Gado Gado with Beef

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Whenever I have left-over steak, it becomes a steak salad or steak sandwich. The reincarnation must be something cold because I cannot stand reheating beef. I want it nice and rare or not at all. The other day, Caroline mentioned Gado Gado in a comment so it was fresh in my mind and I was now craving it, so that’s how this Gado Gado with Beef came about (it doesn’t usually have beef in it).
While I was going to depart from traditions anyway, I decided to take liberties to creating the color scheme I wanted and my dressing is not 100% authentic either. I absolutely love this version though and will make it again just like this for sure. (For a more authentic look, Rasa Malaysia has a great guest post from Indonesia-Eats. )

I used blanched carrots, blanched string beans, blanched purple cabbage, blanched sugar snap peas, cooked potatoes (purple and yellow waxy), raw red bell pepper, and raw tomatoes.
Just lay the thinly sliced beef (brought to room temperature) on top.

Gado Gado Dressing~6 salad course servings
scant 1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup super chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice*
2 teaspoons sa cha sauce
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 red chili, seeded, cut in a few pieces*
2 cloves garlic
Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined but still bumpy looking. *I put a star by lime juice and chili because I forgot to write down exactly how much lime juice I used and spiciness should be adjusted to your taste. Also note that I did not put salt and pepper because I usually season the salad itself with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, right before you pour the dresing on.
Normally, I don’t like a lot of dressing on salad, but Gado Gado dressing is meant to be generously poured on.

Recipe Download

source : http://www.foodmayhem.com/2009/05/gado-gado-with-beef.html

Indonesian cuisine

Indonesian cuisine reflects the vast variety of people that live on the 6,000 populated islands that make up Indonesia. There is probably not a single "Indonesian" cuisine, but rather, a diversity of regional cuisines influenced by local Indonesia culture and foreign influences.Throughout its history, Indonesia has been involved in trade due to its location and natural resources. Indonesia’s indigenous techniques and ingredients are influenced by India, the Middle East, China and finally Europe. Spanish and Portuguese traders brought New world produce even before the Dutch came to colonize most of Indonesia. The Indonesian island of Maluku, which is famed as "the Spice Island," also contributed to the introduction of native spices to Indonesian and global cuisine. The cuisine of Eastern Indonesia is similar to Polynesian and Melanesian cuisine.Sumatran cuisine, for example, often shows its Middle Eastern and Indian influence, featuring curried meat and vegetables, while Javanese cuisine is rather more indigenously developed. Elements of Indonesian Chinese cuisine can be seen in Indonesian cuisine: items such as bakmi (noodles), bakso (meat balls) and lumpia have been completely assimilated.The most popular dishes that originated in Indonesia are now common across most of Asia. Popular Indonesian dishes such as satay, beef rendang, and sambal are also favored in Malaysia and Singapore. Soy-based dishes, such as variations of tofu (tahu) and tempe, are also very popular. Tempe is regarded as a Javanese invention, a local adaptation of soy-based food fermentation and production. Another soy-based fermented food is oncom, similar to tempe but different fungi and particularly popular in West Java.Indonesian meals are commonly eaten with the combination of a spoon in the right hand and fork in the left hand, although in many parts of the country (such as West Java and West Sumatra) it is also common to eat with one's hands. In restaurants or households that commonly use bare hands to eat, like in seafood foodstalls, traditional Sundanese and Minangkabau restaurants, or East Javanese pecel lele (fried catfish with sambal) and ayam goreng (fried chicken) foodstalls, they usually serve kobokan, a bowl of tap water with a slice of lime in it to give a fresh scent. This bowl of water with lime in it should not to be consumed; it's used to wash one's hand before and after eating with bare hand. Eating with chopsticks is commonly found in foodstalls or restaurants serving Indonesian adaptation of Chinese cuisine, such as bakmie or mie ayam (chicken noodle) with pangsit (wonton), mie goreng (fried noodle), and kwetiau goreng (fried flat noodle, similar to char kway teow).

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_cuisine

Bakmi Goreng

Fried egg noodles. Favourite Lunch or light Supper dish

Ingredients:

350 gr. Medium Egg noodles
100 gr. Diced Pork Fillet
50 gr. Small Prawns
1 medium Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Carrot
1 Small Leek
2 tsp. Sambal ulek
1 tsp. Trassi (shrimp paste)
3 tbs. Kecap Manis
3 tbs. Oil
Pepper & Salt

Preparation:

Boil the noodles, using the instructions on the packet. Rinse and set aside.
Heat your wok and add the oil. Stir-fry the diced Onion and Garlic for 1 min. Add the meat, prawns, trassi and sambal ulek and fry for a further 3 min.Add the finely sliced carrots and leek and fry for 4 more min. Add the Noodles and Kecap Manis.
Use pepper and salt as needed and stir-fry for a further 4 min.
Serve hot. Delicious with Hot Peanut sauce.

Source : http://www.indochef.com/

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng, Indonesian fried rice. This dish can be enjoyed by itself or as the basis of a larger meal, for example with a rijsttafel. It is very easy to make and won't take more than 20 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

350 gr. Long Grain Rice
2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 Onion
2 Green Chillis, Sambal Ulek or Sambal Badjak.
1 Garlic Clove
1 Leek
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
250 gr. Chicken meat
250 gr. Shelled Prawns
3 Tbs. Kecap Manis

Preparation:

This dish is best made from cold leftover rice, but you can cook a fresh batch and leave it to cool for at least 4 hours.
Beat the eggs and make into a omelette, slice into strips and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the chopped onion, leek, garlic and chillis. Fry until the onion is soft. Add the Coriander and Cumin. Slice Chicken into strips and add with the prawns to the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until they are well mixed. Add the rice, soya sauce and omelet strips and cook for a further 5 minutes.Decorate with some of the leftover leek and serve hot. Enjoy.

Source : http://www.indochef.com/

Menu Suggestions

Below are some menu samples, ranging from a simple luncheon to the full blown traditional "rijsttafel". Remember they are only suggestions and you're free to substitute any dish that takes your liking. Unlike western customs, where the starters, main dishes and desserts are served as different courses, with Indonesian meals all dishes are served at once. As all my main recipes are planned for 4 persons as a main meal, you can either reduce the amount you prepare or make the stated amount and have 6-7 servings. The most enjoyable way to serve a Indonesian meal is to give every guest a hot plate and put all the food in the centre of the table. Guest can then serve them self with rice (boiled or fried) and put small amounts of the available foods around their plate which they can add to all through their meal.

We start of with a simple lunch or light evening meal. Total preparation time is about 30 - 45 mins. Allow enough time to cool the boiled rice and marinade the sate's. This is a good introduction to the Indonesian kitchen.

• Nasi Goreng - Indonesian fried rice.
• Indonesian sate's - Spicy meat skewers.
• Gado Gado - Vegetable salad.
• Peanut sauce - Tasty hot sauce.
• Sambal Manis - Chilly condiment.
• Atjar tjampour - Cucumber pickle.
• Kroepoek udang - Prawn crackers.

The next menu is a bit more adventurous and would be ideal to show of on a dinner party. I find it is best to have at least 6 guest when doing a larger meal. With less guest you'll have to make the quantity of the dishes so small that it becomes very inconvenient. For preperation times, refer to the individual recipes.

• Boiled Rice - Aromatic "Basmati" is ideal.
• Beef Rendang - Indonesian beef curry.
• Ikan Pedis - Hot fish wrapped in cabbage leaf.
• Babi Panggang - Tenderloin of pork.
• Sate Ajam - Chicken Sate's.
• Rempah - Beef and Coconut patties.
• Sambal goreng buncis - Bean side-dish.
• sajur Lodeh - Vegetable dish.
• sambal goreng telor - Spicy egg dish.
• Atjar Bening - Vegetable pickle.
• Sambal Badjak - chilly condiment.
• Seroendeng - Coconut and Peanut sprinkle.
• Peanut Sauce.
• Kroepoek udang - Prawn crackers.

Source : http://www.indochef.com/indo_menus.shtml

My First Article

Hello world.
This is my first article.
This is my first blog.

I want to learn to cook indonesian food.
Please help me.