As I have mentioned before, I love Indonesian food, the complex sambols, the unique herbs and spices make cooking this cuisine very intimidating. It is hard to find a good Indonesian restaurant where I live, so I appreciate the new flurry of cookbooks on this culture. As fiery and complex this food is, I remember how kind, generous and wonderful the people of this culture are.
For more recipies from this cookbook click here.
Ingredients: Bumbu spice paste:
3 inch piece of fresh turmeric, or 1 generous teaspoon turmeric powder
2 galoic cloves
3 candlenuts or 6 blanched almonds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt to taste
Mix all ingredients and puree to a fine paste in a small blender. Add a touch of water to make a smooth paste.
Stir fry:
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 egg
2 kaffir lime leaves, halved
1 teaspoon sugar
7 oz. frozen corn
3 1/2 oz baby corn, cut into bite sized pieces if whole
3 1/2 oz carrots, diced or shredded
2 oz green beans, diced into 1 inch pieces
2 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 baby bok choy, or Chinese celery, diced
Salt to taste
To cook and serve:
Heat the oil in a wok or pot. Add the egg and scramble. When the eggs is dry and crumbly, add the bumbu paste and fry till the paste cooks down and the oil is released from the sauce, about 3-5 minutes. Add the vegetables and salt, except the scallions and bok choy, and cook till the vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes. You can leave the vegetables as crunchy as you would like them to be. Add the scallions and bok choy, toss well and heat through. Taste for salt and spices.
Turn out onto a bowl and serve immediately.