Thursday, August 15, 2013

Nasi Gurih (Steamed Rice with Coconut Milk)

2:53 PM by Selly No comments
I still have about 500 ml left over coconut milk in my refrigerator.  I have to use it as soon as possible before it turns bad. I was thinking to make some cake, or cookies, or something like that. But 1 batch of cake or cookies only needs about 200 ml coconut milk. 500 ml is way too much for this. Finally i decided to make nasi gurih out of it. Easy and delicious for our dinner. I just need to cook the rice together with the coconut milk. Nasi means rice, and gurih means savory. The coconut milk will give savory taste to the rice. It is very popular in Indonesia. Some of us call it nasi uduk. In Malaysia, it is popular as nasi lemak.


There are 2 ways to make this rice. With or without rice cooker. I know some of you do not have rice cooker. So I will explain how to cook it in 2 ways. Let's get started.

Ingredients :
  • 2 cups of rice
  • 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
  • 200 ml water
  • 1 lemon grass
  • 1 bayleave, cut into 3 parts
  • 1 pandan leave, cut into 3 parts
  • 1/4 tsp salt
Preparation (without rice cooker) :
  1. In a big bowl, wash the rice, and drain the water. Do it repeatedly 2 or 3 times.
  2. Transfer the rice into a big pot or pan
  3. Add coconut milk, water, pandan leave, bayleave, lemongrass, and salt
  4. Stir lightly and level out the rice.
  5. Turn on the stove and bring the water to boil. Do it on medium heat and with uncover pan/pot. You will see the bubbles forming gently in the edge of the pot/pan.
  6. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let it steamed for about 20 min until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft. Be careful not to burn the rice.
  7. Turn off the heat, do not uncover it, and let the rice sit in the pan/pot for about 10 min.
  8. After 10 min, open it and fold the rice few times with plastic or wooden paddle to mix all the fat from coconut milk that left on the surface of the rice. 
    Preparation (with rice cooker) :
    1. In a big bowl, wash the rice, and drain the water. Do it repeatedly 2 or 3 times.
    2. Transfer the rice into rice cooker bowl. 
    3. Add coconut milk, water, pandan leave, bayleave, lemongrass, and salt
    4. Stir lightly and level out the rice.
    5. Turn on the rice cooker and cook the rice until it's done.
    6. When it's done (usually there's an indicator in the rice cooker when the rice is cooked), do not open the rice cooker, and let the rice sit for about 10 min.
    7. After 10 min, open it and fold the rice few times with plastic or wooden paddle to mix all the fat from coconut milk that left on the surface of the rice. 
    Tip : My mother taught me how to measure the water when i need to cook rice. It is ancient way but it is
    always work for her and for me. Maybe for you as well? After transfer the pre-washed rice into the pan or pot or rice cooker bowl, add the water, and level out the rice. Place the tip of your middle finger on survace of the rice. The height of the water's surface should be as same as your first knuckle of your middle finger. 


    Nasi gurih is usually served with assortment of side dishes such as chicken, egg, beef, stir fry vegetables, anchovy, peanuts, tempeh, tofu, starch crackers, and sambal (ground chilli sauce). 


    For my dinner, i served it with ayam panggang bumbu rujak, string beans stir fry, oseng tempe tahu, sliced cucumber and tomato, and fried shallot.  



    Wednesday, August 14, 2013

    Ayam Panggang Bumbu Rujak (Grilled Chicken with Spicy Sauce)

    9:48 PM by Selly No comments
    This is another popular dishes in my hometown, Malang, Indonesia. Ayam Panggang Bumbu Rujak. I'm not really sure the translation in English. I think "Grilled chicken with spicy sauce" is proper enough. This dish is originally from East Java. The chicken will be cooked together with the spices until aromatic and grilled using a charcoal grill. This dish can be easily served together with any kind of vegetable (raw or stir fried) and any kind of carbohydrate. Well.. I usually eat it with hot steamed rice. It goes well too with nasi gurih. Yum! Heel erg lekker ^^


    Ingredients :
    • 1 kg chicken (about 4 chicken thighs)
    • 2 1/2 medium shallots (or 6 Indonesian shallot), peel
    • 5 cloves of garlic, peel
    • 5 chili peppers, removes the seeds
    • 5 candlenuts
    • 1/2 tsp galangal (laos) powder (or 2 cm fresh galangal)
    • 1/4 cup tamarind water (or 1/4 tsp tamarind paste)
    • 2 tbs palm sugar
    • 2 bayleaves
    • 1 lemongrass
    • 2 tbs sweet soy sauce
    • 75 ml (1/4 cup) water
    • 4 tbs vegetable oil
    • salt and pepper
    Tip :  To make tamarind water : 1 tsp seedless tamarind + 1/4 cup warm water (stir and squeeze the tamarind until the water becomes dark brown and remove the tamarind) = 1/4 cup tamarind water. If you're using tamarind paste, adjust the amount of water. Add about 125 ml (1/2 cup) of water instead of 75 ml.

    Tip : Add 1 or 2 cabai rawit (bird's eye chili) if you want to increase the spiciness. Blend it together with shallots, garlic, candlenuts, and chili pepper. Cabai rawit or bird's eye chili is a small chili pepper that usually found in Southeast Asia. Some people call it Thai chili. This chili is much more spicy than chili pepper.

    Preparation :
    1. Clean and cut the chicken into pieces. Set aside.
    2. Blend together shallots, garlic, chili pepper, candlenuts, and galangal. 
    3. In a big pan, heat vegetable oil.
    4. Add the blended spices into the pan and saute until fragrant. 
    5. Put the chicken pieces into the pan and stir until all all of it are covered with the spices
    6. Add tamarind, palm sugar, bayleaves, lemongrass, sweet soy sauce, and water into the pan
    7. Stir them well.
    8. Cook until the spices are absorbed and almost all the water are evaporated. 
    9. Prepare the grill.
    10. Separate the chicken from the spices and remove it from the pan.
    11. Transfer all the spices into a bowl and set aside.
    12. Grill the chicken pieces until their color become dark brown. Brush them occasionally with the spices using pastry brush.
    13. When its done, cover again the chicken with the spices, and serve it in a big plate. 
    For the grilling process, I was using my indoor electric grill. Let me show you mine.

    You can use charcoal grill if you want. If there are no grill available in your house, you can use oven. Set your oven temperature into 200 C (390 F). If you have broiler feature in your oven use it. Transfer the chicken in a ovenproof dish. Put it on the 2nd top rack of your  preheated oven/broiler and bake the chicken for about 8-10 minutes or until they become dark brown. Turn it over and bake again until browned on both side. 


    Tuesday, August 13, 2013

    All Purpose Flour vs. Whole Wheat Flour

    2:48 PM by Selly 1 comment
    Today, I want to talk about something geeky. It's about wheat flour. Few weeks ago, my friend asked me if she can substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour for her cake. I'm pretty sure, a lot of bakers can give her a good answer. But some of us maybe do not quite sure about it or maybe never even heard about whole wheat flour. It tickles me for days. I decided to do some small research, read my old books, and open my university final essay. Oh yeah. I learned about this kind of thing back than in university. But it was like 7 or 8 years ago and I haven't touched it again for that period of time. I'm a little bit rusty now.  But let's see how far i can remember and refresh my memory. First, let's talk about wheat flour. :)

    Wheat Flour

    Wheat flour is product that is made from wheat by removing the brown surface coating (the bran) and the
    embryo (the germ) and reducing the particle size (by grinding and sifting) into a fine product. It can be used and even the largest ingredients for many kind of baked product, for example, bread, cake, biscuit, cookies, crackers. Wheat flour has a very important protein which is called gluten. Gluten plays very important role to give specific characteristic for each baked product. It gives elasticity and extensibility of the product.

    Gluten is formed by 2 kinds of protein which are gliadin and glutenin. Gliadin will give elasticity to the dough, and glutenin will give firm and tough texture at the dough. With presence of water and kneading process, gliadin and glutenin will make crosslinks and bond together to create a stretchy, net-like matrix.  The protein content and the quality of gluten in flour is dependent on the type of wheat that were used. Therefore,  based on protein and gluten content, basically there are 3 types of flour which are :
    • Strong flour (made from hard grain with high protein contents that give elastic but inextensible gluten. The protein contents of strong flour is usually in the range 10.5-14.5%. This kind of flour is perfect for making bread)
    • Medium flour (made from wheat with medium protein contents or mixed from hard and soft wheat. The protein content of medium flour is usually in range 8.5-10.5%.)
    • Weak flour (made from wheat with lower protein contents that give more extensible but less elastic gluten. The protein contents of soft flour is usually less than 8.5%. This flour is perfect for biscuit productions)
    As you know, nowadays there're a lot of type of flour in the market. Not only soft, medium and hard flour anymore. We can find self rising flour, cake flour, all purpose flour, semolina, durum, pastry flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, gluten flour, bleached flour, and instant flour. The most common flour that i can find in the store nearby are all purpose flour, self raising flour, whole wheat flour, and instant flour for cake and for bread. I don't want to talk about self raising and instant flour. They already contained some raising agent such as baking powder or yeast. Let's talk about all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Nowadays, they are the most common type of flour. What are they?

    All purpose flour

    All purpose flour is the most widely used flour. It comes from the finely ground part of the wheat kernel called the endosperm. The endosperms were separated from the bran and germ during milling process.

    All purpose flour is made from blend of high gluten wheat and low gluten wheat so it has protein content in range 9-12% (depend on the brand). That's why all purpose flour can be categorized as medium-strong flour. All purpose flour can be used universally for a wide range of food products such as yeast bread, cakes, cookies, biscuit, pastry, doughnut, and many thing else.

    Is all purpose flour the same with regular plain wheat flour? The answer is yes, it is. Regular plain wheat flour have protein content in range between 9-12% like all purpose flour. In here, Netherlands, I won't be able to find flour with "All purpose flour" written on its package. I only can find patent tarwebloem (fine wheat flour) or volkoren tarwebloem (whole wheat flour). Or self rising flour, bread flour, and cake flour. But i always buy patent tarwebloem which i consider it as all purpose flour because it is regular plain flour with protein content 11 grams/100 grams flour. I will use it for making any kind of food such as cake, cookies, doughnut, bread, even for thickening agent in cream soup.

    Whole Wheat Flour

    Whole wheat flour is one type of wheat flour which is composed of 99% wheat grain. It is made by grinding the whole grain of wheat including the bran and the germ. That's why it is called whole wheat flour. Because whole wheat flour contains all part of the grain, its color is darker and more brownish than regular plain flour.


    I tried to take a picture of both type of flour. The left one is all purpose flour, and the right one is whole wheat flour.  As we can see, whole wheat flour has some brownish particle mixed in the flour. That stuff are wheat bran. The bran can not be grained as well as the endosperm. That's why it gives whole wheat flour a rougher texture than all purpose flour. 

    What's the difference between all purpose and whole wheat flour?

    Based on USDA Nutrient Standard Reference Database, whole wheat flour has higher protein content than all purpose flour. It has 13.21 grams protein/ 100 grams flour meanwhile all purpose flour only has 10.33 grams protein/ 100 grams flour. So, does it mean that whole wheat flour has higher gluten than all purpose flour? The answer is NO. Whole wheat flour has lower gluten than all purpose flour. Hey, how come?? 

    Back to the definition and the raw material of each flour. Whole wheat flour is made from whole grain including the bran and the germ. The bran and the germ itself contain some protein. But all purpose flour is made only from the endosperm.  Let's consider that about 3 grams protein content difference are from the bran and the germ. So basically, the endosperm has the same protein content, which can be assumed they both has same gluten content. But why whole wheat flour product can not form gluten as well as all purpose flour product? Once again, it is because of the bran and germ. 

    Before we're talking about bran, let's back to how gluten formed for a while. Gluten is formed from 2 proteins which is gliadin and glutenin which will interact with presence of water during stirring or kneading process. There are some factor which can affect gluten formation. One of them is the presence of bran and germ. The bran can do some physical disruption of expanded gluten matrix. Bran can cut trough gluten matrix during the kneading or mixing and thus will weaken the gluten structure formed. Beside that, it is possible that there is a competition between bran and gluten protein to absorb water during the process. It will decrease the gluten that formed because gluten formation definitely need water. 

    Meanwhile, wheat germ contains a substance called glutathione. In world of baked product, glutathion is common called as a gluten inhibitor because it can limit the development of gluten. That's why,  it is always suggested to add bread flour or gluten flour to make whole wheat bread to keep the texture of the bread. 

    I did a small experiment on my kitchen using all purpose and whole wheat flour. I made 2 recipes of orange muffins. One was using all purpose flour and the other was using whole wheat flour (I was using whole wheat flour only 3/4 part of total flour and using all purpose flour for the rest). I was using the exact same recipe for both muffins except the type of flour. 



    This is the result. The muffin on left side on both pictures is made using all purpose flour (let's call it muffin A) and the other is made using whole wheat flour (let's call it muffin B). The texture of muffin A is softer than muffin B. Inside and outside. The color of muffin A is lighter than muffin B. The most interesting is the difference of their shape. Muffin A is more compact than muffin B. As we can see in the picture, the top part of muffin B is wider than muffin A. It seems that the batter spreading too much during the baking process. I think it is because the gluten that formed in muffin B is not strong enough to hold the shape of the muffin like in muffin A. Muffin B is crumbly a lot as well even though it is heavier and more dense than muffin A.

    I did some preference test as well. I asked my friends and my family to try them and compare which one is they like more. Most of them choose muffin A because it is softer than muffin B. I personally prefer muffin B than muffin A because for me the bran that presence in muffin B give a unique taste and texture in my mouth. But overall they are edible, acceptable, and taste great. 

    So, answering the very first question. Can we substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour? Yes we can. But it would be better if we do not substitute the whole part of flour with whole wheat flour. It is needed in order to keep the texture and shape of the product. Some reference said substitute 70% and add the rest with all purpose flour or gluten flour. Meanwhile, other reference said 50:50 is good. And it is depend on the type of baked product. Too bad i do not have time and material to do all those experiment. I was thinking to do the experiment with dinner roll and playing with the amount of whole wheat flour for my muffin. But this is good enough to satisfy my curiosity. :)

    Why  does whole wheat flour exist? What is the advantage adding bran and germ into the flour?

    See you on part 2 with the answer :)

    References : 




    Monday, August 12, 2013

    Oseng Tempe dan Tahu (Indonesian Stir fry Tempeh and Tofu)

    7:27 PM by Selly 3 comments
    Today, I want to make a dish using 2 most popular food in Indonesia. Tofu and tempeh.

    I think most of you already familiar with tofu especially if you are vegetarian. Tofu is a very popular food in Asia, especially in East and Southeast Asia. It is a food made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the curds into a soft white block. This pressed soy bean curd is called tofu. There are many different varieties of tofu based on their firmness such as firm tofu, soft tofu, brittle tofu, etc. It is depend on the coagulants that were used during the process.

    Source : id.wikipedia.org

    In Indonesia, firm tofu is very popular. We call it tahu. We usually fry them, and eat them with chili pepper, or with fermented shrimp paste. In Netherland, i usually find it in Asian grocery store. There are so many different kind of tofu from different country. Japanese tofu, Chinese tofu, Indonesian tofu, and so on.

    What is tempeh? Maybe some of you ever heard of it especially when you are talking about vegetarian dish. But I'm not sure all people know what it is. Tempeh is a traditional soy product from Indonesia that is made by controlled fermentation process. The fermentation process will bind soybeans into a cakeform and make tempeh has a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins that the soybeans itself. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh often used in vegetarian cuisine as a meat analogue.

    Source : id.wikipedia.org

    Indonesian people has many different way to cook tempeh. Sometimes, we will marinade tempeh with spices and deep fry them. We call it fried tempeh or tempe goreng. Sometimes we will make a stir fry tempeh with a lot of spices. Sometimes we will boil them together with another vegetables in coconut milk and spices. We call it lodeh. I like them all.  Oh.. I just make myself homesick. So let's get started!!

    Ingredients:
    • 300 grams tempeh, cut into small cubes (about 1x1x2 cm, no need precise cut)
    • 300 grams firm tofu, cut into small cubes (about 1x1x2 cm, no need precise cut)
    • 2 chili peppers, remove the seeds and thinly sliced
    • 1 medium shallot ( about 3 Indonesian shallots), cut stripes
    • 1 clove of garlic, minced
    • 2 tbs sweet soy sauce
    • 1 tbs soy sauce
    • 1/2 tsp galangal (laos) powder 
    • about 75 ml (1/4 cup) water 
    • 1 tbs palm sugar
    • about 1 cup vegetable oil
    • salt and pepper

    Preparation :
    1. In a pan, heat vegetable oil.
    2. Fry tempeh until the outside color become brown. 
    3. Remove tempeh from the oil, drain them well, and set aside.
    4. Fry tofu until the outside color become dark yellow.
    5. Remove tempeh from the oil, drain them well, and set aside.
    6. In a big pan, heat 3-4 tbs vegetable oil.
    7. Put shallot, garlic and chilli peper into the pan and saute them well until shallot become translucent
    8. Add fried tempeh and tofu into the pan, stir them well.
    9. Add water, both soy sauce, galangal powder, and palm sugar.
    10. Keep stirring for about 5-10 minutes and all tempeh and tofu are seasoned well.
    11. Add salt and pepper. 
    12. Serve it with hot steamed rice.

    Serving size : 4-7 person.
    Tip : If you are using fresh galangal (laos), use about 3 cm fresh galangal, press it with the side of a  knife, and add it into the pan together with shallots, garlic, and chili pepper.



    Thursday, August 8, 2013

    Summer vacation project : Orange Muffins

    3:11 PM by Selly No comments
    I just realize that I have many tangerines on my refrigerator. They have been hiding quietly on the corner of my refrigerator for (maybe) a week. I almost forget about them until yesterday. So, i decided, today is the time to do my 2nd summer vacation project with my daughter. Orange muffins!


    But, consider this is as a failed project. My daughter is more interested watching Barbie as the island princess on TV instead of baking muffin with me in the kitchen. She only wants to help with placing muffins paper in the muffins tin. That's all.

    Well... I already prepared all the ingredients. So i have to continue this small project.

    Ingredients :
    • 2 tangerines, peel the skin, remove the seeds and thin skin of every segments.
    • 100-110 ml orange juice 
    • orange zest from 1 big orange
    • 225 grams (1+3/4 cups) All purpose flour
    • 150 grams (3/4 cup) white granulated sugar 
    • 1 egg
    • 113 grams (1/2 cup) room temperature butter 
    • 1 tbs milk
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    Tip :  We can use 1 (about 425 grams net) medium canned tangerines instead of 2 fresh tangerines. Drain the canned tangerines and use them. Leave the syrup for another purpose. 

    Tip : From 1 big orange, we should be able to get at least 100 ml orange juice. We will need about 100-110 ml orange juice. If we can't get at least 100 ml orange juice, we can use 2 oranges to get the juice.

    Preparation :
    1. Preheat oven 180 C (356 F). 
    2. Prepare and line a muffin tin with muffin papers. Set it aside
    3. In a bowl, mix well all dry ingredients.
    4. In another large bowl, mix butter and eggs until soft.
    5. Add orange juice, peeled tangerines, orange zest, and milk. Mix them well.
    6. Add all dry ingredients into mixed wet ingredients. Mixed them well.
    7. Divide the batter into a prepared muffin tin. (about 1.5 tsp for small muffin tin and 4 tsp for a normal size muffin tin)
    8. Put them into preheated oven and bake them for about 20 min
    I made 2 version of muffins using 2 different type of flour. All purpose and whole wheat flour. We can see the difference of their color.  Muffins that were made from all purpose flour have lighter color than muffins with whole wheat flour.  But both of them taste great. Slightly different, but still great. 


    I made mini orange muffins as well because i want to pack them and bring them outside. There is a small park with small playground nearby. So this afternoon, I will bring my children to go there, let them play for a while and eat this mini muffins after that. Sounds good, isn't it? :)


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