Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian dish. It is a kind of fried rice which is great amalgamation of different flavours. Traditionally it is made with prawns, eggs, chicken, tamarind, chilli and many more flavoursome ingredients. It is not for nothing that it is considered the national dish of Indonesia. 
Sitting in a remote corner of the country there are so so many ingredients that I can’t lay my hands on, even something as simple as lemon grass. However that should not mean that I cant tweak the recipe a little to suit my condition. 

Ingredients

For spice paste
4 peppercorns
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
3 tbsp roasted peanuts
½ tsp sesame seeds
1 onion, chopped
1” ginger, chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
5 garlic, chopped
2 green chilli, chopped
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 lime juice
salt to taste
Grind all to a fine paste. 

For Indonesian fried rice
2 cups rice
3 onions, sliced
100 gms green beans
3 carrots, sliced fine
1 large brocoli, chopped
1 bunch spinach, chopped fine
4 garlic pods, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
200 gm boneless chicken, sliced
1 tbsp soya sauce


Boil the rice. Heat some oil. Deep fry 1/4 of the sliced onions till brown. 

Saute the green beans, carrots, broccoli and spinach. 

Keep aside. Heat some oil. Saute the remianing onions and garlic. Add rest of the vegetables. Add the spice paste and tomato puree. Fry for a minute or two. Add the rice. Add soya sauce and check the salt. Fry for some time on low flame.Your Nasi Goreng is ready. Top with the browned onions and some roasted peanuts.  

Moist Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting and Peanut Praline

Moist Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting and Peanut Praline

What do you look for in a cake when you read a new recipe? I notice the ingredients first and try to imagine the combination of flavors. When I came across this recipe the first thing that struck me was the awesome mix of various fruity flavors. Carrots, pineapple and coconut. I could already envision a soft fruity cake which would give different bursts of taste with each mouthful. This was a cake I definitely had to bake. 

We literally had a cat fight in the house on this cake. Each slice was measured and accounted for because all of us wanted it to ourselves. It really is a cake worth fighting over.

 It so happened that I applied the icing and then I had to leave the cake for one whole day because I was out. Surprisingly this added to the flavor because the cake absorbed moisture form the icing and became softer. Moreover the coconut cream added to the icing had more time to mix with the cake crumb. The result was awesome!!


Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon powder
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups oil
4 pineapple rings, blended in the mixer
1 cup desiccated coconut 
2 cups grated carrot
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts


Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder. Whisk together oil and sugar. Add the eggs one by one beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour mix gently. Add the carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins and chopped walnuts. Bake for 1 hour. 


For the icing
2 cups whipping cream
4 tbsp coconut cream (if you don't have coconut cream then extract some coconut milk and keep it in the freezer for 1 hour. Then skim the buttery thing that freezes like malai on the top)
2 tbsp coconut liqueur ( optional)

Beat all three ingredients together till peaks start forming. 


For the Peanut Praline

1 1/2  cup sugar
1 cup peanuts, roasted and without the skin

Heat a pan. Add the sugar and keep it on medium heat. Let the sugar melt. Do not stir with a spoon or it will crystallize. You can rotate the pan gently. When the sugar has melted add the peanuts and gently rotate the pan again so that the peanuts are coated with sugar. The sugar will start bubbling and will get a caramelized look. Turn off the heat and tip the whole thing onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Leave it like that till it is completely cool. Do not try to touch it because caramelized sugar is very very hot. Once it is cool break it into pieces and whiz in a mixture. Your praline is ready. 

Assembling the cake

Cut the cake into two halves vertically. I use a big piece of string to cut the cake. 

Now sandwich the two layers with the icing. Spread the remaining icing all over the cake. Apply praline on the icing. 

Peanut Chutney

Peanut chutney

There are times when you want some dip or chutney in a jiffy. I usually don’t have any coconut in my kitchen until and unless I plan before hand. This peanut chutney is appreciated every time.

Ingredients

1 cup peanuts, roasted and skinned

1 small onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

3 garlic pods, chopped

2 tbsp curd

Salt to taste

Heat some oil. Add the chopped onions, tomatoes and garlic and fry for some time. Put together peanuts, onion mix, curd and salt in a mixer and blend to a smooth paste. The mixture will be thick. Add some water depending on how liquid you want your chutney to be. 

Amazing Peanut Dip

Amazing Peanut Dip

This is a sweet, sour and tangy dip that you can have with anything, momos, kebabs, pakodas, you name it.

Ingredients

½ cup roasted peanuts

¼ cup coconut

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander powder

 1 tbsp red chilli powder

 Salt to taste

1 tbsp butter

3 pods garlic, crushed

1 small onion, chopped

½ cup milk

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp soya sauce

Grind together peanuts, coconut, salt, chilli, cumin seeds and coriander powder in a mixer.

Heat the butter. Sauté the crushed garlic and add the onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the peanuts mix and sauté for some time. 

Slowly add the milk, soya sauce and lemon juice. Simmer on low heat till semi dry.