July 9, 2011: Peanut Rice Chips

our Easter holiday I picked upwards a heavily discounted re-create of Indonesian Food yesteryear Sri Owen. It was a keen buy, good timed. Our days yesteryear the beach were largely rained out so I had plenty of hours to browse the gorgeous glossy photos in addition to read the text from forepart to back. Owen links the recipes in addition to ingredients to the diverse phases of her life in addition to a fiddling of the local history in addition to customs, from cooking alongside her grandmother every bit a nipper through to street snacks, the dishes of her pupil days, travelling all over (and eating in addition to making H2O ice cream!), setting upwards her ain store inwards London, writing majority afterward majority in addition to modernising the recipes of Central Java.

There are a few vegetarian recipes scattered throughout (Indonesia is the dwelling of tempeh afterward all!) in addition to at that spot are plenty to a greater extent than that I'm determined to arrange - the spice mixes are only every bit good irresistible. (And did I refer the H2O ice cream? Ahem.) The starting fourth dimension recipe I've tried out is laid upwards to become as-is: vegan in addition to gluten free, straight up. Rempeyek kacang had me hooked the minute I read Owen's translated name: savoury peanut brittle. I wasn't fifty-fifty perturbed yesteryear the prospect of deep-frying.

This is essentially a sparse batter made from rice flour, dotted alongside peanuts, in addition to shallow-fried starting fourth dimension into pocket-size rounds. Then the rounds instruct deep-fried for extra crispiness in addition to deeper flavour. I had problem getting the peanuts to stick inside the batter (hence the free-floating ones inwards the painting demonstrate above) - they only clumped inwards the centre acre the batter stretched out across the pan, in addition to then cruel off the dough every bit I transferred it to a plate. The reference painting demonstrate was ruthlessly cropped in addition to I wasn't quite certain what these were supposed to await similar or if they were going to instruct crispy enough. There were totally crispy enough... only non containing many peanuts. Imperfect but delightful!

Next fourth dimension I mean value I'll endeavour spooning out the batter to fry in addition to and then spreading the peanuts on top, instead of mixing them guide into the batter. I powerfulness also endeavour doubling the garlic. Owen notes that rempeyek kacang tin accept chopped chilli, garlic, chives, crushed peppercorns or shredded kaffir lime leaves stirred into the batter. The latter is going into my adjacent batch for sure.

Peanut rice chips
(adapted slightly from the recipe for rempeyek kacang inwards Indonesian nutrient yesteryear Sri Owen)

two macadamia nuts
1 clove garlic (I'll double this adjacent time)
two teaspoons terra firma coriander
1 teaspoon salt, summation extra
100g rice flour
optional: chopped chilli, garlic, chives, crushed peppercorns or shredded kaffir lime leaves
100g peanuts
200ml water
peanut crude

Mush together the macadamias in addition to garlic inwards a mortar in addition to pestle to brand a paste. Put them inwards a bowl in addition to blend inwards the coriander in addition to salt. Mix inwards the rice flour, in addition to then whisk inwards the water. Add whatever optional flavours you lot want. Sprinkle inwards the peanuts in addition to stir them through the batter (or don't nonetheless - leaving them to the dry-fry stage adjacent time).

Heat a tablespoon of crude inwards a non-stick frypan in addition to accept a plate lined alongside absorbent newspaper at the ready. Drop tablespoons of the batter into the hot pan in addition to fry them for 1-2 minutes, in addition to then residue the fried discs on the paper-lined plate. (Next fourth dimension I volition endeavour sprinkling the peanuts guide onto the frying batter discs earlier they set.)

When all the batter is cooked, transfer whatever remaining crude to a saucepan or wok; add together to a greater extent than so that you lot tin deep-fry in addition to oestrus it all up. Line about other plate alongside absorbent paper. Deep-fry a few discs at a fourth dimension until they're golden in addition to crisp, transferring them to the novel plate to cool.

When you're laid upwards to snack, transfer the chips to a bowl in addition to sprinkle them alongside a fiddling to a greater extent than salt. Store whatever leftovers inwards an airtight container.

July 10, 2011: Tempeh Rendang

her newest cookbook spilled over into Sunday, alongside our afternoon excogitation revolving unopen to the long, tiresome procedure of making ourselves a rendang. The master copy recipe inwards Sri Owen's mass was for a beef rendang, but she provided some basic instructions on how to switch the beef out for tempeh, the traditional Indonesian veg protein. Making this dish is a commitment! We ended upward simmering things for unopen to 3 hours to cut back the two litres of kokosnoot milk downward to the dryish terminal production pictured above.

Mock Crab Cakes

September 11, 2011

As promised, here's a recipe for mock crab cakes! It's based on a recipe for existent crab cakes inward Sri Owen's Indonesian Food. Michael efficiently chopped upwards all the aromatic elements spell the potatoes boiled. I mashed upwards but about chickpeas together with stirred together a cornflour glue every bit replacements for the crab meat together with egg.

While the shallow-frying inward a real hot wok had me a niggling anxious, these turned out real nicely; most of the cakes held together amongst a lightly golden crust. Inside they're a niggling mushy - I'd similar to endeavor leaving the chickpeas half-mashed adjacent fourth dimension for a niggling extra texture, though I fearfulness it would likewise Pb to to a greater extent than crumbling.

These mock crab cakes derive almost all their flavor from the 'extras' - the lemongrass, chilli flakes, kaffir lime leaves together with ginger are non delicate. It's of import to chop them upwards every bit finely every bit y'all (or your cooking partner!) can. I liked dragging the patties across my plate through the rujak dressing, together with I wonder what dipping sauce I could otherwise serve them with. I intend it'd commencement amongst kecap manis together with tamarind.

Mock crab cakes

(adapted from a recipe for existent crab cakes
inward Sri Owen's Indonesian Food)

2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed together with drained, together with hence lightly mashed

225g waxy potatoes, peeled together with boiled until tender, together with hence mashed

3 tablespoons finely chopped trammel onions

3 tablespoons finely chopped apartment foliage parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped kaffir lime leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass, inner business office only

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

1/2 teaspoon dry reason turmeric

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon dry reason coriander

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cornflour, made into a glue amongst two tablespoons water

vegetable fossil oil for shallow frying

The ingredients volition stimulate got a spell to prepare. Drain together with rinse those chickpeas, larn the potatoes on to boil, together with and hence produce all that chopping. Mash the chickpeas together with potatoes together inward a bowl, together with hence stir through the remaining ingredients (frying fossil oil excepted). Form the mixture into pocket-size patties amongst your hands together with house them on a tray. Refrigerate the patties for virtually one-half an hour.

Heat the fossil oil inward a frypan or wok together with shallow-fry the patties inward batches until they shape a lightly golden crust. Drain the cooked patties on absorbent paper. Serve amongst salad together with a sauce of your choice.

Black Rice Icecream

September 10-11, 2011

Bali-inspired banquet. I was really pleased for the excuse to endeavour something from the icecream department inwards Sri Owen's Indonesian Food, which is influenced equally much past times her travels to Italia equally her province of birth. Between my pantry constraints, fourth dimension constraints in addition to vegan constraints, the recipe I've written below departs quite a chip from the master copy but is withal pretty good.

For starters, at that spot was no query that I'd survive replacing the dairy. With therefore much kokosnoot milk inwards the master copy recipe I didn't hesitate to stimulate got it all the way. My bigger challenge was locating dark viscid rice inwards my neighbourhood. None of my weekday haunts had any, in addition to it was 3pm on Sabbatum past times the fourth dimension I brought a handbag domicile from the Asian grocery close the Queen Victoria Markets. I slashed the rice soaking fourth dimension past times 2 thirds in addition to the simmering fourth dimension past times around other third, needing the mixture to survive dorsum inwards the refrigerator earlier nosotros headed out for birthday party. As a effect my rice was soft but non porridgy, in addition to I decided to strain it out.

Even strained, this icecream was a rather fetching mauve, amongst a really gentle sweetness from the kokosnoot in addition to rice equally much equally the palm carbohydrate in addition to agave. I'd similar to brand around other batch, giving the rice the total fourth dimension it wants, to sense of savour it at total rice power.

Black rice icecream
(adapted from a recipe inwards Sri Owen's Indonesian Food)

70g dark viscid rice
560mL kokosnoot cream
400mL kokosnoot milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
pocket-size cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Cover the rice amongst cool H2O in addition to permit it soak for 2 1/2 hours (original recipe has 4-8hours therefore become longer if y'all can!). Drain the rice in addition to house it inwards a saucepan amongst the kokosnoot cream, kokosnoot milk, salt, cinnamon in addition to palm sugar. Bring it all to the boil, in addition to then proceed it on a high simmer for an hour, stirring regularly. (The master copy recipe had a 1 hr 35 infinitesimal simmer, bringing the well-soaked rice to a thick porridge.) My rice was withal really granular, but besides really tender. Refrigerate the mixture until completely cold, virtually four hours.

Transfer the mixture to a nutrient processor in addition to add together the agave nectar. Blend until equally smoothen equally possible. Optionally, strain out the rice (I did). Churn it inwards an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, in addition to then freeze until firm.