Easy Indonesian

I love Asian cuisines. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian. Perhaps it was instilled in me by my parents, who spent time living abroad in Southeast Asia. Either way, I love the food and the flavors.

The other evening, I really had a taste for Indonesian. In the Somerset Hills, good luck finding somewhere that offers hot chicken satay, or spiced delicious nasi goreng. So, armed with my Indonesian cookbook, I ventured to go Indonesian. And it was fantastic. Even my parents, who ate at some of the best satay spots in Hong Kong and Singapore, enjoyed it.

SATAY MARINADE

Serves 3 – 4

3 small shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp chopped fresh ginger

½ tsp sambal oelek/ulek or chili powder

1 – 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp soft brown sugar (optional)

½ tsp salt

Use the amounts above per pound of meat, be it beef, chicken, or seafood. I went with chicken, cutting it into roughly 1-inch cubes, letting it marinade, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour. The longer it marinates, the better the flavor.

To cook, preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Skewer the meat on metal skewers, and lay them on the edge of a pan, to catch drippings. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes, and serve immediately. If you cannot serve them right away, take them out of the oven, DO NOT leave them in. 2 minutes prior to serving, heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and flash heat the skewers for 2 minutes, then serve.

To accompany the satay, I made nasi goreng, which is the Indonesian take on the classic Asian dish of fried rice.

FRIED RICE (NASI GORENG)

 

Serves 4 – 6

 

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp butter

3 shallots or 1 small onion, very finely chopped

1 tsp sambal ulek, or ½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp tomato puree or ketchup

2 tbsp light soy sauce

3 carrots, very finely diced

2 tbsp hot water (optional)

salt to taste

1 lb long-grain rice, cooked by the absorption method or in an electric rice cooker, and allowed to cool completely

 

1.   Heat the oil and butter in a wok or large frying pan. Stir-fry the shallots for 1 – 2 minutes, then add the other ingredients, including the hot water (if using), but not the rice. Continue stir-frying for about 6 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

2.   Add the rice, and mix thoroughly so that the rice is heated through and takes on the reddish tinge of the paprika and tomato. Adjust the seasoning.

3.   Serve hot of a warmed serving dish – by itself as an accompaniment to a main course; garnished with sliced cucumber, sliced tomatoes, watercress, and crisp-fried shallots; or topped with seafood or meat.

Credit for the above recipes goes to Sri Owen, author of 'The Indonesian Kitchen'. The following is a link to her book on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Indonesian-Kitchen-Recipes-Stories/dp/1566567394/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242585237&sr=8-1