NASI GORENG

The most popular choice amongst Indonesian culinary besides Satay is Nasi Goreng. I try to find from where originally nasi goreng is, but could not find any information related to it. Below is the information I got from wikipedia about nasi goreng:

Nasi goreng is an Indonesian and Malaysian version of fried rice - that is what it means in both languages. The dish has hundreds of variations, but it is often accompanied by additional items such as a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, or krupuk (fried crackers / chips made of shrimp or vegetables). In many restaurants, when accompanied by a fried egg, it is sometimes called as nasi goreng spesial.

Although nasi goreng can be eaten at any time of day, most Indonesian people often eat nasi goreng during breakfast, and mostly ingredients are given from the leftovers from the dinner the previous day. The rice should be cooked ahead and let it to go cold to make, and this is why the leftover dinner is used because the rice is preferably taken from day before. Nasi goreng is a complete meal but sometimes it is also part of a banquet.

The main ingredients for the plain nasi goreng include pre-cooked (and preferably cold) rice, soy sauce, garlic, shallot and some spring onions for garnishing. For the special one, add fried egg, a cracker, some slice of raw tomatoes and cucumbers. When the main ingredient (rice) is replaced by noodle, the dish becomes mee goreng (fried noodle).

Nasi goreng can also be found in restaurants in western countries, mostly in Chinese and Indian ones, but with local adaptation. For instances, by adding some curry seasoning. In the Netherlands, several Indonesian-Chinese restaurants offer nasi goreng with selected original spices to suit the Dutch taste.

I was just a kid (about 8 or 9 years old), when my father often played a song titled "Gief Meej Maar Nasi Goreng". Somehow, that song sticked on my memory up to now, maybe as many Indonesian food mentioned on the lyric like, nasi goreng, onde-onde, krupuk, sambal etc. When writing this post, I tried to find who is the singer of that song, and YIPPEEEEEE! I found it. The name of the singer is Wieteke van Dort (http://www.wietekevandort.nl/ - unfortunately it is in Dutch) If you wish to hear to that unique song, please visit http://urno.multiply.com/music/item/56 Back to nasi goreng. Near my house there is a busy hawker food stall which specialized in Nasi Goreng Petai (Parkia Speciosa) - a kind of bean with stinky smell but taste good to its lover (I am one of them LOL!). They also have Nasi Goreng Jawa (Jawa = Java), which using shrimp paste as one of the ingredients and slices of big chilly. It is not hot but has a very special smell. Kind of sambal smell very tempting. One varian of nasi goreng which categorized unique, I found in Jogjakarta last year. It was cooked over a traditional brazier which caused it has a smoky smell. Besides that, they also have a dish, a combination of Mee Goreng and Nasi Goreng which named "Magelangan" style. Magelang is a name of a small city in Mid Java - near Jogjakarta. Which varian of nasi goreng is your favorite?

A PLACE in UBUD

When taking this picture, I remembered a place in Ubud. It is a restaurant but I would not mention the name as I noticed the quality of the food served, decreased recently. Up to now, I have decided for not visiting the place for dining again, I only will drop by whenever I miss the atmosphere. But to get the same feeling I have to wait until the rainy season comes.

Surely, it is a lovely place! Especially its open air area which located next to a big lotus pond.

Many frangipani trees planted near the edge of the pond. They put several sets of outdoor furniture on the grass lawn next to it.

What made me stunned that day: I was there, the rain was just stopped. Plenty of frangipani flowers fell and laid at the grass lawn. Combination of the grass, the yellowish of frangipani flowers and drops of rain that still attached and rolling slowly at the frangipanis' leaves and flowers, the fresh smell of the earth and the smell of the grass after the rain pouring..................., really unforgettable.

After reading this...., close your eyes and imagine what I have written above! Believe me, you will get that atmosphere too (wink!)

BALI - TRADITIONAL FOOD (1)

Lately, I was tickled to write about Balinese Traditional Food.

Balinese Traditional Food has its own character which able 'hypnotizing' their devotees. If you have Balinese friends who have been away from Bali for sometimes or have been settled foreigners somewhere else, you may ask them, whenever they return or happen to have a chance visiting Bali, I bet first thing appears at a very first glance on their mind is Balinese Traditional Food........, Babi Guling (suckling pig), nasi campur (rice with various kind of meats, egg & vegetables), jaje bali (balinese style cakes) and many more.

Few days ago I had a chance to have my lunch at Pesinggahan that well known of its fish dishes.

Pesinggahan is a small village located at the eastern part of Bali. Very close to the famous Tourism Object - Gua Lawah (Balinese Temple located in front of a big bat cave). The fish that they use as the main ingredients is Tuna Fish; caught by local fishermen which guarantee the freshness of the fish used. I never had any experience got not fresh fish during my time having my meals there. If you are sensitive you can feel a bit itchy on your tongue when having a fresh fish which already not fresh.

Mainly there are 3 types of main dishes served there.
First is the Fish Soup. They will serve this automatically accompanied with a plate of rice as soon as you take your seat and order your drinks. The soup consists of several pieces of fish in a clear broth but if you stir it, the sediment off all spices that set at the bottom of the bowl will mix and make the broth not clean anymore. A pinch of fried onion spread on top of the soup give a nice blended smell between the soup and the fried onion itself.

Then they will serve the second and third main dishes,
Sate Lilit Languan and Pepes Ikan Tuna (Roasted tuna fish wrapped with banana leaves).


Sate Lilit Languan or Tuna Fish Satay, is satay that is sticked on a young bamboo skewer - bigger than normal satay skewer, seasoned with traditional Balinese all spices seasoning and baked.








The Pepes Ikan Tuna tastes a bit hot for me. But it is really delicious. The smell of the burnt banana leaves covered the tuna fish gave an additional sensational smell to the fish.

But I should remind you, these dishes only taste good when you eat it while it is still hot. Otherwise, it won't be as good as it should be.



As accompaniment they will also serve a plate of fried nuts and steamed water spinach mixed with hot chilly sauce. And the most important accompaniment is the SAMBAL MATAH, a sauce is a combination of onion which is sliced thinly, hot chilly - also sliced thinly, baked fermented fish (smell really strong!), coconut oil, salt and a squeeze of fresh citrus lime.

Next time if you have a chance driving to eastern part of Bali, do not forget to try this traditional food. Actually along Kusamba village up to Pesinggahan village you will find many stalls selling Sate Lilit Ikan, Pepes Ikan and Soup Fish, but the most famous is the one that I cover at the beginning.

TASTE IMPROVED!

Couple of friends having a same interest as I am. What is it? Culinary!
Yesterday, one of them popped up in my office. Brought me several photographs he took. What about.........guess! Food!
So we had a discussion about food.

Actually there are 4 of us. But only him and myself who are living in a same town, the two others are staying thousand miles away. But in several occasion we can get together.

I should admit, the three 'musketeers' are very expert in making ordinary meals becoming extra-ordinary meals (read: in a positive way!). HOW? They are the experts in telling stories, their gesture while do the story telling also improve the quality of the story they tell!

Let's review. One day, they went up to the high part of Bali and had dinner in my favorite restaurant. I must say the quality of the food served is just fine, but the atmosphere of the place and the way the owner running the business is a big deal for me. Cozy place, nice weather, what else? That time it was only me that left in town. I could not join them due to a bunch of tasks that I had to do still.

The next day, the three of them showed up in my office brought a video cam and asked me to transfer the content to my laptop. I was laughing in tears seeing they act like a culinary traveler!

The one who is a photographer, explained the vegetables soup he had.
"Please see the freshhhhnesssssss of this vegetables! Hmmmm..............., the smell of the broth..........., hmmmmmmmm!" Something like that! Believe me! Seeing them talking about food made you mouth watery!

They know many places to get best food! They even know perfectly what time they should be on a Balinese style suckling pig stall just to get the best part out of a whole suckling pig!

Ask them the culinary program on Discovery Travel and Living! They can tell you fluently whose who, what, how, when in each program!

And................... last but not least! Their favorite celebrity chef! Guess who!
NIGELLA LAWSON! Why her?? Why not Jaime Oliver or Anthony Bourdain or Ferran Adria - the Bio Chef like myself??

BECAUSE..........................................

THEY ARE ALL MALE!


That is all for today, Folks!

TRUE STORY - STOP.................Don't Drink It! (LOL)

This is a true story! I could not stop laughing that day.
I don't know who should be blamed on that case.

It was a bit gloomy late afternoon in Jogjakarta.
I went out with two other friends visiting a gudeg (traditional jogjanese food) stall.

I ordered a glass of hot tea. My other friend ordered his favorite softdrink, while the other one ordered Cendol (kind of pearl in bubble tea, but instead made of tapioca flour it is made of rice flour combined with dissolved palm sugar in coconut milk). While for the dishes it is already standard. Gudeg is consisted of rice, chicken cooked in thick coconut milk, eggs and young jackfruit which cooked for hours.

Having a chit-chat while waiting for our order, a waiter came bringing my hot tea and my other friend's softdrink. The waiter also brought 3 'glass' of water (I put 'glass' in bracket, as it was not looked like glass but it was not looked like bowl either).

In Indonesia, it is very common for people eating using their fingers instead of using spoon and fork. But using left hand for eating is a big NO! Left hand is preserved for 'dirty assignment' (GRIN). Restaurant that specialized in selling Indonesian food usually gave water that put in a slightly large bowl for their guests to wash their hands before start eating (See next picture). I knew the water served by the waiter at the Gudeg Stall was for that purpose too.

Somehow, I guess it was because the form of the water container which was not usual that made my friend thought it was an extra water to drink). He hold and took a close look to the glass and slurrrrrp..... drank the water. I was in the middle of sipping my hot tea, but my eyes immediately opened very wide try to stop him from drinking it. My other friend only starred at him without saying a thing.

I was about to squirt the hot tea, then we laughed out loud! My friend who drank the water for washing hand starred at us without knowing for what reason I and the other friend laughed wildly.

Then, we explained to him.............., and continued our laughs.

"I don't know if you are going to drink that water, I thought you are just looking at the container!" I said.

"Yes......, I thought so too!" my other friend said.

We were laughing on and on, my poor friend could say nothing but embraced.

So..........., next time please be careful!