Kimchi Pasta by Chef Denz

Kimchi Pasta

November is a busy month.

And here come December, the last month of the year.

Finally I can breath this month.

I didn't stop cooking in November (Swear to God :) ) 

However I didn't have time to upload the recipe on my blog.

Despite of working, my preparation on launching my first novel also tied my time.

No, I don't find an excuse for myself :P

And this friend of mine know how to make me write on this kitchen blog again.

Here is another recipe from my fellow chef

I really should try this recipe

Cause I love pasta and I love Korean Food especially Kimchi

Let's cooking,

Dhidie

Love Me Meat Loaf

home made meat loaf

I want to make something different this weekend. The special menu for my kids. At first I was thinking of making steak. However there is no fine meat shop in my neighbourhood. So meat loaf was my answer. I found this simple recipe over the internet. And it's delicious.

Note:

1. You can serve it with mashed potato and carrots sticks as side dish

2. I didn't have any gravy so I added some BBQ sauce

Martabak Telor

There's favourite snack here in my country called Martabak. We can find martabak seller in every city  along the side road. There two kinds of martabak: the sweet one and the salty one. The sweet one is almost taste like pancake, but thicker. And the salty one is like omelette. I love both of them, but I give my heart to the salty one. I think is originated from India or somewhere, but it had modified here, so it can be eat with rice or just like that.

Notes:
1. It's so easy and delicious it made me want  to make it over and over again
2. The ingredients are almost always available at home (maybe except the spring rolls wrap)

Chinese Hot Pot

home made chinese hot pot

It's so hot that day. And I didn't feel like I want to go outside.

I chose to cook a simple dish that can be enjoyed by all my family. 

And I found this web on Pinterest that write about Chinese Hot Pot at home.

So decided to make this dish.

I shopped some of ingredients yesterday while I did my groceries shopping.

I didn't use the burner and an aluminium pot.

I use my stove and my teflon pot.

And I slept with a happy tummy

Notes:

1. What you actually needs are a burner, pot with separator, chopsticks, mini tongs, small strainer, some small bowls for container

2. Your Favorite Ingredients: Vegetables, Mushrooms, Tofu, Any kind of meats, Seafood such as squid and prawn, and any kinds of fish balls

3. Carbs.. Yes Carbs : Noodles, Rice, or Vermicelli

4. Broth  you can use the instant tom yum flavour like me and dipping Sauce 

5. You can access the complete guidance in this website 

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/how-to-make-chinese-hot-pot-at-home-guide.html

Let's cooking,

Dhidie

The Eligible Bolognese - Meat Sauce for Pasta

bow tie pasta with bolognese sauce

Hello,
I've been making this bolognese sauce since long time ago and still I don't know what exactly ingredients that should put to compose it. Since I've got this recipe from more than one person. And finally It came out with my own recipe. So one time  tried to make this real sauce that posting by one website www.userealbutter.com. The difference between my recipe and their recipe were they use milk to make the sauce more juicy, carrots for some veggies and i know it help to neutralise the fat of the beef and fresh tomatoes instead of pasta.

Still ended up that I was going back to my own recipe. Yes, it's me bad in preparation to follow recipe.

Notes:
1. I only use the available ingredients in my kitchen: Ground beef, milk, tomato sauce, tomato pasta, carrots, onion, butter, parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. This recipe was good and taste different but I still love my old simple bolognese recipe.

enjoy cooking,

Dhidie

Easy Sunday Pasta -- Creamy Fettuccine

This recipe is my last weapon when I don't have any idea what to cook on the weekend.

All the ingredients are always available in my kitchen.

All you need are any kind of pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, fettuccine, or else), milk, garlic, smoked beef and parmesan/cheddar cheese.

You only need half an hour and a strong motivation to get up from your cozy bed. Haha

Enjoy Cooking,

Dhidie

Garlic Spicy Sauce (Sambal Korek)

I love spicy food and I'm addicted to chilli sauce. I can't eat without chilli sauce or what we called sambal here in Indonesia. However I never make chilli sauce on my own. 

One of my favourite chilli sauce is one that is served at  duck dish resto on my way home from office. It's called sambal korek. It's originated from Surabaya, the big city located at eastern part of Java Island.  I love it.

The most important thing is the recipe is so easy as counting one two three. Even my 9 years old son loves it.

Home Made Macaroni and Cheese

What's so special about  Mac and Cheese?

I don't know, but everybody loves it.

Again.. 

I was looking for the easiest recipe on the pinterest and this one was the most simple recipe.

I only use the left over in my fridge 

So I only had two kinds of cheese and cream

I believe the actual  recipe would taste a lot much better

however I though with this minimum ingredients it's already delicious for me

Maybe the béchamel sauce that made this recipe different

Next time I would comply with the original recipe

Enjoy cooking.

Dhidie

Lazy (Sunday) Lasagna

My kids are really love lasagna and they keep asking me to cook lasagna every weekend. Tell you the truth I'm a lazy mom and making lasagna means cook 3 dishes. The meat sauce, the béchamel sauce and the lasagna itself. So i'm looking for the easiest lasagna recipe. I found this recipe and I wish this could make my life easier.

Notes:

1. I forgot to buy the cottage cheese

2. I replaced the italian sausage with ground beef

3. I was using too many lasagna sheets so the layers feel too thick for me

4. I cooked the meat sauce too dry

5. I'm too lazy to convert the measurement of the ingredients to grams and ml

And the conclusion is I'll stick to my old béchamel sauce lasagna recipe. But this recipe is very easy to follow and save your time very big.

Enjoy Cooking

Cheers, Dhidie

Green Beans Stir and Fry

Every time I went abroad, Chinese restaurant always be my saviour. I think because the taste close to Indonesian Food.  One of my favourite vegetable  menu is green beans stir and fry.
When I cooked this meal, my son really love it.
After finish with his lunch.
He ate the rest of the plate without rice. And I forgot to take a picture of it...

So today I will share this green beans menu.

Enjoy cooking.

Cheers, Dhidie

Notes:
1. I don't know what molasses is so I skipped it and replace it with oyster sauce.
2. it's so easy and my kids love it. end of questions. haha.

Hello, Pesto!

i love pesto. Yes, I am. 

I love the taste, I love the colour and I love to say it loudly. PESTO!!

On one of my previous post, i made spinach spaghetti in my desperate of trying to find basil leaves.

Truly it can be replaced by spinach any other similar leaves but i don't want to that.

So when i was accidentally stop by one of supermarket on my way home from office, I saw this lovely greens on the store refrigerator. 

Yes, it's basil leaves. 

So I need pine nuts to make pesto, and still I can't find it anywhere.

Since I'm desperately want to cook pesto. I decided to use any nuts that I found at home.

I still have this beans from Bali. It's called kacang Koro. I don't know what I can call this kind of beans in English. And I found this most simple home made pesto in Pinterest. From this website I also know what substitutes ingredients of basil leaves and pine nuts and how to store pesto for later use and what's good to accompany by pesto sauce.

Then here we go. Finally my first pesto sauce.

Enjoy cooking.

Cheers,

Dhidie

Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Wing

Actually I forget where I found this recipe. But I knew this recipe almost 15 years ago. And it still be my favourite recipe, cause my sons love it. The most important reason why I love this recipe because it's very easy and I can make it with my eyes close. And yes, that's not true.

Enjoy cooking.

Cheers,

Dhidie

Ikea Meatball Recipe by Chef Denz

IKEA Meatballs

We only have one IKEA store here in Indonesia. We've been waiting so long for IKEA to open its store here, and finally last year they open one store which located at Alam Sutera Tangerang.

I love this Swedish furniture manufacture. I remember in last past years, I always schedule my time to visit IKEA outlet whenever I went to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Even when I was in Hongkong. Beside of their simple yet modern furniture, IKEA is also famous by its meatballs. However I can't eat their meatballs cause it always contains pork (yes, I'm moslem). But now, they open store in Indonesia, I finally can eat them.

And today, my friends, chef Denz will share the recipe of IKEA meatballs origins from IKEA website. 

Enjoy cooking and I can't wait to try this at home.

Cheers,

Dhidie

Spaghetti With Spinach Sauce

Pesto...pesto...

I wanted it badly. But, thanks to my local market, i can't find the ingredients anywhere.

Al the ingredients basil, pine nuts, and everything

Then I found this amazing site and in some recipes they said that you can replace basil with spinach, so i tried this recipe.

It's very delicious, my kids love it and they didn't realise that it was spinach.

Most of all I love the green colour that made this meal was very beautiful.

Rainbow Stir Fry

Veggie for kids?
I surfed over the internet looking for the most simple vegetable recipe and I fell in love with the name of this recipe. Rainbow means colourful and kids love everything that colourful.
Beside I really wanted to try out my "new" julienne peeler which I found that I had one in my kitchen.

Chicken Mushroom Baked Rice (by Chef Denz)

Another recipe from Chef Denz..

It looks so yummy, I have to try this recipe later.

I swear...

Chicken Mushroom Baked Rice

Banana Oreo Ice Cream From Buzzfeed -- Healthy banana ice cream

My Son watched this video from Buzzfeed on Youtube.
He insisted to make this banana ice cream which only need two ingredients, banana and oreo.
So I tried this recipe last week, not bad.
If only the form not so beautiful
But he's happy.
And i promised myself that i have to learn more about plating...

Skillet Lasagna (Lasagna in a pan)

Dear July,
Please be nice.
It's Ramadhan, and usually my schedule is tighter during Ramadhan. Maybe the working hours are shorter and I tried to get home earlier if I don't have any fasting break invitation. But it's rarely, since I got almost one in two days. Alhamdulillah free meals... :)

And yesterday my son asked me to cook lasagna. Hmmm... tough, cause i wasn't in a mood to spend hours in a kitchen. And I can't imagine the craziness that will happen once I enter the kitchen. So I was looking for the very simple easy recipe for lasagna. And I was interesting with some "skillet lasagna" recipes. I read some and it's more simple, cause you don't have to bake the lasagna and on some recipes no white sauce/ bechamel needed. Actually I used cook this when I had some leftover bolognise sauce at home but I don't know that recipe is really exist...hahahhaha

Tamagoyaki (by Chef Denz)

Tamagoyaki 卵焼き (literally 'grilled egg', also called tamago or dashimaki) is a type of Japanese omelette, which is made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg.^[1] 

(from Wikipedia)

The secret is layers. The layers make the omelette different.

Usually I've found it sweet also. Maybe it came from the miring mixture.

How to make a perfect Tamagoyaki.

My friend, Chef Denz, is ready to share her experience.

Let's try it @ home!

Cheers, Didi

How to Make it.

Tempura (by Chef Denz)

In Indonesia, we really enjoy fried food. We fry almost everything, tofu, tempe, sweet potato, cassava. It's bad for your weight for sure.

But who cares. It's delicious.

There are severals country also familiar with this fried food. We can find many fried food street in Hongkong, and to be extreme in Thailand we can find some insects are being fried. And i tried fried grasshopper once in Bangkok.

In Japan, they used to fry food such as sweet potato, shrimps, squid and vegetables like eggplants, onion, mushrooms, and carrots. It's called Tempura.

Tempura is usually served with special sauce named Tentsuyu. Or it can be rolled for your homemade sushi like this recipe by Chef Denz below.

Cheers, Didi

How to prepare the shrimps

Making batter mix for tempura

Bahan 

• 10 buah udang jerbung
• 115gr tepung terigu 
• 35gr tepung maizena
• Baking soda secukupnya
• 1 butir telur
• 250ml air dingin / air soda dingin
• Tepung terigu secukupnya  (untuk melapisi udang)
• Minyak goreng secukupnya (untuk menggoreng)

Cara mempersiapkan udang

1. Kupas kulit udang dan sisakan buntut udangnya saja
2. Lalu pada bagian bawah udang, berikan potongan silang sebanyak ±3 sayatan (jangan terlalu dalam agar udang tidak terputus-perhatikan gambar)

Hal ini dilakukan agar udang bisa lurus dan tidak membengkok.

1. Untuk bagian punggung atas udang, belah dan keluarkan kotoran yang ada didalamnya (sayatan jangan terlalu dalam)
2. Bandingkan udang yang sudah disayat dan yang belum, bentuk udang menjadi lebih panjang dan lurus.

Cara membuat adonan tepung

1. Campur tepung terigu, tepung maizena dan baking soda dimangkuk (lalu sisihkan)
2. Campurkan telur yang sudah dikocok dengan air dingin / air soda dingin
3. Lalu pada campuran tepung buat lubang ditengah dan masukkan campuran telur dan air, aduk rata tetapi jangan overmix (hasil campuran akan berbentuk kental)
4. Lalu taruh mangkok adonan tepung didalam mangkok yang sudah diberi air es (seperti pada gambar)

Cara menggoreng tempura

1. Udang yang sudah dibersihkan dan dipotong, dilumuri dengan tepung terigu (seperti pada gambar)
2. Lalu masukkan udang yang sudah dilumuri tepung terigu kedalam adonan tepung dan goreng dalam minyak yang sudah panas hingga kuning keemasan.

Tips 

• Untuk jenis udang bisa menggunakan jenis udang apa saja. Tetapi disarankan untuk tidak menggunakan udang yang terlalu kecil
• Lebih baik dimakan saat panas, karena saat dingin tepung akan menjadi agak sedikit keras.

Sushi Roll (California Roll and Tempura Mayo Roll) - by Chef Denz

sushi rolls

Hello, June!
I can't do this movement alone. So I started to ask everyone to join. 

Everyone can join this movement. Everyone who loves to cook and interest to try some recipes. This recipe is from my friend at office who called herself Chef Denz. 

She loves to cook. And we support her, since she always brings what she cooked during the weekend to office. So we can all enjoy her cooks. And there's always nothing wrong with free delicious dish.. Hahaha

I keep this recipe in the original version of Bahasa. I can't wait to try this recipe by myself. 

Some Japanese recipe on my blog? Thank you, Chef Denz. 

You're rock!

Cheers, Didi

All We Need

And It's all ready

Sushi Roll (California Roll and Tempura Mayo Roll)

Bahan nasi sushi

• 1kg beras lokal
• 100gr beras ketan
• 1,8 liter air 
• 45 menit

Bahan sauce sushi (Sushi Rice Vinegar)

• 9 sdm rice vinegar / cuka beras
• 3 sdm gula
• Garam secukupnya

Cara membuat nasi sushi

1. Sebelum dicuci campur beras dan ketan dengan merata. Cuci campuran beras dan ketan sampai bersih.
2. Setelah itu dimasak dengan air selama 45 menit menggunakan rice cooker 
3. Setelah matang jangan langsung diangkat, diamkan sekitar 15 menit baru diangkat dan dimasukkan sauce sushi hingga rata sambil dikipas hingga asapnya hilang dan dingin.

Tips 

• Karena beras jepang cukup  mahal harganya, sehingga saya memberikan resep pembuatan nasi menggunakan beras lokal. Untuk penggunaan beras lokal dicampur dengan beras ketan dengan perbandingan 1:10
• Agar lebih mudah sebaiknya membeli sauce sushi/mirin yang sudah ada kandungan gula didalamnya (lihat gambar bahan sushi)

Bahan sushi roll

• Crab stick
• Tamagoyaki 
• Tempura 
• Timun jepang
• Mayonaise jepang
• Nori / rumput laut (untuk lapisan sushi)
• Shoyu / kecap asin jepang (untuk bumbu pelengkap)
• Wasabi (untuk bumbu pelengkap)
• Makisu / roll mat

Mempersiapkan bahan isian sushi (lihat gambar)

1. Siram crab stick dengan air panas lalu sisihkan
2. Setelah tamagoyaki dipotong dengan ketebalan ±1,5cm, lalu potong lagi menjadi 2 bagian 
3. Cuci timun jepang dengan memotong ujung – ujungnya, lalu potong menjadi 8 bagian memanjang dan buang bijinya.
4. Jika kita tidak memiliki mayonaise jepang maka bisa menggunakan mayonaise lokal lalu tambahkan dengan gula secukupnya, aduk hingga gula mencampur sempurna dengan mayonaise.

Cara menggulung suhi

1. Siapkan nori lembaran dan taruh nori yang bertekstur kasar dibagian atas
2. Letakkan nasi secukupnya diatas nori dan ratakan (bisa dengan tangan atau dengan sendok nasi)
3. Letakkan bahan – bahan sushi (crab stick, tamagoyaki dan timun jepang-California Roll, tempura, timur jepang dan beri sedikit mayonais diatas tempura-Tempura Mayo Roll) ditengah gulungan (lihat gambar) lalu gulung perlahan dan saat sudah tergulung ditekan – tekan agar gulungan melekat sempurna dan tidak lepas.
4. Lepaskan sushi dari roll mat/makisu lalu potong sushi menjadi 8 bagian dengan cara memotong sushi menjadi 2 bagian terlebih dahulu lalu 1 bagian yang sudah terpotong kita potong kembali menjadi 2 bagian, ulangi hingga kita mendapat 8 potong.
5. Santap menggunakan kecap asin jepang / shoyu dan wasabi.

Tips 

• Untuk menghindari nasi menempel pada makisu dan sulit dibersihkan, lapisi terlebih dahulu makisu dengan plastik
• Saat meratakan nasi diatas nori, sisakan ujungnya untuk memudahkan proses penggulungannya dan jangan lupa selalu basahi tangan/sendok kita agar nasi tidak menempel pada tangan/sendok
• Pada saat pemotongan, lap pisau dengan handuk basah agar nasi tidak lengket dipisau dan memudahkan proses pemotongan
• 1 roll sushi bisa dipotong lebih dari 8 potong, tetapi hasilnya akan menjadi lebih tipis dan akan agak sulit dipotong.
• Untuk isi dari sushi roll bisa menggunakan apa saja sesuai selera
• Semua bahan bisa didapatkan disupermarket besar di Jakarta

(Very) Easy Sheperd's Pie

shepperd's pie

Sheperd's Pie is a classic British Dish. It's very simple and kids love it. The most important thing for a mother like me. Once you cook shepherd's pie you can have protein from the meat, vegetables and of course the carbs from the potato.

There are many recipes of this shepherd's pie on the internet. However, since I'm not a kitchen person, I chose the most simple recipe from Kraft Website. The ingredients are also simple and easy to follow. And as I thought before, my kids love it.

About the Kraft Website, I love it. Cause it has tick and mark tools so you can follow the steps one by one. And you can send your favourite recipe to your email address.

But, pardon me. I forgot to take picture of the result.... cause it's all gone in hours by my kids.. :) 

Notes: 

1. I chose the onion gravy for more tasty beef mix, if you got plain gravy you can add the onion powder.

2. I added some left over mozzarella instead of cream cheese

3. I love it and want to cook it again some other time.

4. Have a nice try...

All you need

Prepare the cheddar cheese, mozzarella and minced garlics

Mixed the cheese with mashed potatoes

Brown Meat in large skillet

Add thawed mixed vegetables

Prepare the serving dish and the instant gravy

Pour the gravy into the meat mix

Layer the meat mix in the baking dish

Cover with potatoes mix and sprinkle with cheddar cheese then bake 20 minutes

Please, click the recipe to go to original website....

courtesy to kraft recipes

courtesy to kraft recipes

Nasi Bakar Teri (Baked Rice with Anchovies)

Baked rice with Anchovies

Hallo, May....

Oh My God, I haven't write for this blog for almost one month.

Shame on me. 

Actually I had really really tough weeks in April and also in beginning of May.

But it's just second week of May,  so I'm not that wrong, am I?

Today after strolling around the first and the only one IKEA in Indonesia.

I promised myself that I have to cook something today and it has to be an Indonesian food.

This morning after I made pancake for my kids, I browsed some recipes.

And Nasi Bakar was my choice.

I picked one food website that had the most simple recipe.

My notes for this recipe:
1. Don't add sugar if you don't like sweet taste
2. You can replace anchovies with chicken or tuna
3. Add some chilli bird eyes to spice up if you like spicy food
4. Whenever you don't find any banana leaf, you can use aluminium foil to wrap
5. Better served with fried chicken, fried eggs, crackers,  and fresh vegetables such as cucumber and tomatoes
6. Let's try

What We Need

Dice shallots, red chillies

Saute shallots, red chillies until smell nice

Add anchovies, bay leaves, lemon grass

Pour the coconut milk and cook until boiled

Add Rice 

Close the lid for 30 minutes

Cool down the rice for about 20 minutes

Wrap with banana leaves and bake over the heat

It's ready, served with anything you like

Ingredients:

• 300 gram rice
• ½ liter water or coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon anchovies
• 2 bay leaves (daun salam in bahasa)
• Banana Leaves for wrapping the rice (25x25 centimetre)
• 4 shallots, diced
• 2 lemongrass, smashed the white part
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon seasoning
• 2 red chillies, diced

Directions:

• Saute shallots and red chillies until they smell nice
• Add water or coconut milk (choose one), bay leaves, lemongrass, anchovies, sugar and seasoning and stir until it's boiled. 
• Add rice, stir well and put on the lid until 30 minutes in low heat.  
• Turned off the heat and let it cool for ± 20 minutes
• Divide and wrap the mixture with banana leaves and close with small stick at each side.  
• Baked over the heat for  ± 3 minutes, you can also use skillet/teflon for baking.

source: http://www.infooresep.blogspot.com/2014/04/resep-nasi-bakar-teri.html

May I have pancake for breakfast, please?

Pancake for everyone

Yesterday was busy day. I took an exam for banking certification. Then I went to my high school reunion. Then I felt so exhausted, i just came at almost midnight last night. I have two sons and I have to make breakfast for those two. My friend gave me an idea by posting a pancake for breakfast. So I browsed some recipes over the internet. I took recipe from Martha Stewart's website. A simple pancake recipe but slightly different from other recipes that I've tried before.

I took some notes for this recipe:

1. The batter would be a little bit sticky so use small skillet to form a nice round pancakes

2. While you flattened the batter on the skillet you can lower down the heat to avoid overcooked

3. You will get the thick but soft pancake and I served the pancake with special apple n cinnamon, mango and caramel jam from Kou's Cuisine Ubud and it's delicious.

The Ingredients We Need

Mix the dry ingredients

Mix the egg and milk

Pour the mixture of eggs into the flour

Mix it well

Spread the oil over the skillet using kitchen towel

First attempt not to nice

Second attempt is better

Please enjoy, serving with various topping

click the recipe for the original web recipe, please....

courtesy of martha stewart