Sambal Goreng Tempe

This is what I made for the pot luck gathering on Sunday. It's an Indonesian dish that uses Tempe, which is fermented soybean cakes (soybeans that have been fermented with rice yeast). Sounds gross but is rather bland if cooked on its own. It's a great carrier of flavours and is a popular ingredient in Indonesian and Malay cooking. It's also nutritious as it's high in protein. To be honest, as much as I love eating Indonesian food, sometimes I feel too lazy to cook it cos there's too many ingredients involved, especially if u need to make a spice base (rempah).

uncooked tempe

Source: The Food of Indonesia - Authentic Recipes from the Spice Islands

Ingredients:

• 2 cakes Tempe, cut in long narrow strips and deep fried
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 shallot, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 red chillies, sliced
• 2.5cm galangal, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 tsp dried shrimp paste
• 5 tsp chopped palm sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp tamarind juice
• salt to taste
• 8 bird's eye chillies (chilli padi), chopped

Prepare the tempe and set aside. Heat the oil and saute the shallots, garlic, chillies, galangal and shrimp paste for 2-3 minutes. Add the palm sugar, water and tamarind juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Put in the tempe and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has reduced and caramelised. Season to taste with salt and stir through the bird's eye chillies just before serving.

Note: I've also added fried peanuts and fried ikan bilis.

ingredients chopped and ready


tempe cut into strips


Sambal Goreng Tempe, peanuts and ikan bilis


I also brought along some konnyaku jelly. But that didn't seem to be as popular as the tempe. The picture was taken in a rush after i had accidentally tipped the container, so the jellies were all out of line after i had so nicely arranged them ><

Identity Crisis

Today we attended an Indonesian Fellowship Pot-Luck gathering at Sembawang church. It was an enjoyable day mingling with fellow brethrens and meeting new people. I had no idea there were so many Indonesian members in Singapore church.

But all this got me thinking on my identity. I really don't feel very Indonesian myself eventhough I was born there and can speak the language (somewhat fluently) and still have family living in Jakarta. But I myself don't identify with 'being' an Indonesian, know what I mean? After living in Australia for so many years (from 1988 till 2002 with an absence in '93-'94) I mostly feel Australian than anything else, albeit a Chinese Australian. Not even an Indonesian-Australian you see. Rather confusing? And I always get confused as to what I should say when ppl ask me "So where're u from?". It always begins with "Um....errr.....".

Anyway, I sort of felt a little bit out of place being in an Indonesian fellowship, because my mind all along is saying - "but I'm Australian, not Indonesian!". And even the speaking part I get a little confused. I think in English but have to speak in Indonesian, so sometimes when I talk it comes out like 'gado-gado' or 'rojak', everything all jumbled up. Having lived in oz since I was 8, I've forgotten a lot of Indonesian words and am not in touch with any of the latest slangs. I speak to my parents in Indonesian, english to my brothers and english to my sister in laws who are Malaysian and Indonesian respectively.

When Edmund tells his friends his wife is Australian, their first reaction is "oh she's an angmoh (caucasian)?", then he'd have to go into explaining no I'm not white, but Indonesian-Chinese. Talk about Identity Crisis!

Some Random Observations

1) I wonder why people here never developed the habit of cleaning their tables themselves at fast food restaurants after they've finished their meal? Even when the cleaners (who often time are older folks mind you) are busy, the patrons would rather sit on their hands and wait till they come and clean the tables for them. Ok so it's understandable if the table needs a real good wipe down, but if not? Then what about those cleaners themselves? Why do they make such a big deal when someone asks them to help clean their table? It's their job isn't it? I've noticed cleaners in a few places like hawker centres and food courts acting like this. Maybe they think people are looking down on them and treating them like low class people. But I'm sure most often than not, they just need their tables cleaned.

2) For some reason, I can't help and stare when westerners go to supermarkets and tell the cashiers to not bag their groceries and also when I walk by westerners who carry their groceries in several reusable cloth bags. I'm sure there are asians who do it too, but I mostly see westerners. I know we're supposed to use less plastic bags, but I like having a stash of supermarket plastic bags for the rubbish bins around the house and as for the small bags, I like to keep it beside the sink to throw scraps of food or small items so I can throw it down the garbage chute periodically when it fills up. I do like having garbage chutes in the house without needing to walk outside my house to throw the rubbish away - very convenient. And no need to assign rubbish duty on who should wheel out the stinky rubbish bins like in Brissy.

On the topic of recycling, I still try to recycle as much as I can here. I was rather ashamed one time when a friend at my house saw something that could've been recycled go into my rubbish bin. Since then I've made a conscious effort to recycle as much stuff as I can, and I'm happy to say Edmund's gotten into it too. It's also good that we have recycling bags that are collected every 2 weeks (every week would b better tho) and it's good to see big recycling bins around the area. A long time ago a lecturer told us that it costs more to recycle materials, dunno if it's true or not, but at least we're saving Gaia right?

3) In Singapore (and Malaysia and Indonesia) we've got people who help fill up our petrol at the petrol stations. With petrol prices soaring, I wonder if these people were 'done away' with, would it make any difference to the petrol prices? Save on their salaries and pass on the savings to us perhaps? I know it's creating employment (especially since the attendants are usually older folks), but we're definitely feeling the pinch of driving a car in Singapore. Yes yes, I know I just talked about recycling, but having a car when you have a child is way more convenient.

4) On the subject of cars, I have to admit that I'm rather scared to drive in Singapore. I feel that people here drive faster (not adhering to the speed limits), the roads are narrower (including carparks) and there's a blatant disregard on using their signals. After being here for close to 6 years and seeing my fil, bil, and hubby all having had car accidents (be it minor and not their fault), it's really put me off driving entirely.

A Nifty Invention - The Handbag Hook

This month's Elle Magazine comes with a free 'handbag hook (said to retail for $39.95). It's a compact design that you can slip into even your smallest handbag. The underside of the round metal piece has a non-slip backing. I think it really is a great invention because sometimes you go to a nice restaurant where you put a napkin across your nap, but your bag is on your lap so the napkin sits really funny. Or sometimes you've done some shopping and you don't want to put your bags on the floor while you eat even at a foodcourt. Google 'handbag hook' and you'll see that there's a lot of handbag hooks out there with cute designs, but what I like about the Elle magazine one is its compact design so it doesn't take a lot of room in your bag.

Korean Cold Noodles (soup) from Sim Lim Square foodcourt

I absolutely love these cold noodles and will always order this whenever I go to Sim Lim Square. The soup has just the right spiciness and sourness. And the noodles have just the right chewiness. The dish basically consists of ice cold clear beef soup (they even put ice in it), sliced beef, shredded raw cabbage, shredded cucumber, some chilli, half a hard boiled egg and Korean noodles. There's not many Korean foodcourts stalls selling this. Yummmm!

Before it's mixed

After it's mixed. Very refreshing.

Picky Eater Driving Me Crazy!

For someone like me who enjoys cooking, experimenting with food and generally loves to eat, it is torturing to have a child who is a picky eater. Sometimes I cook something nice that I get all excited about - believing that Caelyn will like it as much as I do - only to find out that she flatly refuses to eat whatever it is. Then there are the times when I try to sneak in the veges, even if it's cut up to tiny little pieces, she'll pick them out. What she likes to eat one day, you give it to her again another day she doesn't like. It drives me up the wall cos sometimes I have to cook her something else just so she'll eat (most times this is noodles). No parent wants to see their child go hungry, but at the same time, I know she won't starve cos I'm sure she'll look for food when she's hungry and then there's always the advice not to cook them separate food, just let her be hungry. Seriously.........arrgggh..

My mil and fil always make comments like, 'when the kids were little (as in my hubby and his siblings), they'd eat anything we give them'. Dude, it's not my fault that my child is a picky eater is it?

I wish Caelyn was more like her cousin Malcolm when it comes to eating. I can't wait till she's older and hopefully enjoy as much variety of food as we enjoy.

Get Smart - the movie

Saw Get Smart the movie this weekend, the cinema was packed! I didn't realise that Get Smart was also well known in Singapore. When I was growing up in Australia I used to watch the original Get Smart, tho corny at times, it made for a good after school show. The remake of this classic is filled with humour and follows the same simple storyline as the classic, but set in the current time. Eventhough it was a bit corny at times, the funny script is bound to make you laugh, not just giggle, I mean laughing out loud. Steve Carrell is spot on in playing Maxwell Smart (and kinda looks like the original guy too don't you think?), but I felt that Anne Hathaway didn't really suit the role as Agent 99. Somehow the chemistry was a little strange, maybe someone older would've been better?
I'd recommend this movie if you're just looking for a laugh or if you're just a Get Smart fan :P

Foods of Indonesia

Potty Training - One Step at a Time

In the last 3 days, Caelyn has pooed and peed once in the toilet. We bought her a kiddy toilet seat which you can put over the adult toilet. I had tried several times in the last month couple of months to get her to pee and poo in the toilet or at least to let me know if she needs to 'go', but to no avail. But amazingly the other day when I saw her making her face, indicating she was about to poo, I quickly asked her if she wanted to go to the toilet and she willingly nodded her head! So off we went to the toilet and she did a big one in there! I was so proud of her!! Then a funny thing happened the next day, she pooed in her diaper and after changing her I went to the kitchen and I hear Caelyn running after me saying "mama mama! Toiti (she can't say toilet, so she says 'toy-tee')" and I was shocked. I looked at her and said you want to pee?? She nodded and we quickly ran to the toilet and she peed in it!!

So it seems that maybe this toilet training thing with her will be easier than I thought. I guess it helped that she sees me going to the toilet (we're very open), so she knows what to do. I'm letting her take the lead because I do think she'll do it when she's well and ready herself.

Oh and if you're looking for good pull up diapers, try Napia. I had been using Huggies and Drypantz on Caelyn until I saw Napia being on sale and decided to try it. Its wide cut is fabolous, means the diaper won't disappear up their bum which means no accidents which often happens with Drypantz because their cut is so slim.

Fish with Garlic Chives in a Spicy Bean Sauce

Ingredients:

Fish Slices
Garlic Chives
Garlic, crushed
Cornflour
Spicy Bean Sauce (Dou Ban Jiang)
Dark Soy Sauce
Pepper

1. Heat up some oil for shallow frying the fish slices. Coat the fish in cornflour and fry till crispy. Set aside. Drain the oil leaving only a little bit in the pan.

2. Stir fry the crushed garlic, add in the Garlic Chives. (I had also added some lily bulb petals).Stir fry until the Garlic Chives are tender. (Note that Garlic Chives aren't Garlicky at all).

3. Add in the Spicy Bean Sauce and Dark Soy and season with Pepper. No salt needed cos the Spicy Bean Paste is salty in itself.

4. Serve hot with rice!

Pan Cooked Cha Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

I was inspired by Edmund's auntie who cooked this dish for a gathering. It tastes fantastic! I love the stickiness of it all, truly finger lickin' good!

Ingredients:

Pork Ribs
Bottled Cha Siu Sauce
Garlic
Pepper
Light Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce
Honey

1. Combine everything together and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Pour all the pork including the marinade into a pan and cook until the sauce has dried up and the pork looks a bit charred. Stir frequently and keep an eye on it because all the sugars in it will burn fast towards the end.

pork resting in the marinade

Pumpkin Rice

This is something that Caelyn actually likes to eat. You can substitute with any ingredients you like, main ingredients tho is the pumpkin of course.


Ingredients:
Pumpkin, deseeded and diced into small pieces
Garlic, crushed and chopped
Dried Prawns, soaked
Mushrooms, fresh or dried ones
Green Leafy Veg, shredded finely
Minced Meat
Soy Sauce
Pepper

1. Wash your rice and set aside inside the rice cooker.

2. Heap up some oil in a pan and add the garlic. Cook till it browns a little and then add the dried prawns and minced meat. Add the pumpkin after the meat has browned and season the mixture with Soy Sauce and Pepper. Cook the pumpkins until they're heated through. At this point, turn off the heat and add the mushrooms and Leafy Veg.

3. Toss the whole mixture into your rice that's inside the rice cooker and mix. Add water as you would as if cooking plain white rice and turn on the rice cooker and sit back and wait for your Pumpkin rice to cook!

4. Once the rice is done, what I usually like to do is stir the rice so the bottom doesn't get burnt and also when you mix up the rice after it's cooked, the pumpkins begin to 'melt' and get mashed into the rice grains giving them a nice light orangey/yellow colour.

Cute Little Minnie Mouse Shaped Toast

I bought this pair of Minnie and Mickey Mouse cookie cutter from Carrefour recently and I used them to make shapes for Caelyn's toast. They were oh so cute! I haven't seen these being sold anywhere else except Carrefour and eBay and they have other Disney characters too. The cookie cutters are made in Japan, trust the Japanese to make something so cute!

Minnie cheese toast and Minnie Nutella Toast (Caelyn ate the ear off). Each slice of bread can be cut into 4 Minnies or Mickeys. Toasting the bread brings out the stamped face more.


The bottom 3 shapes are from Daiso. They're supposed to be for making little rice cakes.


and this is what the 'rice cakes' look like.

"Bakmi Kangkung" or Kangkong Noodles Soup

This is an Indonesian dish that's easy to make.

1. Boil Pork bones
2.Stir fry chopped red shallots, chopped garlic, pork fat, dried shrimp, yellow bean paste, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), add salt and pepper.
3. Place cooked mixture into the Pork bones soup and cook until the meat on the bone is tender.
4. Place some yellow egg noodles and kangkung and beansprouts in individual serving bowls and ladle some hot soup over it. Sprinkle with some fried shallots and serve piping hot.

Chilli Sauce: Mix the following together to form a smooth sauce - Peanut butter, vinegar, sugar, chillies and water.

The soup should be sweet and salty at the same time.

Fish Head Curry

Fish Head Curry made using A1 Instant Fish Curry Sauce. This is very good. Couldn't find pictures of the fish curry sauce packet, but it has the same look as the chicken curry sauce (picture which I took off the net....hehehe).

MMMM Butchery at Square2 Novena

Some people might not know of this cute little butcher shop tucked away in a corner of Square2 (#04-55). It sells meats from around the world, a lot of which have been vacuum packed and frozen. I, unlike a lot of people here, do not mind and have no qualms about eating frozen meats. My palate is not refined enough for me to notice any differences and I really don't think eating frozen meats is bad, especially if they've been vacuum packed. A lot of times they've been packed frozen immediately after cutting. But of course there are probably some meats that's better eaten fresh like beef steak cuts (and sausages maybe?).

Anyway, if you're ever in that part of town, drop by the shop, the prices are reasonable and there's even an in-house chef who can give you tips on how to cook the meats or on which cuts are best for the dish you want to cook. For those cooks on the run, they even have pre-marinated chickens and fish (not frozen) which you can pick up and cook straight away. And they also have a shelf with ready made sauces and cookbooks you can pick up.

I like this 'spice rack'. Each jar is filled with different spices. So pretty to have in my kitchen :P

Korean Cold Noodles

I don't know what this dish is called in Korean, but I learnt it from my sister in law who in turn learnt it from her Korean friend. This dish is served cold. I love how chewy the noodles are. The packet of noodles (which my Mum bought back frm Oz, cos it's cheaper there at AUD$5.60) also contains 3 sachets of sauce. But the sauce is no where enough so we have to add our own sauce. To make the sauce, I mixed the following together: 2 sachets of the included sauce, Korean Hot Pepper Paste, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil. To make up the dish we added cucumber, carrots, mushrooms and some prawns.

I like any kind of cold noodles, Do you?

The cooked noodles look like thick beehoon, but the texture is definitely different.

Korean Hot Pepper Paste

Chilli Sotong Goreng

source: Joy of Cooking series - Traditional Nyonya Cuisine

Ingredients:

500g Sotong/Prawns
12 cloves shallots
10 dried chillies
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp shrimp paste
1/2 inch galangal
1/2 inch turmeric
1 thumb-sized tamarind
4 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Wash the sotong and remove the eyes and stomach. Pound shallots, dried chillies, garlic, shrimp paste, galangal and turmeric together. Mix tamarind with half a cup of water.
2. Heat up oil and fry the sotong until cooked. Remove.
3. Add in more oil and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant.
4. Add in tomato paste, sugar, salt and tamarind juice to cook until the gravy thickens.
5. Lastly, add in the sotong and mix well with the gravy.

Since I was on a 'cooking' holiday, my Mum was the one who cooked the dish. Admittedly we didn't have any galangal and she used fresh chillies instead of dried chillies and she forgot to put in the tomato paste. I think with the additions of dried chillies and tomato paste the dish would've been richer. But what she cooked was nice as well. We also added some round green Thai eggplants. Her version wasn't all that spicy, believe it or not, Caelyn loved eating the squid! And she loved the sauce with her rice. Unbelievable!

Jumping on the Blogger bandwagon

Seems like everyone these days has a Blogger account. So trust me to jump on the bandwagon and join in :p

Today Caelyn's grandma (my mother) went out shopping on her own. Caelyn has developed such an attachment to her after just spending a week with her. I wish my Mum didn't have to leave so soon so Caelyn can have someone else to play with. And on my part, having her around means I don't have to cook and have more free time to blog...hahaha...

Pork Chops recipe from Mrs Lee's Cookbook

I tried out this recipe a while back but I didn't use porkchops as I only had Pork Shoulder Butts steaks in my fridge. These cuts of pork are really tender because of the marbling running through them.


This recipe is really quite simple, you just need to marinade your meat with some light soy, dark soy and ginger (which I omitted cos I don't like). As for the sauce, it's simply simmering together the following ingredients: 1/4tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp corn flour, 10 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt.

I served it with steamed broccoli and freshly fried tortilla chips with a sweet chilli sourcream dipping sauce.