I heart Indonesia

Today is the most important day for our country. August, 17th 1945 is our independent day, we finally free from any kind of colonization, no more British, Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese. Thanks to all our heroes, who fought without fear, so we, as the new generation, can feel the freedom of our independence.

I am so proud to be Indonesian (regardless some bad news about our country out there) and I just want to share the sweet memories I had when I was little, growing up in this beautiful country. All the laughing with my parents and my brothers is a picture of a happy little me, really made me forgot that our country was under-developed back then. Many things I remember that I wont trade for anything.

Sat in front of the door with my cat Pitas, waited for my Dad home from work so we can have lunch together, begged my Mom to buy me a giant panda bear, or prayed that any of my brothers will remember to buy me sweets or snacks once they returned from school… ahhh… what a beautiful memory there, I don’t mind to experience it again!

Happy Independence day Indonesia! Thank you for the beautiful memories!

Rempeyek, Indonesian savory snack...

For many Indonesian, the best way to enjoy Indonesian food is to eat it with extra crispy texture in the side. Fish or shrimp crackers, cassava crisps... and another one is savory peanut brittle. 

In America or Europe, some people see peanut brittle as sweet because it contains peanut and melted caramel. But in Indonesia, we have our own peanut brittle, its spicy and aromatic. We call it Rempeyek.

As many other Asian country, Indonesian food also use many aromatic herbs on their cooking. Such as spring onion, lime leaves, turmeric leaves..etc. Rempeyek, uses lime leaves, but you can really get creative with it by using another type of your favorite herbs... (you can even make it with Italian taste in it). Instead of peanuts, you can use dried achovies, soy bean, even mung bean, it is really up to you.

If you find it difficult to find fresh spices in this recipe, you can use packed ground spices that you can find in supermarket, just use a bit extra to give a stronger taste.

Fold and cut the middle of lime leave with scissors to remove "the bone"

Then, shred it thinly, also with scissors...

REMPEYEK

Indonesian savory peanut brittle...

Recipe by : Primarasa

Ingredients:

100gr rice flour

25gr tapioca flour

350ml coconut milk

10 lime leaves

200gr peanuts (cut a half or chop for a minute with electric chopper, not too long, you want it roughly chopped)

Spices (mix and ground or use traditional stone mortar) :

3 candlenuts

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp corriander

1 cm turmeric

1 tsp salt (to taste)

Direction:

1. Mix rice flour and tapioca flour in a bowl, add coconut milk and stir until smooth, add ground spices and shredded lime leaves, stir well.

2. Add peanut into the batch, stir.

3. Turn on the stove, pour about 2 tasp oil into a wok. When its hot enough, fry about 1 tbsp of peanut mixture until half way (not completely cook, but not stick anymore), put aside. Keep doing that to the rest of the mixture.

4. When finish, add more oil into the wok, wait until hot. Re-fry again the undone mixture into the hot oil until it turn golden brown and the peanut is cooked.Place on paper towel to remove the excess oil. Serve.

You can always use chopper to cut your peanuts, but not too long, you must be able to taste the peanuts, not ground peanuts...

The reason to fry it twice is, the first one is to shape into the right size, 

the second one is to cook the peanut and make it crisp....

This peanut brittle can also be serve with afternoon tea as a tasty snack....

Keep it in airtight container for longer storage...

When you pour the mixture in to the wok, use the back of the spoon to thin, so you can have crispy brittle...

Careful with oil temperature, to make an even golden brown brittle, when the oil too hot, turn the stove off and leave it for a while and repeat...

Japanese Cheese Cake

Udah lama banget pengen bikin Japanese cheesecake ini, cuma penasaran aja, kalo di bilang suka sih, gak juga… dulu waktu masih kuliah, pernah beli JCC ini di Plaza Senayan, waktu ada counter JCC baru buka, tapi ternyata aku gak suka tuh, pernah juga beli di Eaton, sama aja, tetep gak doyan…soalnya udah biasa sama American cheese cake yang emang rasanya lebih “kenceng” di bandingkan JCC ini…

Tapi sejak ikutan milis NCC (tempat ngumpul seru bagi yang suka ke dapur…), semua pada heboh ngomongin si JCC ini, apa lagi liat blog anggota milis yang lain, JCCnya di hias pake potongan buah dan di beri glaze…duuuh, cantiknya! Maka gak sabar lagi, harus nyoba bikin!

Pertama, ya di baca dulu masalah yang sering timbul, mulai dari, retak sampe kempes total. Tumben deh, biasanya aku langsung hajar aja, dari buku resep langsung aja start… nah, ada sebabnya nih, katanya, cara membuat JCC hampir sama seperti cotton cake, itu sebabnya. Kenapa? Karena aku pernah bikin cotton cake, gagal total, malah jadi rubber cake. Cotton cake yang gagal itu, aku lihatin ke mba’ Fat (suhunya NCC) waktu ikutan kursus fondant di Matraman, buat nanya salahnya dimana…. Alhamdulillah, gak di ketawain sama mba’ Fat, tapi malah ikutan mikir kenapa bisa kayak karet gitu…hahahaha…. Duh, baiknya dikau…

Akhirnya, JCC ku kali ini berhasil juga, tidak retak dan hanya kempes dikit setelah dingin (katanya masih normal tuh), dan rasanya….??? Eunakkkk buangeet… lembut dan sepertinya melt-in-your-mouth gitu, benar-benar membelai lidah… aku malah jadi doyan, manisnya dan aroma lemonnya sayup-sayup di belakang, dan selai nanas yang menambah rasa dengan sempurna… YUUUMM!!

O ya, untuk selainya, di resep di tulis pake selai apricot, tapi aku gak punya, ya udah, pake selai nanas aja. Sepertinya, pake selai apapun enak, tergantung selera. Untuk kejunya, aku pake creamcheese-nya YUMMY™, sempet tergoda pengen beli creamcheese import. Tapiiii… aku pilih yang produk lokal aja… toh rasanya gak kalah tuh sama yang bikinan luar, hemat dan membantu pengusaha Indonesia!...bikin bangga kan? pokoknya made and produced in Indonesia… HIDUP PRODUK INDONESIA!!!

Ini resep yang aku pake dari Yasaboga

Japanese Cheese Cake

Bahan :
60 gr mentega tawar
250 gr cream cheese, suhu ruang
120 ml whip cream
3 kuning telur
1 btr telur
2 sdt kulit jeruk lemon parut
5 putih telur
1/8 sdt garam
125 gr gula pasir halus
1 sdt air jeruk lemon

Campur dan ayak :
50 gr terigu serbaguna
50 gr tepung maizena

Topping :
2 sdm selai apricot
2 sdm air

Caranya :

1. Siapkan loyang, alasi dengan kertas roti, olesi mentega. Pasang oven 150 ˚C
2. Campurkan mentega, creamcheese dan whipcream dalam wadah. Didihkan dengan api kecil, aduk hingga lembut, angkat dari api.
3. Masukkan campuran tepung, aduk rata. Masukkan kuning telur dan 1 btr telur, aduk rata, masukkan kulit lemon, aduk rata. Sisihkan.
4. Kocok putih telur hingga berbusa, masukkan gula dan air jeruk lemon sedikit-sedikit sambil terus di kocok sampai terbentuk kerucut tumpul (soft peak).
5. Tuang 1/3 adonan putih telur ke adonan creamcheese, aduk rata. Tuang campuran adonan ini ke loyang. Panggang dengan au bain marrie +- 75 menit sampai permukaan matang, kuning keemasan, keluarkan dari oven.
6. Setelah benar-benar dingin, lepaskan cake dari loyang. Panaskan selai apricot dan air. Oleskan ke permukaan cheesecake.

Notes :
1. Mestinya memang pake kertas roti, tapi aku kelewat males nge-gunting…(dasar!) jadi, loyangnya aku oles mentega dan di taburi tepung tipis aja. Hasilnya, cheesecake tetap mudah di keluarkan.

2. Karena takut gagal lagi, mentega, creamcheese dan whip creamnya, aku cairkan dengan cara di tim aja.

3. Walaupun di resep di tulis 75 menit, karena ovennya lain-lain, aku justru buth waktu hampir 1 jam 45 menit! Suhunya sengaja gak aku naikin, takut retak, jadi sabar aja.

4. Loyangnya, aku pake yang tanpa sambungan (karena akan dimasukkan ke air nantinya) biar gak nembus dan airnya gak masuk ke dalam loyang. Kalau gak ada, jangan lupa di lapisi almunium foil dulu.

"Just like cotton, this cheesecake is so soft...."

Philippines Mamon Cake

Mungkin karena terlalu sebentar di Philipina, aku jadi obsesi sama cemilan maupun makanan dari sana. Belum lagi aku emang doyan banget sama Polvoron-nya yang di buat cuma dari campuran susu bubuk, gula, dan tepung. Tapi rasanya pengen bikin sesuatu yang dari Philipina, yang bisa di bikin sendiri.

Ketika lagi jalan ke Gramedia, ketemu deh buku resep kue Mamon, yang katanya dari Philipina. Bukunya di tulis oleh chef Indonesia koq, Koko Hidayat.

Bahannya mudah di dapat, kebetulan ada semua nih di dapur, siiiip...bisa langsung di coba. Gak perlu pake acara ke supermarket segala, soalnya kalo ke supermarket, suka laper mata, jadi beli yang gak perlu, kuenya jadi mahal deeh....hehehe....Walaupun keliatannya simple, aduuhhh...koq mesti pake adonan hangat dan au bain marie siiiichh.... masih trauma nih! Tapi, ya sud lah..maju teruuusss....

Ternyata, tidak sesulit yang aku duga. Belajar dari bikin cotton cake yang gagal total, kali ini susunya cukup asal hangat aja. Biar lebih terkontrol, aku tim aja kayak ngetim coklat. Hasilnya?? MEMUASKAN!! rasanya enak, lembuuuttt banget... dan sampe keesokan harinya pun tetap lembut tuhhh... kayak makan awan... *sok dramatis ih!*

Dibukunya ada macam-macam variasi, walaupun pada dasarnya sama, ada strawberry, chocolate, abon, smoke beef dan yang mau aku coba lagi, Ube...atau talas ungu...kayaknya menarik tuh...

Ini resepnya

LEMON CHEESE MAMON
By Koko Hidayat

Bahan :

A.
90 gr margarine/mentega
125 gr terigu

B.
110 ml susu cair hangat
2 btr telur
8 btr kuning telur
1 sdt essence lemon

C.
230 gr putih telur
1/2 sdt cream of tartar
175 gr gula pasir

D.
150 gr keju cheddar parut, untuk taburan

Caranya :

1. Buat adonan A: Cairkan mentega/butter, masukkan terigu, aduk rata.
2. Campur semua bahan B, lalu masukkan kedalam adonan A, aduk hingga rata.
3. Kocok bahan C dengan kecepatan sedang hingga mengembang dan kaku, lalu masukkan kedalam campuran adonan A dan B, aduk lagi hingga rata.
4. Siapkan 12 buah cetakan bulat diameter 10 cm yang sudah di beri margarine dan di taburi terigu, tuang adonan mamon, taburi atasnya dengan keju parut.
5. Siapkan loyang persegi panjang yang sudah diberi air hangat secukupnya, lalu tempatkan loyang yang sudah di isi adonan mamon.
6. Panggang selama +- 30 menit dengan panas oven 180˚C

"I love this little individual cake molds, much more use than regular muffin pan..."

"Serve with papercups....pretty...."

500 series

Gara-gara ikutan NCC dan berkumpul dengan para pecinta dunia per-dapuran, aku jadi suka ke bagian buku resep kue dan masakan kalo ke toko buku. Rasanya senaaaang banget liat resep-resep cantik atau kalau ketemu buku yang memuat resep makanan favorite…waaah, bisa kalap deh… kalau dulu cuma beli aja, sekarang udah mulai di coba beneran….gak di sangka, sekarang koleksi buku-ku jadi lumayan banyak, sekarang, aku mau berbagi tentang beberapa buku yang aku miliki di blog. Siapa tau bisa jadi referensi bagi teman-teman yang lain.
Untuk tulisan buku yang perdana, di mulai dengan serial 500 resep ini. Aku suka bentuknya, kecil dan compact. Harganya juga gak semahal buku import yang lain, masih dibawah 150ribuan. Judulnya pun sangat menggairahkan...bayangkan...500 resep !!!…

500 Cupcakes and Muffins by Fergal Connolly

Buku ini sempat bikin heboh NCC, dan memang, sepertinya a must have item deh. Isinya penuh dengan resep cupcake dan muffins. Untuk cupcake, ada yang menggunakan base vanilla dan ada juga yang coklat. O ya, ada juga cupcake dengan dasar cheesecake. Tapi jangan harap bisa ngeliat cupcake dengan hiasan yang heboh. Rata-rata isinya standar aja. Namun buku ini ngasih banyak ide buat dekorasi, mulai dari menggunakan buah, sprinkle sampai buttercreams. Worth it deh buat di miliki. Yang unik, ada resep aubergine caviar muffins…hummm...funky.. ...



500 Pies & Tarts by Rebecca Baugniet

Yang satu ini isinya banyak banget resep pie, gak cuma pie yang manis, tapi pie yang gurih pun ada. Aku suka, soalnya di jelaskan care membuat aneka kulit pie, mulai dari remahan kue sampe yang dari pastry. Seperti all-you-need-to-know about pies, ada pie tradisional, ada juga pie mungil dan pastry renyah, misalnya, empanadas, samosa, pasties, bahkan ada soanakopita (ampun deh, namanya…) dari Yunani. Cobbler, strudels dan cruble pie-nya…yumm…bener-bener menggoda…



500 chocolate delights by Lauren Floodgate

Sebagai mana buku serial 500 lainnya, isinya penuh dengan resep yang berbasis coklat. Resepnya tidak ada yang terlalu istimewa, hampir semuanya adalah resep kue yang biasa kita lihat, seperti éclair atau cookies. Tapi ya, ada juga manfaatnya, karena bisa jadi ide bikin kue coklat jadi sedikit beda. Yang pasti, ntar aku mau nyoba bikin Mocha Chocolate Eclairs-nya deh, soalnya bentuknya tempting banget, panjang, diisi cream dan di olesi saus mocha dan di drizzle dengan coklat cair… kebayangkan…

Banoffee Pie... Yummy!

About a week ago, I was in the Philippines for a conference and I just had the sweetest birthday party ever. We were at a friend's vacation home. For dessert, they had this banana toffee pie (I remembered one of my friend mentioned "Bonapple", when I checked the net, its actually the name of a pie and cheesecake shop in Manila where they bought the pie) with a candle for me to blow...it was sooo touchy...can't explain in words..

I was so in love with the taste... so when I returned to my country, I have to search the recipe for this pie, that way my boyfriend can have a taste as well... (he has been listening about it since he picked me up at the airport) It turned out it wasn't so difficult at all... in fact, after reading several ways on making it on the internet, I can create my own version of Banoffee pie!

Here's the recipe that I created, but of course, you can make it in anyway you want according to your own taste. I got the feeling that you can't really go wrong with it, so its really good for beginner to boost your confidence before trying more challenging baking!

BANOFFEE PIE

For pie shell (or you can always buy ready made one!)

200gr graham crackers (I use marie biscuits)

1 tbsp sugar

100gr unsalted butter---> margarine will be fine too, melted

For pie filling

1 can of condensed milk

2 riped bananas, slice

250 ml whip cream

2 tbsp powder sugar---> no need to use if you don't like sweet

1 tsp banana essence

Direction

Crush the biscuits in food processor until turning into smooth crumbs, place into a bowl, add sugar and melted butter. Mix with your hand until it form into a large crumbs. Press the crumbs into 18 cm cake tin with removable base. Start from the center to the side. Just do the bottom if you don't like too much crumbs in your pie. Then keep it in the fridge for couple of hours.

Making pie filling

Remove the label on condensen milk. In a big saucepan, boil the condensen milk (with the unopened can) for about 2 hours. Be careful with this process, make sure it has water until about 1 cm above the can. Don't leave it, keep checking on it and add more water if you have to. This process can be dangerous so just use low fire on your stove. Don't do it too long as well, because otherwise you will end up with burning glump at the bottom. When its finish, leave it cool in room temperature (DO NOT OPEN THE CAN WHILE ITS HOT!!) When its cool, you can open it and you'll have a nice caramel color sauce.

Next, mix the whip cream, powder sugar and banana essence until thick and stiff. Now, you ready to assemble the pie.
Pour about 2 tbsp of caramel sauce in the bottom of pie shell, use the back of the spoon so you won't mess the crumbs. Arrange banana slices on top of it then pour the rest of the sauce. After that, add whip cream mix to the top of the pie.

Let it chill on the fridge for at least 3 hours before serve. Top with shreded chocolate if you want (I prefer dark chocolate to balance the sweetnes).

PS: sorry about the picture, I just found out that something wrong with my camera after all the pie has gone. But, I think, something is better than nothing...