Authentic Indonesian Cuisines

A traditional Indonesian way of making gado-gado.Gado-gado is a traditional dish in Indonesian cuisine, and comprises a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing. It is widely served in hotels and restaurants in Indonesia, and in Indonesian restaurants in other countries.

Ingredients

Vegetable salad

The exact composition of the vegetable salad varies, but usually comprises some mixture of

• shredded or chopped green vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, watercress, and bean sprouts;
• other sliced vegetables such as carrots and cucumber;
• long bean;
• tomatoes;
• tofu;
• tempeh;
• sliced boiled potatoes; and
• peeled and sliced boiled eggs.

With the exceptions of the eggs and the potatoes, the salad may be served raw, although optionally one may blanch some of the vegetables such as the cabbage and the cauliflower. Some cooks prefer to steam the vegetables. In some areas of Indonesia, they also mix in small amounts of cooked noodles.

Peanut sauce dressing

What distinguishes gado-gado from a plain vegetable salad is the peanut sauce dressing, which is poured on top of the vegetable salad before serving. The composition of this peanut sauce varies as well. One may use a commercial Indonesian peanut sauce or satay sauce, or make the sauce oneself. For making the sauce, the common primary ingredients are:

• ground fried peanuts with most of the oil drained off
• garlic
• coconut sugar/palm sugar (can substitute brown sugar)
• red chili sauce, cayenne pepper, or red curry powder
• lemon or lime juice

optional extras include:

• terasi (dried shrimp/fish paste)
• Indonesian sweet soy sauce

Ingredients

4 1/2 lb gravy or chuck steak; cubed

Instructions

----------------------------FOR THE SPICE PASTE-----------------------------

1 md onion

4 cloves garlic

3 ts ground chillies fresh/frozen

1 ts trassi or prawn paste

2 ts ground coriander

1 ts ground cumin

1/2 ts ground turmeric

2 kemiri nuts -or-

2 ts ground almonds

1 (3-cm long) piece of ginger

2 ts salt or to taste

1 ts soft brown sugar

1/4 c tamarind water

1/2 cn samoa coconut cream

1 long piece of lemon grass

1 daon salam (indonesian bay)

1 dried; fresh, powdered laos

2 lime or lemon leaves

Rendang Padang is a very hot curry from Sumatra which is surprisingly easy

to eat. The blend of all the different spices together with the coconut

cream allows your taste buds a lot more than chillies!

You will be surprised and delighted to find out that you can easily handle

a lot more chillies in this particular dish.

Rendang is traditionally a rather dry dish. The sauce almost completely

evaporated and infused into the meat.

Because of this Rendang freezes well in small pportions even in zip-lock

plastic bags and will keep frozen for at least 3 months or more.

Rendang should be a very hot and spicy dish. Do not be afraid to use even

more chillies than indicated. You will find that you can actually handle

lots more chillies in Rendang than in any other dishes. Serve with boiled

rice.

DIRECTIONS: Add the blended spice paste to the cubed meat in a large, thick

bottomed pot and mix well to coat. Add To This: The lemon grass which has

been tied into a bundle and pounded to release its taste and fragrance, the

Indonesian bayleaf - omit if not available, the ground Laos, lime or lemon

leaves, 1/2 can of coconut cream.

METHOD: Mix everything well together and bring slowly to the boil. Stirring

and scraping the botton to prevent burning the meat. Lower heat and simmer

gently UNCOVERED for 1-2 hours till the meat is tender, stirring every now

and then. DO NOT ADD WATER! Enough juice will run out of the meat

naturally.

MEANWHILE: Dry fry 1 cup of desicated coconut on low until golden brown.

Add this to the tender cooked meat and mix well.

Ingredients:

1/2 x chicken, non broiler (1 piece of thigh and 1 piece of breast)

4 x shallots

2 x garlic cloves

1 tbl palm sugar

8 cup coconut water

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground white pepper to taste

Cooking oil as needed

Method:

Grind shallots and garlic until fine. Dissolves palm sugar in 1 tablespoon of water.

Boil the chicken and the spices in coconut water, give salt and pepper to taste, then cook the chicken (close the pot) until the coconut water dries up.

Leak through (drain) the chicken, then fry until brown enough. Ready to serve.

This recipe yields 3 to 4 servings.

Es Teller is Indonesian syrupy concoction of chopped jack fruit,young coconut meat,chopped avocado and creamy coconut milk topped with crushed ice. It's available here in Melbourne in some Indonesian restaurant called Es Teller 77. Somehow, every time we have this drink, I ended up in the need to make homemade one.

It's really easy to make since almost all ingredients are coming in a can. Except the avocado. Those canned fruit available in Asian shop. I added mine with nata de coco, a chewy translucent jelly cube also available in Asian shop come in plastic packet.

Es Teller

1 can of young coconut meat in syrup

1 can jack fruit in syrup

1/2 cup creamy coconut milk, microwaved until just boil and set aside to cool

4 chopped avocados

1 packet Nata de coco(optional)

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (or to taste)

crushed ice

Open all cans and reserve the syrup in a medium bowl, using kitchen scissors cut coconut meat and jack fruit in small size, mix all fruits, coconut milk and nata de coco in the bowl. Serve in glass topped up with crushed ice and sweetened condensed milk.

Batik and Cuisine: A Heritage of Indonesia

A grand celebration of Indonesian luxe couture, cuisine and culture dubbed as "Batik & Cuisine: A Heritage Of Indonesia" from April 17 to 30, 2008 kicking off with a fashion show by renowned Indonesian designer Adjie Notonegoro on April 16, 2008 as the grand launch of the festivities presented by The Heritage Hotel Manila spearheaded by Mr. Eddie Yeo, General Manager in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia led by H.E. Prof. Irzan Tandjung.

Couture - A Fashion Show by Adjie Notonegoro

On April 16, 2008, as a springboard to the biggest and grandest Indonesian Food Promotion in town, the Indonesian Embassy brings to Manila - Adjie Notonegoro, the famous Indonesian designer to A-list luminaries and celebrities namely former US president Bill Clinton, one-time United Nations' secretary-general Kofi Anan, the Sultan of Brunei and his family, and Pop Stars Mariah Carey and Kylie Minogue.

Indonesian supermodels are also especially flown in to set the catwalk ablaze while donning the latest collection of Adjie Notonegoro's haute couture featuring batik, kebaya and gowns in a dazzling one-night only and exclusive fashion show.

Cuisine - Spice, Spice Baby

Delight in authentic Indonesian cuisine rich in eclectic flavors & aromas primed by highly-acclaimed Guest Chefs who are flown all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia courtesy of the Indonesian Embassy.

At the Riviera Café from April 17 to 30, 2008 enjoy lunch/dinner buffet and be captivated with the enigmatic and much-coveted gastronomic treasures of the Spice Islands such as Gado-gado (Mixed Boiled Vegetables With Peanut Sauce), Nasi Goreng Sayuran Jowo (Javanese Vegetable Fried Rice), Sate Ayam Martawi Cilacap ( Grilled Chicken Skewer Ala Cilacap), Rendang Padang (Sumatranese Beef Curry), Ayam Kalasan (Fried Chicken Ala Jokjakarta), Kambing Guling Jakarta (Grilled Lamb with Choices of Sauce), Kambing Guling Jakarta (Mixed Satay) and the famed to-die-for Indonesian dessert Es teller ( Coconut Avocado cocktail).

Dine and get a chance to win a 3 days, 2 nights stay with breakfast for two at the Millennium Hotel, Jakarta and one (1) round trip ticket to Jakarta courtesy of Cebu Pacific airlines and other fabulous prizes in the raffle draw.

Culture - Fantastic Batik

The Indonesian Embassy will also conduct a seminar on the art of batik-making on April 17, 2008 to enable artists based in Manila to understand Batik's immense possibilities for artistic freedom as patterns are applied by actual drawing rather than by weaving with thread.

For inquiries and dining reservations, call The Heritage Hotel Manila at 854-8888 or e-mail http://us.f523.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=marcom@heritagehotelmanila.com.