All recipes

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Asinan BetawiPickled vegetable and tofu salad

Asinan Betawi is the cooling salad of old Jakarta, sold from glass-sided carts and eaten mid-afternoon in the heat or brought out at family gatherings in big tubs. Quick-pickled cabbage, cucumber and bean sprouts are piled with cubes of tofu, then soaked in a thin, tangy sauce of chilli, vinegar, palm sugar and ground peanuts. It is crunchy, sour, sweet and spicy all at once. A portion has about 300 kcal and roughly 17 g of protein, from the tofu and peanuts, so it is a light meal rather than a high-protein one. The common mistake is dressing it too early; the vegetables go limp within an hour. Street versions often scatter shrimp crackers on top, so use plain rice or cassava crackers to keep it vegetarian. Chef's tip: chill the sauce well before serving; asinan should be served cold enough to fog the bowl.

40 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ikan kuah asamFish in clear sour broth

Across Ambon in Maluku and the coasts of North Sulawesi, ikan kuah asam is the soup families eat almost daily with papeda or rice, made from whatever fish came in that morning. The broth is thin and clear, bright with lime and tomato, warm with chilli and lemongrass, with chunks of fish poached just until they flake. It is light but filling, with about 28 g of protein a portion from the fish. The common mistake is adding the lime juice too early and boiling it: it turns bitter, so squeeze it in at the end. Chef's tip: use a firm, meaty fish such as tuna, mackerel or snapper, cut into large chunks, so it holds together in the broth.

30 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pepes ikanFish steamed in banana leaf

Pepes ikan is everyday Sundanese cooking from Bandung and the hills of West Java, made in the morning and eaten with rice, sambal and raw vegetables at lunch. Fish is rubbed with a yellow paste of turmeric, shallot, candlenut and chilli, scattered with lemon basil, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed, then charred briefly on a grill so the leaf smokes and perfumes it. The flesh comes out moist and fragrant. A portion has about 30 g of protein from the fish. The usual mistake is skipping the steaming and grilling straight away: the outside burns before the fish is cooked. Chef's tip: lemon basil (kemangi) is the signature; if you can't get it, use Thai basil with a little lemon zest.

60 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ikan wokuFish in lemongrass basil paste

Woku is the signature sauce of Minahasa cooking around Manado in North Sulawesi, where fish woku is cooked for Sunday lunches after church and for family gatherings. Fish steaks simmer briefly in a bright yellow paste of turmeric, chilli, shallot and ginger, smothered in lemongrass, lime leaves, pandan, spring onion and handfuls of lemon basil, so the sauce is hot, herbal and sharp with lime. A portion has about 30 g of protein from the fish; eat it with plenty of rice. The common mistake is stirring hard once the fish goes in, which breaks it up; shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: add the basil only at the very end, off the heat, so it stays green and perfumed.

40 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pindang seraniFish in sour turmeric broth

Pindang serani belongs to Jepara and the fishing towns of the north coast of Central Java, where it is cooked at home for lunch and served at seaside warungs. Traditionally it is made with milkfish (bandeng) or grouper simmered in a pale yellow broth of turmeric, galangal and lemongrass, soured with sour starfruit and sharpened with chilli and basil. It is light and restoring, with about 28 g of protein a portion from the fish. Milkfish is very bony, so sea bass or grouper steaks are easier at home. The common mistake is boiling the soup hard once the fish is in, which clouds it and breaks the flesh. Chef's tip: bruise the turmeric, galangal and ginger rather than grinding them, so the broth stays clear.

40 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tumis daun pepayaStir-fried papaya leaves

In Manado and across North Sulawesi and Maluku, a plate of tumis daun pepaya sits beside rice, grilled corn and sambal at everyday lunches and at big family gatherings, where its clean bitterness cuts through rich coconut dishes. The leaves are boiled first to tame them, then stir-fried hot with shallot, garlic, chilli and lemon basil until glossy. Many cooks add a little dried anchovy or fish; this version is vegetarian and gets its savouriness from a spoon of soy sauce and the fried aromatics. It is a light side with about 4 g of protein per portion, from the leaves themselves, so serve it with tofu, tempeh or beans if you want a full meal. The common mistake is skipping the pre-boil: raw papaya leaves are harshly bitter. Chef's tip: squeeze the boiled leaves hard and fry them in a hot, dry-ish pan so they take on a little colour rather than stewing.

30 min

Indonesian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

KaredokRaw vegetable salad with peanut sauce

Karedok is the raw cousin of gado-gado, sold from roadside stalls in Bandung and across West Java as a cooling lunch with rice, prawn-free crackers or rice cakes. Nothing is cooked: long beans, cucumber, cabbage, bean sprouts and Thai basil are cut small and coated in a thick peanut sauce pounded with kencur (aromatic ginger), garlic, chilli and palm sugar, so every bite is crisp, nutty and gently sweet-hot. Stall versions often add terasi (shrimp paste); this vegetarian version leaves it out and makes up the depth with a little extra kencur and lime. A portion gives about 10 g of protein, mostly from the peanuts, so it is a light side rather than a high-protein main; serve it with tempeh or tofu if you want more. The most common mistake is dressing it too early: the salt pulls water out of the cucumber and the sauce turns thin and watery. Chef's tip: grind the peanuts coarse rather than to a paste, so the sauce keeps a little crunch to match the vegetables.

25 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lalapan with sambal tomatRaw vegetables with tomato sambal

In Sundanese homes and warung across West Java, from Bandung to Bogor, lalapan sits on the table at nearly every rice meal: a plate of raw cucumber, cabbage, long beans, Thai basil, lettuce and sometimes small green aubergines, dipped one by one into fiery sambal. It is about freshness and crunch more than cooking. The usual sambal terasi uses shrimp paste, so here it is a vegetarian sambal tomat of fried chilli, shallot, garlic and tomato, ground with palm sugar and lime. A portion gives only about 3 g of protein, so pair it with fried tofu or tempeh and rice for a full meal. The most common mistake is serving limp vegetables: wash them, then crisp them in iced water and dry them well. Chef's tip: fry the sambal ingredients until the tomato skins split and the shallots catch at the edges; that charring gives the depth shrimp paste usually brings.

25 min

Indonesian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Plecing kangkungWater spinach with tomato sambal

Plecing kangkung is Lombok's signature vegetable dish, eaten in Mataram and around the island at lunch with rice and grilled food, and sold in Bali night markets too. Bright water spinach is blanched just until tender, then piled with bean sprouts and a raw sambal of tomato, chilli, lime and salt, and finished with crunchy fried peanuts. On Lombok the sambal usually contains terasi (shrimp paste); this vegetarian version leaves it out and uses a squeeze of lime leaf and a pinch more salt. A portion gives about 6 g of protein from the peanuts and sprouts, so it is a fresh side rather than a main. The most common mistake is overcooking the kangkung: it should stay vivid green with crunchy stems, so blanch for under a minute. Chef's tip: shock the greens in iced water straight after blanching, then squeeze lightly; the sambal clings better to dry leaves.

20 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Urap (Javanese vegetables with spiced coconut)

Urap is a Javanese and Balinese side dish served at everyday meals and at slametan gatherings, and it is just as common heaped next to rice and tempeh on a weeknight. Freshly blanched long beans, spinach, cabbage and bean sprouts are tossed with grated coconut that has been steamed with shallot, garlic, chilli and lime leaf, so the vegetables taste bright and the coconut sweet, warm and fragrant. Many cooks add terasi (shrimp paste) to the coconut; this version leaves it out so it stays vegan. The common mistake is mixing the coconut into the vegetables hours ahead, when it turns sour and soggy; toss just before eating. Chef's tip: plunge the vegetables into cold water straight after blanching and squeeze the greens dry, or the dressing will be watery.

25 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kue bangkitTapioca coconut flower cookies

Jars of kue bangkit sit on coffee tables across Riau and the Sumatran coast at Lebaran, and Chinese-Indonesian families bake the same little white flowers for Lunar New Year. They are made from tapioca starch slowly roasted with pandan leaves, then bound with sugar, egg yolk and thick coconut milk and pressed into tiny flower shapes. When they are right they feel crisp and light in the hand and then dissolve instantly on the tongue, leaving the taste of coconut and pandan. The step people rush is roasting the starch; it must be dry-fried until feather-light, or the cookies bake hard and chalky. Chef's tip: keep the dough covered with a cloth while you work, because tapioca dough dries in minutes and then crumbles in the mould.

106 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Spiku (lapis Surabaya)Three-layer butter sponge with jam

Visitors leaving Surabaya are expected to carry home a box of spiku as oleh-oleh, the gift from your travels, and it also turns up for Lebaran and Chinese New Year. The name comes from the Dutch spekkoek, but this is a different cake: three thick layers of rich, yolk-heavy butter sponge, two plain and one chocolate, stuck together with apricot or strawberry jam. The crumb is soft, tight and buttery, best in thin slices with tea. Folding the melted butter in roughly or too fast lets it sink and bake into a greasy band at the bottom, so add it in a thin stream and fold just until it vanishes. Chef's tip: bake the three layers at the same time in three identical tins; weigh the batter into them so the layers come out even.

85 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tumis kacang panjang (Indonesian stir-fried long beans)

In Javanese homes and warungs, tumis kacang panjang is one of the quickest vegetable dishes on the table, cooked in minutes at dinner time and eaten with rice, fried tempeh and sambal. The beans keep a little bite, the tomato breaks down into a light, savoury gloss, and the chilli gives gentle heat. Plenty of cooks stir in a little terasi (shrimp paste); here it is left out to keep the dish vegan, with a pinch of sugar for balance. The common mistake is adding a lot of water and covering the pan, which boils the beans grey; a splash and a hot pan are enough. Chef's tip: cut the beans on a slant so more surface touches the pan and they cook faster.

15 min

Indonesian Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

BakpiaMung bean pastries

Nobody leaves Yogyakarta without a cardboard box of bakpia; the Pathuk neighbourhood, a short walk from Malioboro, is lined with family bakeries turning them out for visitors as oleh-oleh, the snacks Indonesians bring home from a trip. These are small, round and slightly puffed, with a thin, flaky skin that goes golden in spots and a smooth, lightly salted sweet mung bean centre. They came to Java with Chinese bakers (the name comes from Hokkien bak pia) and are eaten with sweet hot tea or a glass of kopi. Using too much filling is the usual problem; the skin should wrap it with no stretching. Chef's tip: cook the mung beans with a knotted pandan leaf for the classic fragrance, and keep the pastry balls under a damp cloth so the skins stay supple while you work.

110 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

KlappertaartBaked young coconut custard

Manado, at the northern tip of Sulawesi, inherited klappertaart from its Dutch colonial kitchens (klapper is old Dutch for coconut), and it is still the dessert North Sulawesi families bring to birthdays, Christmas and church gatherings. Soft strips of young coconut flesh are folded through a creamy, cinnamon-scented milk custard with raisins, then baked under a sprinkle of almonds until barely set and bronzed on top. It is eaten warm or cold, spooned straight from the dish. Many recipes soak the raisins in rum or add a splash to the custard; this one is alcohol-free, with the rum as an option. Overbaking it until firm is the mistake to avoid; it should be soft and spoonable. Chef's tip: use the jelly-soft flesh of young coconuts (or frozen young coconut strips); grated mature coconut makes the custard dry and chewy.

75 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

BandrekSpiced ginger drink

Up in the cool tea highlands around Bandung and Garut, bandrek warms people through damp nights; vendors carry it in big kettles to night markets and football matches. It starts like wedang jahe but goes further, with cinnamon, cloves, pepper and lemongrass, and Sundanese sellers often float slivers of young coconut in each glass. The flavour is sweet, spicy and lingering. Chef's tip: simmer the whole spices, don't boil them hard; a fierce boil draws out bitterness from the clove.

20 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lapis legitThousand-layer spice cake

Indonesian Chinese and Dutch-descended families bake lapis legit for Christmas, Imlek and Lebaran, and in Jakarta a whole cake is a prized gift that can cost a small fortune. Rich batter of butter and a great many egg yolks, scented with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and cardamom, is grilled one thin layer at a time, giving perfect tree-ring stripes when sliced. It takes an afternoon, but it is mostly patience. Slice it thinly; it is very rich. Chef's tip: press each layer gently with a flat spoon to burst air bubbles before adding the next; skipping it leaves holes and the layers separate when cut.

180 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Wedang jaheHot ginger drink

When the evening rain comes in over Yogyakarta, angkringan street stalls start ladling out wedang jahe, a fiery hot drink of grilled, bruised ginger and lemongrass simmered with palm sugar. It is sipped slowly from glasses alongside sticky rice snacks and fried tofu, and families make it at home whenever the weather turns cool. Chef's tip: grill or dry-roast the ginger until scorched before bruising it; raw ginger gives a sharper but flatter drink, without the smoky depth.

20 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Wedang uwuhSpiced herbal infusion

The name means 'rubbish drink', because a glass looks like a jumble of twigs and leaves, but around the royal tombs at Imogiri, south of Yogyakarta, wedang uwuh is a point of pride. Chips of sappan wood stain hot water a deep ruby red, while ginger, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg leaf and rock sugar give a sweet, woody spice. It is sold by roadside warung as a dry pack to brew at home. Chef's tip: steep it, don't boil it for long; sappan wood turns from red to a muddy brown and tastes tannic if cooked hard.

15 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

BajigurCoconut palm sugar drink

Bajigur carts in Bogor and Bandung come out in the late afternoon, steaming pots of coconut milk with palm sugar, ginger and pandan served alongside boiled peanuts, cassava and sweet potato. It is creamy and caramel-sweet with a warm ginger finish, a drink to wrap your hands round on a cool highland evening. Some sellers add a spoon of coffee; this version leaves it out. Chef's tip: keep it below a boil once the coconut milk is in; boiling makes it grainy and an oily film forms on top.

20 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kue putri saljuSnowball crescent cookies

'Snow princess' cookies are a Lebaran favourite in every Indonesian city, set out in jars for the stream of visiting relatives during the first days of Syawal. Little crescents of buttery, nutty shortbread made with ground cashews melt the moment you bite them, under a thick snowy coat of icing sugar. Children love helping to roll the crescents. Chef's tip: dust them twice, once while warm so a thin layer melts on and once when cold for the snowy finish; dusting only hot cookies leaves them patchy and damp.

55 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kue kastengelCheese biscuit sticks

From Medan to Makassar, Lebaran open houses set out glass jars of kue kering, and kastengel (from the Dutch kaasstengels) are always among the first to go. These short, crumbly fingers are rich with butter and grated aged edam, glazed with yolk and topped with more cheese, so they bake into a salty, savoury biscuit that balances the sweet nastar and putri salju beside them. Chef's tip: don't overwork the dough once the flour goes in; kneading makes the sticks tough and they shrink in the oven instead of staying short and sandy.

75 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Es cincauGrass jelly drink

Glasses of es cincau are handed out at Ramadan iftar tables across Java and sold from roadside carts all year on hot afternoons. Cubes of black grass jelly, with its slightly bitter, herbal taste, sit in pale coconut milk and dark palm-sugar syrup over crushed ice, and the contrast is the whole joy of it. Ready-made grass jelly in tins is fine; this recipe sets your own from grass jelly powder. Chef's tip: let the jelly set fully and cold before cutting; cut warm, it tears and melts into the drink.

30 min