Bali Telur-Tahu-Tempe (Fried Tempeh, Tofu, and Boiled Egg with Balinese Spices)

This is an old recipe and one of my dinner menu few weeks ago. There was a very bad weather all day that made me couldn't go outside to do some shopping. I didn't have chicken, neither beef and vegetables. I only had few red pepper chilies and two tomatoes. I only had half block of tempeh and and half block of tofu (Curious about tempeh and tofu? or want to make another dish using tempeh and tofu? Visit my other tempeh-tofu recipe)  and I still needed to cook a dinner for my family.  I found some Indonesian spices on my refrigerator as well such as lime leaves and palm sugar. Well, why not to try to make something out of it? I could use my mom's recipe. She used to make beef or chicken with Balinese spices. How if i replace the chicken and the beef with boiled egg, tofu, and tempeh?

Actually I'm not really sure if it is really from Bali or Balinese recipe but that's what we call it in my hometown.  But still it's great especially with steamed rice and starch crackers (krupuk). It taste great. Slightly sweet spicy aromatic dish. For those who doesn't like spicy food, maybe the color of this dish will turn you off (my daughter for example). But when I ask her to taste it and she was willing to give it a try (with a requirement : one bite only with a spoon of steamed rice and a glass of water on her hand), she said this dish is not spicy just the color that made her afraid. It is delicious indeed.

Ingredients :

• 6 boiled egg
• about 300 grams tempeh, cut into big cubes
• about 300 grams tofu, cut into big cubes 
• 5 red chili peppers. Remove the seeds
• 2 medium shallots, peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tbs palm sugar 
• 2 lime leaves
• 1 tbs lemon or lime juice
• 1 tbs sweet soy sauce
• 250 ml (1 cup) of water
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Tip : You can always add 2-3 small chili pepper (cabai rawit) if you want to make it more spicy. 

Tip : If you are using fresh ginger, cut about 2 cm fresh ginger, peel, and blend it together with the shallot and chili peppers. I was using ginger powder because I did not have fresh ginger available on my kitchen at that time.

Preparation :

1. In a big, preheat about 1-2 cups vegetable oil for frying.
2. Fry all tempeh and tofu cubes until they start to become golden brown or 3/4 cooked. 
3. Turn off the heat, remove fried tempeh and tofu from the oil and drain the excess oil. Set them aside.
4. Using a blender, blend together shallots, chili peppers, garlic, and tomato
5. Reduce the oil from the pan until about 4-5 tbs oil left.
6. Turn on the heat.
7. Put the blended spices into the pan and saute the spices until fragrant, the color become red, and half of the liquid are evaporated
8. Add palm sugar, lime leaves, lemon juice, sweet soy sauce, and ginger powder into the spices. Stir again.
9. Add fried tempeh, tofu, and boiled egg into the pan and mix them well with the spices.
10. Add water. Stir again until all the egg, tempeh, and tofu are covered well with the spices.
11. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
12. Turn off the heat and transfer it into a bowl. Serve it hot with steamed rice, fresh vegetables, and starch crackers.