ellen@ucla-cs.UUCP (04/19/85)
here are a few Indonesian recipes for chicken, my favorite "meat": NOTE: 1 American chicken runs from 2-3+ pounds, and can feed 4-6 people. NOTE: serve with WHITE rice, 1/2 to 1 cup raw per person - forget that brown-rice stuff - yuck! (& i'm a natural food nut!). it just doesn't soak up the sauce right, and the texture is too firm, and it tastes like cardboard....now, if only i could find some real Southeast Asian RED rice..... AYAM SEMUR from Pak Toenggoel Siagian 1 chicken, cut up 1 Tb. brown sugar 2 onions, roughly chopped 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 3 cloves of garlic 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 tomatoes butter "Brown chicken in a heavy skillet. Use no oil, the fat is enough. Grind everything else, except the butter, in a blender. Pour over the chicken. Add butter. Cook in the oven, around 350 degrees F., until done, about 45 minutes." [this is as he said. you have to put the browned chicknen into an oven- proof dish before adding the sauce. dot the top with butter - how much? i'm not sure, perhaps 1 Tb.] AYAM SEMUR from Ibu Euis Sumarna 2 onions, finely chopped 3 c. coconut milk 4 cloves of garlic, smashed 1 tsp. powdered laos (kha in Thai) 1 Tb. finely chopped fresh ginger 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg several daun salam 1 stalk fresh lemon grass 1 chicken, cut up 1/2 tsp. white pepper 3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped 2 tsp. salt Fry until soft in a little vegetable oil (1 Tb.) the onions, garlic, ginger, and daun salam. Add chicken, cook until browned on medium heat. Add tomatoes, cook until soft. Add coconut milk and remaining spices. Bring to boil, then simmer until almost dry. OPOR AYAM from Ibu Gloria Soepomo 3 dried red chilies, crumbled 1/2 tsp. powdered kentjur & soaked in a little hot water 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1-2 Tb. vegetable oil 2 tsp. ground coriander seed 2 onions, thinly sliced 1 Tb. dark brown sugar 1/2 tsp. trasi (kapi in Thai) 2 tsp. salt [shrimp paste - DON'T use 2 tsp. powdered laos the Chinese type] 1 Tb. ground kemiri 1 chicken, cut up 2 tsp. ground cumin 3-1/2 c. coconut milk Mix together 1st 9 ingredients. Rub well into chicken. Let stand 1 hour. Heat oil on medium heat. Fry onion & trasi until onion is translucent, mashing trasi with spoon or spatula (bask in the rich odor - your neighbors may think you have a dead cat in you kitchen, but you know that you're cooking something of exquisite deliciousness - trust me.). Add the chicken and spices and brown, stirring to prevent burning. Pour in coconut milk and mix well. Bring just to boil (don't let it roll, or the coconut milk will appear curdled). Simmer on medium low heat, stirring occasionally unti done, about 30 minutes. this is very delicious and quite authentically Javanese (the Javanese would probably eat it sweeter, but we Americans know just how bad sugar is for the body :-). *** COOKING NOTES *** to make coconut milk: use dried UNSWEETENED coconut (NOT that Angel Flake or Baker's c**p!) it's easy to find at a natural food store - larger flakes are better than the very fine "macaroon" coconut, but that's o.k. if there isn't any other kind around, it's just a bit harder to work with. Soak equal parts of grated coconut & HOT water (i.e., to make 3 cups of coconut milk, use 3 cups EACH coconut & water) for about 1/2-1 hr. E-Z method - place coconut & water in blender, whirl on hi speed (or something a few notches less speedy depending on the sophistication of your blender) for a few seconds. you will have to do this a little at a time, since most blender jars won't hold 5-1/2 or 6 cups of stuff. after each processing, wring out the pulp in cheese cloth, squeeze hard, work those muscles...THROW AWAY THE PULP. if you have properly extracted the coconut milk IT WON'T TASTE LIKE ANYTHING MUCH. LAOS, also called LENGKUAS in Indonesia, is a rhizome in the same family as ginger, but with a very different taste. it can most often be found powdered, sold by a Dutch company (oh dear! the name now escapes me!) has a yellow lable...but also can be found in whole dried pieces, and occasionally FRESH in Thai markets - the Thai name is KHA. there is NO substitute. if you must, do without, but it sure won't it looks a bit like ginger, but oranger in color, and more tubular. taste the same KENTJUR (new Indonesian spelling: KENCUR, pronounced the same as the old spelling) - is another rhizome in the ginger (zingiber) family, but again with a completely different taste - use sparingly. often used with chicken or with vegetables. again, the Dutch company sells it powdered in bottles, or it can be found in Thai markets - Thai name: KRACHAI. this rhizome is also an orange-y color, but the little nodules stick out like tiny skinny fingers down the length of the "root". again, no substitute. LEMON GRASS: in Indonesian: SEREH; in Thai: TAKRAI. often found fresh in Thai, Vietnamese markets. it looks like a cross between very tough grass & a green onion (green thin leafy tops, white-ish bulb) but has a pleasant & powerful citrus flavor without the sourness. can be found dried in health food stores, sold as herb tea, and in Latino markets as TE DE LIMON. if all else fails, substitute an inch or two of lemon peel. TRASI: Thai: KAPI (a Malay version is BLACHAN, but not quite as delicious) once you have this, wrap it in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, then put it in an air-tight container. if you don't, the people who live with you will think there is something very dead on the kitchen shelf. after i have said all this, it adds a very delicious flavor to Southeast Asian food. it is used in SMALL amounts, but is usually heated to soften & blend with other ingredients - turn on the fan. some books say to substitute anchovy paste, but i've never tried it, and i doubt if it would taste the same. my neighbor in Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia), fried something with trasi EVERY DAY for lunch. i salivate at the smell. KEMIRI: candle nuts of yore. you can substitute macadamia nuts. however, don't eat kemiri - they don't taste that great straight (like many seasonings). they add a richness to the sauce. i've even substituted almonds, tho' they're nothing like kemiri. i wouldn't try using walnuts, since they have a pronounced bitter taste. maybe pecans would be a pleasant alternative...peanuts are also OUT - they are used their own way by the Indonesians (with hot chilis & soy sauce to make dip for barbecued meats).