Beng-beng Hot Comfort Drink

I know it's very very late, but I just had time to post this now due to very busy and hectic office hour. Actually I create this comfort drink about a month ago, but it is still wort to be posted :)

Beng-beng is one of the most favorite of Indonesian chocolate bar. It is basically wafer, coated with rice Krispies, salted caramel, vanilla cream, and chocolate.

Niken's Chocolate Banana Cake with Cheese Vanilla Crumble

Remember my recipe for basic banana cake? As it's just the "basic" one, the cake is actually can be developed to another toothsome cake! Combining the savory taste of cheese and bittersweet from chocolate would never go wrong, would it? Plus, this recipe will make double, so I used 20x30 cm and 20x20 cm pan. Perfect recipe for a family gathering!

Niken's Basic Banana Cake with Honey Lemon Butter

Living in my grandfather turns me into a creative person in processing banana. We harvest banana three times a year, so there were periods when we ate banana every day but still had overstock of them. So to not wasted them, I learned to cook various recipe of banana and now I can proudly say that this recipe is the most successful basic banana cake I ever created after some trial and errors for three years.

Banana Bollen

My friend gave me four fingers of uncommon reddish skinned banana from her homewtown, Ciamis, West Java. We usually called it as pisang Kidang, or Kidang Banana. The flavor is also unique that you can feel the higher content of starch but less sweet than the usual banana. As it is not really tasteful to be eaten just as it is, my friend asked me to process it to another form of food.

Nasi Kebuli Kambing (Goat Kebuli Rice)

What if the cuisine and culture from three regions; Middle East, Indian, and Malay mixed up? Meet this Nasi Kebuli Kambing. Been waiting for the perfect event to cook this, and finally did it for the post Eid Al Adha feast last month as the delicious main course!

Japanese Coffee Jelly

Last week I had family lunch in one of the hotel in Jakarta that is famous for their dessert. I asked the waitress the most favorite ones and he said “Coffee Jelly!” The look was simple; an inch black layer with poured white cream. It was bittersweet, not a typical dessert that I used to like, but the taste was unforgettable, refreshing, and comfy.

Baked Indonesian Tuna-Melt Rissoles

Just like the two previous posts, this is another (presumed to be) an adaptation from colonialists' cuisine. Popularly called as Risoles, this one is the Indonesian style of Rissole and baked version :)

Baked "Panada", Indonesian Fish Empanada

As Europe's district for ages, my country's culture and cuisines are highly influenced by the colonialists. And here's one of their effect that nowadays reckoned as Celebes' origin: the bread puff stuffed with tuna, Panada. Baked those good puffs for iftar savory appetizer last week, and it was really enjoyable :)

Hong Kong Style Milk Egg Tart (Thicker Version of Pie Susu Bali)

It's Ramadan, a holy month for Muslim all over the world! It's not only fulfilled with blessings, it is also the time when all the delicious food available for iftar (breakfasting). This holy month actually has been running for 12 days, yet sadly, I don't have much time to cook any fancy :'( However, this moment shouldn't be wasted, so I baked this simple and sweet milk egg tart for iftar appetizer yesterday :D

Creamy Cheese Custard Cake

I was really really craving for cheesecake buttt it was a long weekend so I should provide a big pan for my family that came over. Seeing the amount I should bake, bought the pricey cream cheese was not an option for me. And here it is: a tricky recipe that spent only half of the budget of  the usual cheese cake!

Chicken Curry With Potatoes

Four months ago, when I was in Penang, my brother told me to bought a pack of non-MSG curry powder. As working hours had been so cruel, and my brother had been miles away, I just had the chance to cook the curry last week. Eat it along with Roti Canai, our family really had lovely lunch :)

Shrimp Paste and Anchovies Baked Rice

Finally have some time to write about food again! Bake this flavory rice a month ago for breakfast and it was really a hit! With high quality shrimp paste and anchovies, as they were from Cirebon, West Java, the region that is famous for their sea resources :)

Creamy Tuna and Tomato Crumble Casserole

If I cook dinner, it must be an easy recipe, as I’d already starved when I just prepared the ingredients. I had cans of tuna in oil from my brother who currently a Sorong, West Papua inhabitant and turned them to creamy casserole :9

Indonesian Bubur Kacang Hijau (Sweet Mung Bean Porridge) with Black Glutinous Rice Porridge

Weekend is a perfect time to finish all the pending books. As it was a lazy weekend, Bandung was being gloomy and raining, it was the best condition for me to have a bowl of warm sweet porridge. Woke up that morning and made this Bubur Kacang Hijau or Sweet Mung Bean Porridge along with Glutinous Rice Porridge for late breakfast.

No Sugar, Low Fat, Fruit and Nuts Crumble Cake

Happy birthday Bapak! Made this healthy cake especially for his birthday :D

Travelling for Food: Penang!

Another thing beside cooking and crafting that is also excite me is travelling. Anddddd what's even better? Travelling for food! On last Chinese New Year holiday, I had a short trip to Penang, Malaysia. Truth to be told, it was a two nights trip filled with eating and food shopping. :’’D

Penang, as seen from the highland

Banana Caramel Cinnamon Cake

It was Sunday and I was starving for some sweet spiced baking goods and I knew cinnamon will do the work. Put some slices of ripen banana, add pinches of nutmeg powder and grinded clove; this cake would make my tea time pleasurable!

Bandrek, Indonesian Comfort Beverages

I’m living in a country whose nature is fulfilled with beneficial resources. Here in Indonesia, the elders were used to cure their disease by drinking brewed herbs and their recipes are still used from generation to generation. It’s common in our families to have comfy hot spiced drinks contain ginger, curcuma, or turmeric to overcome minor diseases such as influenza or cold.

One of the classic comfort beverages is Bandrek. Bandrek is known as West Java origin, particularly on the highlands. Containing ginger, this beverage were created by the Sundanese (the West Java natives) to cope the cold weather or to prevent the seasonal sickness. In addition, some other spices such as star anise, chili pepper, or white peppercorns; are sometimes also putted in to give extra spicy taste. On its development, the liquid used for the main ingredients are also improving; from water to milk, tea, coffee, or even chocolate milk.

Semur Lidah Sapi (Indonesian Beef Tongue Stew with Sweet Soy Sauce)

The long period of Dutch colonialism was obviously affecting some aspects related to Indonesian culinary history. One of the Dutch-influenced foods is Semur, that is meat or chicken stew that has sweet, sour, savory taste.

Martabak Manis (Indonesian Sweet Martabak), with Yeast

Welcome 2016! And here’s something sweet and buttery to start this year: Martabak Manis!

This thick pancake is one of the most devilish street foods you can find in Indonesia. It is so evil because it consists layers of carbohydrates and butter spreads along with whatever filling you crave; from sweet condensed milk, cheese, chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter, jam, sugar, to the trendy flavors such as Kitkat, Oreo, Nuttella, or Ovomaltine. And here’s to adding more sins: the Martabak stalls are usually open at night so we Indonesian usually eat it as night meal after dinner. Despite the health problem you could possibly get if you eat too much Martabak Manis, the rich, buttery, sweet taste, fluffy, gooey texture, good feeling if you munch Martabak is worth the guilty pleasure.