Indonesian Dish - Vegetables & Prawns in Lodeh Gravy

Sayur Lodeh or Vegetables & Prawns in Lodeh Gravy is actually a common Indonesian dish that takes from a soup (but this does not serve as a soup). the veges and the gravy are poured over a steaming hot rice and accompanied by other side dishes such as Ayam Masak Merah/Chicken in red gravy, or spiced fried chicken etc...

to be honest, i ran out of ideas on what to cook for dinner (and hubby MUST eat rice) so in search of ideas i went on to browse my trusty old cook book that i've been compiling from friends, paper cuttings, mama's recipes, grandma's recipes tips and so on from alot of people....and this book seriously look like crappy scrapbook with drawings and ugly handwritings (apparently my handwriting changed through out the years)....hehehe~ can't believe i wrote it all down complete with footnotes... anyway i found this recipe and it seem just perfect with what i have in my fridge...

so here's what you need...

1tbsp vegetable oil

1 med onion - blended

1clove garlic - blended

1 red chilli without the seeds (we don't want its hotness but just the heat)

1inch of galangal/lengkuas - blended .............you may blend all 4 ingredients together

1tsp ground coriander

225g prawns - peeled and devein

225g cabbage - coarsely chopped

225g cauliflower - parted into florets

1 small carrot - jullian cut them (cut into strips)

225g string beans - remove the strings and cut into thirds

1 small eggplant - cubed

salt to taste

1.5c coconut milk

1.5c water

1 Bay leaf / Salam leaf

-> heat oil and saute blended ingrediens and grounded ingredients . fry for 1 minutes until fragrant

--> add prawns and saute fro 2 minutes

--> add in all the vegetables cover and cook over low heat fro about 10 minutes or so

--> pour in the coconut milk and water. add in bay leaf. cook uncovered stirring almost continuosly until vegetables are tender. serve.

Note: you can substitute prawns with chicken breast

dim sum: chicken dumpling

this is the fried version....

with soup version....

as promise this is the dumplings that i've made and of course i've also tweeked the recipe from saturday's cook to suit my taste...

What you need:-

some chicken breast

some shelled prawns ---------> divide both prawns and chicken meat into 2 portions and finely minced 1 portion.( i put it in a food processor and put on pulse) and the other half portion corsely minced

a table spoon of grated ginger

1 clove of grated garlic

1 tbsp light soy sauce

a dash of sesame oil

a dash of white pepper

1 tsp of corn starch for binding

1 pack wonton skins

optional:

finely chopped carrots (portion as much or little as desired)

finely chopped red chili with out the seeds. (also as desired)

-> just add in all the ingredients together, put on the wonton skin and wrap it as you will...

the you may steam it or fry it or put it in a soup as i did...

the soup? i just make my usual chicken broth and add a dash of white pepper and sesame oil and loads of chopped coriander leaves ^_^

Random Ramblings

i know that i haven't been updating my blog for sometime now..its simply because i'm not feeling very well...i'm still not 100% but that doesn't mean that i haven been cooking though its just that i did snap any photos of my creations =} (i'm sure you all prefer recipes with photos than just recipes right?) yeah we made lasagna, koftas, our family bbq + steamboat (more like korean bbq) with dips to die for....its a shame that i didn't get any pictures...plus my sister just got married and now we are getting ready for my brother wedding this July so bz bz...

and i just found out what they use for yong tau foo dips....its shocking!! you wouldn't believe it!!\
my children and i LOVE yong tau foo and there's no many great HALAL yong tau foo outlets for us the malay of yong tau foo vendors just don't have it...in case you're wondering i've tasted the what i considered Original yong tau foo made by yours truly a chinese muslim friend of mine who was kind enough to make some for me (its their food of course the chinese makes better yong tau foo than the malays just like chicken rice, dim sum etc )and was kind enough to reveal to me 'whats in the sauce' which got me a tad shock and guilty when dipping my assorted seafood balls.

well according to my friend the sauce is made out of black soy beans with loads of sugar (if you make your own you would probably use honey ) and of course theres many variation of this recipes but thats the basic ingredients...she said and i quote " you'd think that yong tau foo is healthy but you are absolutly wrong theres loads of sugar involve and not to mention msg in the soup... and you always say chinese chicken rice's soup (from the store) is tasty, its because of the msg in it! thats why when you try to duplicate their taste its almost impossible its because we didn't put as much msg in it..."

and i was like...REALLY?! 2 of my fave food is less than healthy? for a moment there i thought that my world just crumbled down...no wonder i couldn't exactly duplicate the taste of restaurant food i knew they use msg but i didn't know the extent of the usage was... ( no wonder my mom is allergic to most restaurant food)

i was greatly enlighten by these facts...although i am now hoping that dim sum is a more healthier option coz i love LOVE dim sum above all...and speaking of which i'll be making some today (hopefully) and i will do my best to put it in my next entry...the recipe is adopted from the afc 'saturday cooks' can't remember the chef's name but she's probably british chinese...

so dare i say stay tune?

Food Trivia: Are you REALLY a true foodie?

this is for fun and also facts about food we eat...so be enlighten...*wink*

-> Did you know that an oyster’s taste will depend on the water from where it came from. Briny, salty or nutty are some of the examples of its taste.

-> Guess what "alligator pear" is?...its AVOCADO alligator pear is its alias due to the texture of its skin and shape. and also avocado will not ripen until its being picked for the tree...

-> In the US, apple cider = apple juice. the term cider to refer to apple juice with no preservatives, and apple juice to juice that has been pasteurized. Unfermented apple juice is called 'apple juice' in most other countries, and the term 'cider' refers to 'hard cider', it has been fermented and is an alcoholic beverage....whooo thats is almost confusing...=p

-> Almonds are a tasty and nutritious addition to rice dishes, vegetable dishes, casseroles, stuffings, salads, baked goods and desserts; they also make an excellent substitute for bread crumbs as a topping for casseroles or in a breading for fish.

-> Science has proven that our taste buds have fine, distinct, and specific receptor tastes individually.

-> White beans are high in soluble fiber, which helps control blood pressure



thanx to Fun food trivia Wmn for the info...well i'll try to find more food related trivia in the future but for now this will do.

Clarified Butter

what is clarified butter:-



how to clarified butter:-





hope this video helps...

I-Flapp Technology

An interesting piece of technology that i came across, its very convenient to us so called tech savy people =p well at least to people who have and use PC. why i say its cool? is because this device enable us (PC /laptop users) to lighten the burden of PC having heavy applications which eventually make the PC slow etc, it lower the risk of having viruses and other PC related complications that may cause our PC to be infected with viruses or slowing it down or even crashing...we are able to install application into the device instead of the PC itself and in addition to that, with the device we may carry it anywhere and everywhere - portable and then use OTHER computer/laptop etc and make that computer as if its our own!

then after using it, it will save all your work and protect your PC by removing all traces of your activity from it. then when you wanted to use it again just plug it in and it will sync your mails and other application in just seconds. COOL huh?

I actually bought 2 (we bought it in Singapore) so that both my husband and i can use and have the advantage of the technology. really cool and convenient especially when you have work presentations its handy.

As you can see i am very excited about this product, i love it! although i'm not sure if the product has reach Malaysia, but i know a person who can get the product. so if you are interested please leave me your email address and i'll be happy to forward you the person in charge.(i can't simply give out his number openly in the net hope you understand)

Benefits of i-Flapp technology:-
to individual user (like me)
1) Portable companion
2) Carrying your profile, mails and apps
3) Works with mobile phones / digital cameras!
4) Easy maintenance of PC
5) Eliminate conflicts of applications
6) Ability to be portable and mobile
7) Improved security
8) No permanent writing into the registry and
installation of unnecessary DLLs and system
files which corrupts and slows down the PC

Corporate / IT Directors

1) Better management of IT resources
2) OS Migration without need to reinstall legacy apps
3) Easy maintenance of IT resources
4) Easy support for mobile workforce
5) Fast software distribution for new/upgrading apps
6) Save on IT staff turnaround,
reduce support requests
7) Improved security as users will be able to have
access to their applications without the need
to install applications

Developers / ISVs

1) Eliminate risks and conflicts with other apps
2) No installation of software required
3) Eliminate software duplication
4) Reduce support costs as there is a reduction in
dependancies and installation needed.
5) No permanent modification to system registry.

i am really pleased with this device (saved me alot of PC troubles)...2 thumbs up for i-flapp

A hearty CONGEE / porridge

as promised...here's the recipe of cognee taught to me by my chinese friend whom was also a chef in one of the Hotel in KL ...(hint - near Sg.Wang so keep guessing!)

making this is actually easy its the 'accessories' are the less than easier. He told me that the key to making a good congee is to soak the rice over night. the longer the better he said...by soaking it the rice will absorb more water and making the rice when cooked be almost mushed which is the best texture for this porridge. although he also taught me some short cuts...hmmm~

anyway cooking the rice is easy just cook with lots of water and let it just cook in a med-low heat and remember to constantly stir the rice so that it won't burn...then flavoring it is another thing, although making it as simple as it possibly can, you can basically add what ever later on and it will contribute to the flavor of the congee. althought he does have one rule, is that if you wanted to add meat (any kind) you should first saute some ginger, garlic and shallots first then add the sauted ingredients into the congee then add in the meat and season as required.

i hope you get the basic idea on the how.

what you need:

1c rice soaked overnight
salt to taste
sugar to taste
spring onions for garnishing
lots of water

side dish:
salted egg
shredded poached chicken
light soy sauce
sesame oil
white pepper

i actually made beef balls and cook them with the congee making my congee taste delightfully beefy ^_^.


TIPS:

you can use leftover cooked rice to make congee too just recook them with lots of water and when you start to see that the rice swollen then take some of it and blend it away then put it back in the pot and continue to cook adding water and seasonings when necessary. you'll get the same result.