Bubur Sumsum (Indonesian Rice Flour Warm Pudding)

Bubur Sumsum is made from rice flour, cooked in coconut milk, and served with palm sugar syrup. My mom and some of our Indonesian friends believe that consuming Bubur Sumsum will sooth the sore coming from a tiring body. It is supposed to be energizing, and it gives strength when needed. Not sure if it indeed works that way, but I like this comfort food very much.

ingredients
serves 4

100 gr rice flour
700 ml water
200 ml canned coconut milk
1 tsp salt
2 pandan leaves, knotted

for the palm sugar syrup
200 gr palm sugar, cut into small pieces
1 tbs sugar
400 ml water

method

Make the palm sugar syrup first.
Place all ingredients for the syrup in a sauce pan. Put it on the stove over medium heat. Stir it occasionally until it is boiled. Set aside, let it cool.

For the Bubur Sumsum:
1. In a pan, mix the rice flour, salt, water, and the coconut milk. Whisk it until it is all incorporated.
2. Put the pan on a stove on medium heat. Add the knotted pandan leaves. Keep on stirring to avoid lumps.
3. When it boils, and bubbles come out from it. The Bubur Sumsum is ready.
4. Serve with the palm sugar syrup. Spoon the Bubur Sumsum into a bowl, top with the syrup.

Vegetable and Smoked Fish Congee

It was supposed to be Bubur Manado, a special congee from a beautiful place called Manado in South Celebes, Indonesia. The ingredients for making Bubur Manado were not easy to find here, and I just could not manage to compile all the spices needed, therefore I use the name Vegetable Congee or Bubur Sayur instead of Bubur Manado.

ingredients
serves 6-8

225 gr/8 oz short-grain rice
3 liters/5 oz water (a little bit extra water is better)
200 gr/7 oz spinach
100 gr/3,5 oz canned sweet corn
salt
pepper

condiments
smoked mackerel (I used the ones with black pepper)
chili sambal from a jar

method
1.Wash the rice and place in a large saucepan with the water. Cover and cook for about 2 hours, stirring regularly.
2. Add the spinach, corn, salt and pepper. Stir well, then return to the boil and cook for a couple of more minutes.
3. Serve the congee with smoked mackerel and sambal.

note: you can skip the smoked mackerel if you are a vegetarian

I made Nasi Goreng few days ago. Nasi Goreng is one of my favorite Indonesian dishes. I guess I'm now back to blog about what I eat and cook again, yay!

It has been a while since I posted food recipes. I found it a bit hard to juggle between my study and everything around my life. But I recently got to know someone who could manage to administrate blogs and other social media among other things that revolve around this person's busy schedule.  So, I decided to try managing my past time and take a look at this old blog of mine. I would gladly post some stuff from my kitchen. I kind of miss blogging.

ingredients

serves 4

12 oz/350 gr cooked rice (left over chilled cooked white rice)

2 tbs sambal or any chili paste will do

1 egg, well beaten

1 tbs margarine plus 1 tbs cooking oil

1 tbs sweet soy sauce

1 tbs fish sauce

any left over meat products (I used thin-sliced beef balls, optional)

1 tbs chopped spring onions 

1 tbs fried onions 

sliced cucumber and tomato

method

1. Heat the margarine and the oil in the preheated wok or deep saucepan and stir-fry the sambal for 30 seconds, then add the sweet soy sauce and the fish sauce. Add the left over meat and the rice. Stir-fry for a minute, break the rice down as much as possible into individual grains.

2. Quickly add the egg. Stir until the egg is cooked. Once the rice becomes hot, add in the chopped spring onions.

3. Serve with fried onions, sliced cucumber and tomato.

Nasi Goreng

My favorite breakfast. Filling, no-nonsense solid carbohydrate. Originally Fried Rice is made from cold or left over rice from the previous day, then with a little bit of make-over, it transforms into an exotic breakfast for the morning.

ingredients:
serves 4

800 gr/28 oz cooked cold rice
2 eggs
2-4 fresh red chilies
3 cloves garlic
3 shallots
2 tsp tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
4 tbsp cooking oil
1 chicken stock cube
1 egg, sunny-side up 
fried onion
few slices cucumber and tomatoes


method:
1. Use a fork to break all lumps of the cooked rice.


2. To make the chili paste, place all the chilies, garlic cloves and the shallots in a food processor with the salt. Process to a smooth paste.


3. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chili paste and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for two minutes or until it begins to release the aroma. Add the sweet soy sauce, the sugar and the chicken stock, reduce the heat, stir for a further 5 minutes.


4. Add the cooked rice and stir gently until the rice is covered in the chili paste mixture, heat gently until the rice is hot.


5. In a bowl, scramble the two eggs, pour it to the hot rice. Stir continuously until the egg mixture binds with the rice. Serve at once, topped with the sunny-side up egg, fried onion and garnished with slices of cucumber and tomatoes.

Bubur Ayam

Another favorite meal; Chicken Porridge. Porridge made from rice grains with shredded chicken as one of the condiments. It takes at least an hour to get the dish ready to serve and it literary burns my tongue once it is shoveled into my mouth without first letting it cool off.

ingredients:
serves 4
500 gr/1 lb 2 oz chicken
200 gr/7 oz rice, soaked in cold water for an hour
3000 ml water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp margarine


condiments:
2 sticks of You Tiao, sliced
2 stalks of spring onions, sliced finely
1/3 cup of chopped celery
1/3 cup of fried onion
1/3 cup of fried soy beans (optional)
sweet soy sauce to taste
light soy sauce to taste
peanut sauce
shrimp crackers and/or Emping (optional)


method:
1. Drain the soaked rice and place in a large saucepan with the chicken and the water. 


2. Bring to the boil then add salt. While waiting for it to boil, stir the mixture occasionally to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.


3. Once the grains are soft and tender to the bite, fish out the chicken and let it cool off. Set the stove to its minimum heat. Stir occasionally.


4. Squeeze out any excess water from the chicken. Shred the chicken into small pieces. 


5. Melt the butter on a frying pan, stir-fry the shredded chicken, set aside.


6. To serve, per portion; ladle 1/4 part of the porridge into a bowl. Add the shredded chicken and the rest of the condiments but serve crackers and peanut sauce separately.