of oil. Add the peanuts and cook until the peanuts are lightly brown. Turn off the heat and give it a good stir to mix everything. Remove from the heat

SERVING:

1. Serve the warm rice with the omelette strips, few slices of cucumber, pan-fried peanuts and anchovies, mie goreng, and sambal