Recipe: Indonesian Style Soto Ayam / Chicken Noodle Soup

OK, it's official, I am in looooooooove with Indonesian food. Since discovering the taste of real Indonesian food at Java Spice in Rowland Heights, I have had no less than 5 Indonesian meals (eat-in, take-out, and home cooking included) in the last two weeks: dishes such as Ayam Kalasan, Soto Ayam, Gado-Gado, Nasi Goreng, and Sate. This is not my first mad cuisine crush. I will spend an obsessive amount of time researching a new (to me) cuisine when I fall in love with it. I have been similarly smitten with Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Sichuan cuisines. So yes, I became a food stalker and searched everywhere for Indonesian recipes, food pictures, blogs, restaurants, and cookbooks. It was like being back at school and Indonesian food was my graduate course. I burned the midnight oil for an Indonesian Food exam. I went to local libraries, Borders, Barnes & Noble's religiously and holed up in the ethnic cookbooks section reading and ogling beautiful Indonesian cookbooks (unfortunately, there are only a handful of them!). I just have to cook Indonesian food in my kitchen, with my own hands, to satisfy and get over my current obsessive-compulsive behavior. And before the restraining order goes into effect. Finally I got myself the long list of ingredients and spent hours cooking up the following Soto Ayam. I am never a huge fan of Soto Ayam in Malaysia but the Indonesian version of Soto Ayam won me over. To kick up the flavor of the traditional Soto Ayam, this variation is infused with coconut milk and more spices. In Indonesia , this dish is called Soto Resah. It tasted very good and my native Malaysian palate favors this more complex and richer rendition. Ingredients: 1/2 chicken breast meat, skinless and deboned (cut into small cubes) 1 stalk of lemon grass (cut into 3 strips) 1 can of coconut milk 1 can of chicken broth 1 glass of water Spice Paste: 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds 4 shallots (chopped) 3 cloves of garlic (chopped) 2 pieces of turmeric (peeled and chopped) or 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder 2-inch piece of galangal (peeled and sliced) 2-inch piece of ginger (peeled and sliced) 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice Other ingredients: 2 cups of sliced cabbages 2 cups of bean sprouts 1/2 pack of vermicelli or 1 small package of glass noodles 2 limes, cut into wedges 2 hard-boiled eggs (cut into wedges) 1 stalk of spring onion (chopped) Method: Blend the spice paste in a food processor. Add some water if needed. Pour some oil in a pot and add in the spice paste. Stir the spice paste and wait for it to turn light brown. Add in chicken broth, coconut milk, lemon grass strips, and water. Once the broth starts boiling, add in chicken breast cubes. Cover the pot and lower the heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes. Add salt to taste. Blanch beansprouts, pre-soaked vermicelli / glass noddles, cabbages in another pot of boiling water and transfer them into a bowl once they are cooked. Add in toppings of hard-boiled eggs, chopped spring onions and pour the hot chicken broth into the bowl. Serve hot with lime wedges. Continue Reading "Recipe: Indonesian Style Soto Ayam / Chicken Noodle Soup"

Instant Fried Noodles Recipe

No matter how much of a foodie you are now, everyone has lived the instant noodle lifestyle at least once in their life. Whether you were a broke college student, a busy working professional, or a harried soccer mom, at some point instant noodles were (or still are) a primary staple food. It sure was mine when I went to college. Most people never lose that taste for instant noodle soup, I haven't, but now I like mine dry and fried. The tough choice is which brand to select. Walking down the aisle in any Asian supermarket one can find an amazing variety from all over the world. There are Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, or American (Cup Noodles, etc.). For me, after sampling all the different instant noodles from around the world, I always go back to Indomie, which is originally Indonesian. Don't get me wrong, I love our own Malaysian Maggie Mee, especially AssamLaksa and Tom Yam flavors, but when it comes to Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles), Indomie is the one. Period. Now how do you make a plate of seemingly uninteresting fried noodles into mouth-watering Deluxe Fried Noodles? Here is what I do. Ingredients 1 pack of Indomie Mi Goreng (Fried Noodles) 3-5 shrimps, shelled, deveined and cut into small pieces 1 egg Fry the egg. Fry the shrimp and save the remaining oil. Boil your noodles and mix with the sauces provided. Served with the fried egg and shrimp. Drip the remaining oil on top of your noodles for the extra zest, and there it is! A meal fit for a king - on a budget fitting a pauper. Continue Reading "Instant Fried Noodles Recipe"