Chili is the main ingredient to make sambal. Choose only the fresh chili one. Other ingredients are terasi (condiment made from pounded and fermented shrimp or small fish), sugar, and salt.

The ingredients you need to make sambal bajak are:

Red chili (the long one), 200 grams, remove the stalk.
Small chili (well known as cabai rawit in Indonesia), 25 pieces, remove the stalk.
Onion, 25 pieces.
Garlic, 12 pieces.
Terasi, 1 table spoon.
Salt, 1 tea spoon.
Cane sugar, 1 table spoon.
Frying oil, 50 cc.

Follow these steps to make sambal bajak:

Wash the red chili, small chili, onion, and garlic. Slice them into pieces.
Put the red chili in a blender; stir it with medium speed for 1 minute. Add the small chili, onion, and garlic. Stir them for 1 minute respectively.
Add salt, terasi, and cane sugar. Stir together until they are fine.
In the frying pan, heat the frying oil. Put the dough into it, and fry it until its color changed into dark red.
Put it into another container, wait until it gets colder.
Sambal bajak is ready to be served.

If you wish to make a small amount of sambal bajak, you can use mortar and pestle instead of blender. Sambal bajak is usually consumed with cooked rice. Put it in a small bowl, dip your fried chicken into it, and enjoy its pleasant taste.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mahirsyah_Wellyan_Twh

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Coffee came to the Dutch East Indies archipelago in the late 17th century. The legend of coffee itself makes fascinating reading (Kaldi and his dancing goats!), but for Indonesian purposes coffee arrived here in an organized and less mythical fashion on VOC (the Dutch East Indies company) trading galleons, via Yemen and the Dutch enclave of Malabar. These first coffees introduced were Arabica, direct descendents of 6 coffee trees the Dutch managed to smuggle out from Yemen and plant in the Botanical gardens in Amsterdam. The trees were well suited to the tropical conditions found on Java and quickly thrived and produced cherries. The first plantations were located close to Batavia (modern day Jakarta). Later plantations were established in Sulawesi, Maluku and Sumatra. Independently Colonial rivals Portugal planted Arabica in East and West Timor as well as in Flores. Coffee, along with nutmeg, cloves and other spices, became the backbone of the VOC economic machine. Infrastructure to get crops out of plantation areas led to development of port and later rail and road systems that still exist today. After the demise of the VOC the Dutch colonial government took over many of the business activities in Indonesia. At one stage sale of these commodities made up almost 30% of the entire Dutch GDP.

In the late 1800’s rust disease hit the coffee crops of Indonesia. The disease was debilitating, wiping out most of the Arabica trees in Java, as well as in the outer islands. The Dutch colonial government responded by replanting- firstly in a subspecies called Liberica (which proved to be almost undrinkable) and then mostly in the more resistant Robusta variety. Robusta still makes up around 90% of the coffee crop grown in Indonesia today.

There are four main sub types of Arabica found in Indonesia. These sub-varietals are locally called- USDA, Kartiki, Lini-S and ABG-III. Of these the most widely grown are Lini-S and Kartiki. The differences are mostly in the yields on the tree and sometimes in the size of the cherry.

Robusta is a hardier tree. The beans from the Robusta plant have a higher level of caffeine than that found in those from Arabica plants. Robusta is often used in instant coffee and has half the chromosomes found in Arabica. Robusta makes up the bulk of the coffee exported from Indonesia, but it is the regional Arabica’s that make the archipelago famous.

Processing

The coffee beans you see after the roasting process have come a long way from where they started, as “cherries” on Arabica plants. Coffee trees flower twice a year, the flowers being fragrant, white bunches that hang from the trees. Only 25% of these flowers will go on to be fertilized and produce small buds that later grow into coffee beans. The beans take several months to ripen. Once they have reached a level of ripeness where the outer skin turns red, the picking begins. The majority of our partners hand pick, so the selection process is far better than the bigger estates that often strip pick using machinery.

Arabica trees can grow up to 30 foot tall, if not pruned. Most farmers try and keep their trees to around 8 foot or shorter, so the cherries can easily be reached during picking. The seasons for picking vary across the archipelago. In Sumatra the season runs from November to January, in Java from early June through to September.

Generally Government run Estates and small-hold farmers use one of two different methods to process the picked cherries into what’s called “green coffee”. The “dry” method is predominately used in Sumatra and by small hold farmers in Java, Bali and Flores. This method involves drying the beans outside under the sun. The beans are laid out either on a concrete pad, or on sacking laid out on the side of the road. The process can take several weeks if done properly. Over this time the beans are raked and turned as often as needed to ensure a universal drying effect is achieved. Once the outer area of the bean begins to fall off, the coffee is ready to have the pulp removed. Normally this is done by machinery- although some of these mulching machines are still hand driven! The final product is a green bean, about 1/3 rd of the size of the original cherry.

The second method of drying coffee is the “wet” processing system. Wet processing means the bean can begin the final preparation stage immediately after being picked. Instead of drying under the sun the cherries are processed through a water system. This leads to the outer skin softening making it easy to remove. The system works well although there are often times when the sugar in the beans can ferment, causing the flavor of the beans to be affected. Most large estates in Java use this system as it speeds up processing and generally makes selection of the final green bean much easier. The quality of green bean from wet processing is generally higher.

Dynamics

It is estimated that almost 97% of all coffee in Indonesia is grown by small-holders. The definition of a small holder is a farmer who grows coffee on a plot that is around 1.2ha in size or smaller. This is in sharp contrast to coffee being grow in Central and South America, where most coffee grown is on Fincas (Estates). The number of farmers growing coffee as a main or a subsidiary crop is conservatively estimated at being around 8 million. The sheer number of growers and the geographical isolation of where coffee is growing in Indonesia, makes this country one of the most unique collection of origins in the coffee world.

Indonesian Coffee has always had a special place in the specialty coffee niche. Consumers have been able to enjoy Kayu Mas Estate Java, Mandehling, Gayo Mountain Arabica and Highlands Toraja Arabica for many years. The new wave of Indonesian Specialty Coffee goes a lot further- bringing coffees from many new, exotic and exciting growing regions- Bali, North Sulawesi and West Java to name just a few. The future for Indonesian producers is to move away from the historical dependence on Robusta and to bring to the coffee drinking world these new and exciting origins.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alun_Evans

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Tempeh is a traditional food from Java, Indonesia. This traditional food has been spreading across the world, and became one of the vegetarian diet full of nutrients and also delicious at the same time. You can find tempeh in some other countries, such as the Netherlands and Malaysia. Tempeh spreads throughout the world following the migration of Javanese during colonialism period, when they moved and settled in Netherlands. In Malaysia, tempeh was brought by migrant workers from Java, and become popular food in there.

Nutrients in tempeh are quite balance and can replace some nutrients from animal, make it suitable for those who become Vegan. So what exactly is the content of nutrients in tempeh? According to USDA National Nutrient Database, cooked tempeh contains the following nutrients:

Water (59.56 g per 100 g serving)

Protein (18.19 g per 100 g serving)

Lipid (11.38 g per 100 g serving)

Energy (196 kcal / 822 kJ per 100 g serving)

The protein inside the tempeh is more than its fat. It have 3.745 g per 100 g serving monounsaturated fatty acid and 2.636 g per 100 g serving polyunsaturated fatty acid. So the major fatty acid from tempeh is a good one.

Another micronutrients abundances inside the tempeh are niacin (2.135 mg per 100 g serving), potassium (401 mg per 100 g serving), phosphorus (253 mg per 100 g serving), magnesium (77 mg per 100 g serving), iron (2.13 mg per 100 g serving), manganese (1.285 mg per 100 g serving), and several more.

From these facts, we can see the reason why tempeh should be being included to our diet. There are more healthy, traditional foods which can be good if we put them in our diet, much better than another junk foods around us. So, instead buying expensive junk food, we’d better start eating healthy, cheap food from now.

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Soto ayam is a chicken spicy-aromatic soup. This is the perfect soup for food lover’s looking for the true taste of Java and Suriname.
This is more of a complete meal than just a soup as it is served with lots of extras
Soto soup is usually served with white cooked rice.

Ingredients:

Look for fresh and frozen herbs like laos (galangal),daun salam in Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.

2 to3 quarts water (1 quart=1/4 gallon)

2 kilogramme of chicken breast

8 big garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 chopped onions

3 tablespoon thinly sliced celery

4 grains pimento

1 piece of fresh ginger, 2-inches (5 centimeters) long, peeled and sliced

3 thick stalks fresh lemongrass (sereh), tied into a knot (Lemon grass has an intriguing, lemony perfume without the bite that lemons can add to a dish.)

6 dry whole daun salam leaves (aromatic young leaves which contain volatile oils are used, a few fresh leaves being simmered whole in Indonesian curries or soup).

1 piece of fresh or frozen laos (galangal), 2 inches long (5 centimeters), peeled and thinly sliced (it resembles the flavor of ginger but is more aromatic)

2 teaspoon freshly ground fine black pepper

Salt to taste

4 tablespoon of soya sauce (salt soy sauce) or sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)

5 chicken bouillon cubes (stock cube) to taste

15 oz. white vermicelli

Half a kilogramme of bean sprouts (Make sure that they’re 2 to 3 inches long, with small, bright yellow seedpods. Don’t mistakenly purchase soybean sprouts, which have larger seedpods and thicker shoots).

4-8 eggs

4 medium potatoes

Sambal

2 to 3 tablespoons of corn oil

White rice

Cooking Directions

Boil the water, add the chicken breast, laos, fresh ginger, pimento, black pepper, the
4 chopped garlic, 2 chopped onion, salam leaves, lemon grass, 2 tablespoon sliced celery, chicken bouillon cubes and than 4 tablespoon of soya sauce.
Cook this till the chicken breast is tender (30 minutes) and take this out of the bouillon.

Cook the rice as usually

Boil the eggs until hard (8-10 min.) and shell them.

Pull the roots of the bean sprouts out because it’s looks cleaner this way.

Peal the potatoes and slice them into the smallest pieces (just like French fried but thinner) and than fry it not to dark but crispy.

Cut the white vermicelli in pieces of 3 – 4 inches (with a scissor) and fry this it will be just like prawn crackers.

Cut the boiled chicken breast into small, bone-in serving pieces.

So-it’s time to sieve your bouillon and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the rest of the sliced onion and garlic. When the garlic and onion are brown not to dark take them out and set aside.
Stir-fry the chicken breast (pieces) in the oil and when this is light brown, take it out.

Serve hot!

Put the soup- bowls on the table and add in each bowl:

1 or 2 tablespoon of cooked white rice,

1 boiled egg

some bean sprouts,

fried chopped chicken breast,

the mixed fried onion and garlic

the fried potatoes and white vermicelli

and garnish it with sliced celery

At last ladle the boiling soup into the bowls, start to eat the soto and if you like, you can add salt, soya sauce and don’t forget the sambal.

Eat at once. The bean sprouts will become limp and watery if allowed to sit longer than 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maureen_Le_Couvreur

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Coffee is an important part of the Sumatran culture and the region is famous for producing some of the most unique and complex coffees in the world. In general Sumatra coffee tends not to be sold by region like many other countries but instead guidelines are used, and these guidelines are based around the picking preparation and processing of the beans. There are a number of different brand available, beans that are grown in the Sumatran west is usually known as “Gayo Mountain” and this coffee tends to be sweeter than many of the other varieties, but easily the most common and well loved of Sumatran coffee is Mandheling. This coffee is produced just inland from the south coast and has taken its name from Indonesian people that were once responsible for the production of that coffee.

Sumatran Mandheling coffee is well regarded as the finest coffee produced in Sumatra and there are number of factors that have contributed to this, the plants are grown in vastly rich volcanic soil which are situated on the slopes of extinct volcanoes. These high slopes, the rich soil and the warm climate all contribute to make Mandheling coffee a truly unique brew with a distinct flavour. When you are searching for a Sumatran coffee try and find green coffee beans if possible as this will allow you to roast your own giving you the freshest cup you’ll ever had.

There are many unique characteristics that help to make Mandheling coffee one of the finest in the world. Some may say even unorthodox. The beans are often dried using moisture-interrupted stages, which leads the beans to develop many complex and unusually flavours, many experts cite these traits as being similar to fermented fruit and even hints of must and mildew.

Please do not be deceived or put off by this, these are the factors that make Sumatran coffee so unique and because of this combination of flavours that are already pleasant in the green beans themselves, when roasted the flavours are developed fully and this leads to one of the richest smoothest and complex coffees that is available anywhere today.

The acidity is barely noticeable and the body can be so heavy it is almost syrupy Mandheling coffee is an experience of pure Indonesian luxury – the finest concentrated flavours and most complex tastes. It is highly sought after all over the world – and rightly so!

With so many varieties of coffee available from around the world, it’s hard to choose the right coffee for you, Sumatra Coffee will guarantee the perfect cup of coffee.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_T_Jones

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Like most large countries, there is no one kind of Indonesian cuisine, but Indonesian food has some generalities that make its many kinds of Indonesian foods unique, whether the Indonesian food is a play off other countries’ foods or whether the dishes are native to various Indonesian regions. Some Indonesian dishes are influenced by Chinese cuisine (and vice versa), but others, such as the Padang food in Sumatra, show some Middle Eastern and Indian influence. Indonesian food is commonly eaten with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, although in parts of the country, Indonesian food is just eaten with one’s hands, as utensils are not easily procured.

Like many Asian cultures, rice is the foundation of every meal. It can be eaten in a soup or with vegetables and meat. Rice can also be steamed in coconut fronds, which is called ketaput, or made into crackers, desserts, or even wines. Fried rice, called nasi goring, is one of the most popular Indonesian food dishes, although meat on a skewer served with peanut sauce (sate or satay), bean sprouts and vegetables with peanut sauce, and various kinds of seafood are also quite popular Indonesian foods. Indonesia has a gold mine of native tropical fruits that are enjoyed for their richness all over the world, including custard apples, guavas, rambutan, mangoes, starfruits, and papayas. In the Sumatra regions, they often provide curried meats and vegetables like gulai, which is an Indonesian curry with a characteristic yellow color from the spice turmeric and coconut milk. The Chinese influence on Indonesian food is seen in the prevalence of rice, noodles, and meatballs. Some Indonesian foods, however, are unique to the region, like tempe, which has become popular worldwide. Tempe comes from Java; its origin was a result of deforestation as protein became harder to come by, and the tempe provided an adequate alternative.

Vendors are a regular sight in Indonesia, and they often sell Chinese-inspired Indonesian foods like buns and noodles. Pork used to be sold, too, but with the rise of Islam in Indonesia, it is not used as often in traditional dishes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_R_Stewart

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Most people who give a backyard grilling party will just buy the sauces from the local grill store or supermarket. But it is not really all that difficult to prepare your own. That will really make your cooking stand out from the rest. Here is a barbecue sauce recipe that can easily be prepared in advance in the kitchen …

Gado-Gado sauce is inspired by Indonesian cuisine and is simple to make. It is a great accompaniment for many dishes, not just those served at backyard grilling parties. Since it is based on peanut butter, it has a rich, nutty flavour and a golden brown colour, so it looks good as well as tasting good. This recipe makes a pouring sauce but if you use more peanut butter and substitute some milk for the stock, you can make a thicker version. The cayenne gives it spiciness; take care not to overdo it as the more subtle flavours will be lost. The honey counteracts and balances the sharpness and acidity of the lemon juice and vinegar, leaving the sauce with a smooth, rounded flavor that complements the nuttiness of the peanut butter base.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped up finely
1 large clove of garlic, crushed or chopped finely
1 bay leaf
1-2 teaspoons of finely grated fresh root ginger
half a teaspoon of salt
6-8 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 tablespoon of honey
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1-1 1/4 pint of water
quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper
ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Gently fry the chopped onion, garlic, bay leaf and grated ginger in a medium sized saucepan, together with the salt. When the onions have become translucent, add the remaining ingredients and mix them thoroughly. The sauce will seem very thin at this stage but will gradually thicken as it cooks. Bring it to the boil, stirring frequently. When it is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir occasionally to prevent any burning or sticking. Check the seasoning and remove the bay leaf before serving. This can be prepared in advance and reheated at the time of the party, allowing you to concentrate on grilling the main course. Serve hot in a pre-warmed, preferably covered sauce jug.

So as you see, I am not kidding you when I say it is easy, preparation takes only a few minutes and the cooking process does not involve anything really complicated. This sauce is not just great for barbecues, it can easily spice-up any meal that you serve, it goes particularly well with brown rice and risottos. And the name is a real talking point at any dinner party!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Woodward

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Other records also show that tempe might be produced using black soybeans before 16th century by Javanese Rural Community in Mataram.

The word tempe probably came from Javanese Ancient Word “tumpi”.

But some also believe that Tempe was first introduced by Chinese immigrants who came to Java. They introduced 3 recipes made from soya beans called Tofu, Tom Ping, and Toya. Tom Ping is Tempe itself.

Enough the story, whether Tempe originally came from Java or China, It’s an undeniable fact that Tempe is an Indonesian Traditional Food. And Indonesians eat most of the tempes in the world.

Tempeh dishes are available in most Javanese households, they prepare various tempe / tempeh dishes daily on their tables, especially those who live in rural places.

Ingredients:

250 g tempe, chop into pieces
150 g beef, boil until softened and dice
50 g green chilies, chop into 1cm size
25 g red chilies, chop into 1cm size
100 g tomato, tear into pieces
6 shallots, slice
3 cloves garlic, slice
1 salam leaf
1 cm galangal, crush
250 cc water
5 tbs kecap manis
1 tsp salt

How to:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry garlic until brown, add shallots, green chilies, red chilies, salam leaf, galangal and tempe.
2. Add beef, tomato, water, kecap manis and salt, stir fry until the soup evaporate.
3. Serve with hot rice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juandy_Liem

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Have the following ingredients on hand in your pantry to make it easier to prepare Indonesian-style dishes. Most ingredients can be found in your local supermarket or greengrocer. Some of the specialized ingredients can be found in Asian Food stores.

These is some of the following ingredients of Indonesian dishes:

- Capsicum: Also known as red or green peppers.

- Capsicum:From the candleberry tree, these nuts look like macadamia nuts and taste like Brazil nuts. Available from Asian Food strores.

- Cardamon: Spice from the ginger family. Seeds are purchased whole, either in or out of their pods, or grounds.

- Chillies: Small red chillies are the hottest. The larger red chillies are milder and green chillies are milder still. Seeds are often discarded as they are the hottest part of the chilli.

- Coconut Cream: Thick white liquid that rises to the surface when coconut milk is left to stand.

- Coconut Milk: This is not the juice from the inside of the fresh coconut but the liquid extracted from the white flesh.

- Coriander: Indonesians use only the seed of the coriander plant, not the leaves or roots.

- Cumin: An aromatic spice with a pungent flavour, seeds are available whole or ground.

- Egg Noodles (fine, dry): looks like fine spaghetti which has been wound into a small bundles.

- Ginger: Fresh ginger root is recommended, rather than dried. Indonesians also use laos and galagal which give a similar flavour and are occasionally available fresh from Asian Food stores.

- Palm Sugar: Dark brown sugar made from the juice of the coconut palm flower. Sold in hard blocks, cut off required amount and crush it. Available from Asian Food stores.

- Peanut Oil: A light oil used extensively in Indonesian cooking. Coconut oil is also used.

- Rice Flour: Is finely ground white or brown rice and often used as a thickener.

- Shrimp Paste(terasi): Extremely pungent, salty paste, sold in jars. Also available in hard blocks, use sparingly.

- Soy Sauce (kecap): Light soy sauce which is thin and salty. Kecap manis is dark soy sauce which is thick and sweet.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hermawan_Wan

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The reason for this is simple: so many people with connections to the restaurant business in their home country come to Bali and like it so much that they wonder about transplanting themselves and their culinary skills to paradise here. This is not to say that starting a restaurant in Bali would be an easy task. On the contrary, competition is so fierce among restauranteur ex-pats that I’ve always believed one is much better off being a customer in Bali rather than a restaurant owner!

Bali offers first-class Western eating. The prices and the variety here is stunning. You will find Italian food, French cuisine, Greek food, Moroccan food, Spanish tapas, very good Japanese, Mexican food and Middle Eastern food, Chinese, etc., etc. If you’d just like a steak, no problem! There is sublime vegetarian food in Bali, both in the Seminyak area and also in Ubud. Whatever your preference, it’s here.

An interesting thing that did not occur to me until I had lived in Bali for a little while is that this same phenomenon of outsiders coming to Bali to create restaurants also happens with Indonesians coming from other islands and bringing their cuisines to share. There is wonderful Indonesian food in Bali from all over the Indonesian archipelago. You might be surprised at how varied Indonesian cuisine is, and you can make use of your Bali holiday to enjoy a breathtaking array of regional fare. From extremely spicy to very, very mild, Indonesian cuisine benefits from the country’s location straddling the equator. You find amazing fruits and vegetables, many of which might be unfamiliar to you, but all of which are worth a try! Certainly the seafood is a high point as well.

By the way, all this is not to say that Balinese food isn’t wonderful. Especially noteworthy is the ‘Babi Guling’, if you are a pork lover. It is a slow-cooked suckling pig dish that traveling chef Anthony Bordain claimed was the very best pork he’d ever had in his life!

I will offer a final tip on eating in Bali: don’t be afraid to get a little bit adventurous when it comes to eating here. While you will find the familiar fast food franchises that you know from back home, I always think it is a shame when I see hordes of people in front of McSuperBurger or everyone’s KidsFavoriteFriedChicken franchise (yes they are in Bali). Unlike some parts of Asia, the hygiene generally very good in Bali restaurants, especially in the tourist areas.

Compared to Western fast food joints, you can actually find cheaper meals at good Bali restaurants that offer a dining experience as pleasurable as some of your favorite restaurants back home, for a small fraction of the price. It is hard to believe sometimes how good value for money is when it comes to eating in Bali, and whatever you’re hungry for you’ll find it here at an amazing price.

Look forward to your meals in Bali, because eating here will really be a high point of your holiday. Don’t miss some of the excellent Seminyak restaurants on Jalan Oberoi and Jalan Nakula; and if you’re looking for vegan or vegetarian food Bali has plenty of choices for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Mullaly

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