This pandemic quarantine gives me all the time in the world to re-make my fav snacks and unlimited access to the kitchen, so this wfh thing doesn't really work for me. I end up making snacks with whatever we have in the kitchen. If the pandemic doesn't get me, obesity sure will. Help!

Aaaaand I am back and I am ready for snack ideas during this pandemic because during this shutdown, lockdown, whatchamacallit, we are here together. Bored and hungry, so let's whip out easy to make - easier to eat snacks from whatever we have in the kitchen, shall we? Today's snack is Lumpia Mie or Noodle Spring Rolls. Let's start!

Last week was the Superbowl Sunday and I had the whole appartement to myself. Usually, when I am left alone and have nobody around to impress, culinary or physically, I do stuff that is not considered as an appropriate material for this kind of blog. However, last Sunday was different. After a long break of serious cooking, I pulled myself together and decided to eat like a real human being. 

Have you ever tasted Durian? Durian, or we call it Duren is one of my fav fruits. It has this particular smell that most people can't tolerate (I don't understand them, frankly) with custardy and sweet edible part. The strong stench of this fruit is known to make people either love it or totally hate it. There's nothing in between. 

Bakwan sayur is an Indonesian national vegetable fritters. Well, okay, I might exagerated a bit there saying it is a national dish, but you can ask any Indonesian if they know bakwan sayur, and big chance that they do and they love it, no matter what region in Indonesia they come from. 

I know there are a lot of you out there who likes thin pancakes or what the Croissant people call as crêpe, and I am one of you.  I love how versatile this pancake is. I mean you can enjoy it as a savoury  or sweet snack, breakfast, light lunch, and of course; as a dessert. It's all simply depends on the filling you use and how many pinch of sugar you put in your batter. I have read so many variation of pancakes from all over the world and Indonesia has its own take in the pancake world; Dadar Gulung, the famous green pancake. 

Today's recipe was based on Mie Aceh recipe (mie means noodle, Aceh is a province of the northern Sumatra in Indonesia). As many other dishes from Sumatra, this Mie Aceh has thick influence of Indian and Middle Eastern spices. 

Ummm.. how do I describe this dish... I think its like Indian chicken curry with a hint of Asian touch. You know, double awesomeness. It might look 'heavy' with all that spices and coconut milk, but it balanced out with the freshness of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. 

I noticed that I have not yet uploaded my version of the classic nasi goreng altho I cook it at least one a month and my favorite topping is fried salty anchovies (teri goreng). I remember whenever we were having nasi goreng back at my parents home, there were always two batches of nasi goreng : one with ketjap manis for the fanatic ketjap lovers like me, my bro and my dad, and one without ketjap manis for the incomprehensible group of people who doesn’t like ketjap manis, like my mom. As a ketjap enthusiast, I can only take a classic nasi goreng seriously when ketjap manis is involved. It is what makes the nasi goreng looks darker and tempting.

Today was one of those days in June when you still need to wear a long sleeved or a cardigan. There were not much activities can be done (comfortably) outdoor because the heavy cloud kept hanging above my head and ready to rain anytime. However, I went lake kayaking for a couple hours and got back home when the sky went dark and cloudy. I really can't wait for summer to starts.

Kembang Tahu (tofu pudding with thin ginger syrup) was a snack staple during a rainy day when I was a kid (yes, I snack a lot, stop judging.. K). I even had my favorite Kembang Tahu hawker who peddled around my neighborhood at 4 PM every day. The reason why I love that 4 PM Kembang Tahu hawker was because the sauce he made was gingery enough but not too spicy, it was just right for me. Kembang tahu is a very common and popular soy dessert in Jakarta sold by the street vendor, freshly made each day. Strangely, when I think about it, I have never found it in the menu of any restaurant I have been in Jakarta. But then again, even if I have found one, I’d still prefer to get it from the 4PM hawker, sometime street food is just unbeatable, tastewise and pricewise (it was 30 cents USD per bowl, (circa 2014)!! God knows how the hawker made his profit but I ain’t complainin’).

Several months ago I found a bag of mung bean at the local grocery store. Mung bean or we call it kacang ijo in Indonesia is quite awesome actually. It is widely used especially in South East Asian and Indian cooking. It is surprising what you can make from this bean actually. This noodle can be processed into noodles (glass noodle or transparent vermicelli is made from this bean), You can make a paste out of it for sweet buns filling, you can cook it with sugar and coconut milk and turn it as a tasty dessert, in Indian cooking, they make Dal with this beans. Put this bean on a wet cotton by the window for few days and you will find yourself greeted with beansprouts. I have also heard some face treatments brands using this bean as their skin-nourishing ingredients. This bean has more uses than myself, really.

My beloved cousin who now resides in Moscow was craving for an Indonesian dessert. Unfortunately the distance between us prevents me to bake one for her, but worry not, cousin, here I share you a super-easy steamed cake recipe! The ingredients are pretty basic, I am sure all of it can be found in a normal-basic kitchen. You don't even have to have a special steamer. My mom didn't have any special steamer but she managed to cook steamed food very often. She filled the bottom of her oh-my-God-thats-big wok with water and put a metal rack on it. Bring the water to boil et voila, you are ready to steam whatever you need to steam. 

Lengko rice is Javanese rice (Cirebon) serve with fried tofu and tempeh, cucumber, beansprout, and a big dollop of peanut sauce. Indonesian food uses peanut sauce often as salad dressing (Gado-gado, lotek, Pecel, etc). In my case, I am a peanut sauce fanatics, I even eat my dumplings with peanut sauce. There are three things that I eat with any rice meal whenever possible: peanut sauce, Ketjap Manis, and shrimp crackers. Those stuff are my holy trinity.

When I move to Canada, I met too many people that are allergic to peanuts, which I find sad. On the other hand, I don't think I know any Indonesian that is allergic to peanuts, perhaps because our parents introduce us to peanut at very early age, so we develop some kind of body immune to it? I have no scientific explanation about it but I am glad that I am peanut tolerant :)

Okay, back to the awesome Nasi Lengko. This dish is very simple and can be prepared in an instant. The signature flavor of this dish I must say comes from the Kaempferia Galangal (kencur). Some recipes mix the peanut sauce with coconut milk, but I prefer not to. I find it too much in flavor. Plus, if I make a big batch of peanut sauce, it can not be kept too long since the coconut milk will get spoilt easily. 

Kue Lapis is a classic Indonesian layer cake. Its made out of steamed rice flour dough. The classic flavor is be Pandan for the green layer, coconut milk for the white layer, and chocolate for the brown layer.

Frankly, my mom has never made this cake for one good rational reason: it takes toooo loooong to make, you have to cook layer by layer. She always got it from the market, and it was always good. I think the proper way to eat the cake is you peel a layer and eat it. Biting it right on the cake will be considered impolite, trust me (which you should not). :P 

I have been told that this cake can not be preserved for more than a day because of the coconut milk in it but it has never been the case for me tho (yippee!!). Simply put it in a bowl with lid and keep it in the fridge. It will become a bit stiff like a block of eraser but this is not a problem. Reheat it in the microwave for a minute or so and the cake will be soft and gooey as it supposed to.

Sayur Lodeh is Indonesian version of vegetables curry. It has thin soup but very flavorful. Vegetables used in this dish usually are chayotte, eggplants, unripe jackfruit, and green bean. You can even add tofu and tempeh too. Back at my mom's place, she serves this dish with fried chicken, steamed rice, and shrimp chips (kerupuk udang), yummmm.. 

Opor Ayam Kuning is one of my comfort food at it best. Super flavorful chicken curry, a mix of coconut milk and spices infused into a divine creamy soup. Many said that cooking a curry dish requires a plethora of spices and laborious work and they are not totally exaggerating. I will not say cooking Opor Ayam is hard, but it does requires a lot of cooking time.

Opor Ayam is a must-have dish on Ied Fitr in Indonesia. Its one of the Ied Fitr signature dish. I absolutely have no idea what made the tradition to have Opor on Ied Fitr, but as far as I remember, every family I know have Opor as one of their menu on the said day. 

There are two kind of Opor Ayam; Opor Ayam Kuning (Yellow Curry) and Opor Ayam Putih (White Curry). The different between the two lays on the spices. Opor Ayam Kuning has a bit more of the spices and it tastes slightly richer than the Opor Ayam Putih. Today I am cooking the Opor Ayam Kuning. As you will see on my recipe, it is not that complicated and the spices needed are not far off from Indian curry. I paste all my ingredients using electronic processor, I add oil instead of water to avoid excessive liquid and I can sauté the paste right away. 

Chicken hearts (jantung ayam) and gizzards (ampela), a nay or a yay?.. For me, its definitely a yay, or more likely a YAAAAY, chicken hearts and gizzard!!, followed by a disturbing victory dance movement. I really like these chicken tidbits. Unfortunately it is not so easy to find at our local groceries, so whenever I find it, I always pile them up on my trolley and endure the stink eye of the cashier when she/he has to scan the crazy amounts of the tidbits boxes.

Do you believe in horoscope? I basically showing this skeptical attitude towards anything that predicts the future, including horoscope. So do I believe in horoscope? no, I despise being told whats going to happen in my future by anyone. Ironically enough tho, I do believe on horoscope when they are telling you about your character. I am a Pisces, and for odd reason, I always feel totally related to whatever the horoscope says about my characters. No matter what internet site or magazine I am reading about what a Pisces person like, I can really see myself on their description. Well of course they are not perfect, like saying Piscesians are lazy, I am sure that is just a misunderstanding based on poor observation.