Tiger Snails

Second trial of cooking this pretty thing. Yes, they're edible and pretty, but let me tell you snails are not for everyone. Some find it as a delicacy, while others may find this quite, well....... weird, I was going to say something else. But you know, the kind that they would serve in fear factor shows.

As for me, I'm not a fussy eater, probably more of an exotic type eater, just out of curiousity. In the supermarket these babies were labelled as tiger snails - or keong macan. They would be beautiful cooked in strong spices. I cooked them in mild spice of West Sumatra 'asam padeh' which is quite close to the Thai tom yam flavours. Bought a bag of them. In cleaning them, I usually chop the top bit off. But these shells are very tough so I just let them be.

* Lemon squeeze 1 pcs

* 2 stalks of lemon grass - pounded
* kaffir lime leaves 5 pcs
* fresh ginger slices about 2cm
* Bayleaf 2 pcs
* Pinch of galangal powder
* Tomatoes - lots
* Tamarind - 2 pcs
* Red chilies, seeded and washed - processed smoothly
* Cardamom pods 2 - 4 pcs
* sugar, salt, pepper, garlic

Directions:
1.) To begin with, I always stir fry some garlic & onions, add chilies
2.) Add tomatoes, bayleaf, salt, sugar, cardamom pods, kaffir lime leaves
3.) Add snails, leave the cover on for a while until the sauce thickens
4.) Throw in chopped coriander leaves and a twist of lemon juice

Balinese Satay Pusut

A lot of pleasant memories about this specific dish, satay pusut, chargrilled satay with a mild balinese spices. My sister, Mia, is crazy about it that she often bought them in bucketloads during the weekend from an old balinese lady at the corner of Sukawati market. We usually sat outside watching the evening sky or traffic while chewing this juicy stick bit by bit.

Ingredients:
* 250 gr shrimp - clean, deveined
* 250 gr mackerel - de boned
* 50 gr dessicated coconut
* 6 pcs kaffir lime leaves - thinly sliced
* 2 tbs gula jawa or indonesian palm sugar
* red capsicum - tiny cubes for sprinkles
* bamboo skewers or fresh lemon grass may be used

Processed Ingredients:
* 8 pcs shallots
* 2 pcs garlic
* 2 cm galangal or blue ginger
* 2 cm kencur or indian galangal
* 1 tsp coriander seeds
* 1 cm fresh turmeric
Processed all, stir fry in 2 tbs oil until fragrant, set aside

Cooking Directions:
1.) Mix both fish & shrimp in food processor until smooth. Mix in coconut
2.) Add cooked spices, mix well. Add salt & sugar to taste
3.) If the dough is still too dry, you may add 1 egg and a bit of olive oil
4.) Shape the dough on satay sticks, flatten it slightly
5.) Charcoal grill satays until light brown and cooked through

Fish Pesmol

* pls excuse my translation for the name of this particular dish - if anyone knows a more appropriate name, let me know *

Ingredients:
* 2/3 medium size fish (any type of white meat fish will do)
* 2 cm fresh ginger - pounded roughly
* 4 pcs lemon grass - pound the white stalk
* 6 pcs kaffir lime leaves - thinly sliced
* 20 pcs bird's eye chilies (optional for those who don't like spicy)
* 3 pcs red chilies - thinly sliced
* 10 pcs shallots
* small bunch of spring onions - chop 2 cm long
* 1 tbs lemon squeeze, salt-pepper, vinegar, sugar to taste

Processed pesmol spices (paste):
* 10 pcs candle nuts - shallow fry for a few minutes
* 10 pcs shallots - peeled whole
* 7 pcs garlic
* 3 cm ginger - roasted
* 3 cm fresh turmeric - roasted

Cooking Directions:
1.) Marinate fish in salt+ lemon squeeze for 30 mnts
2.) Deep fry fish until cooked through, then set aside on paper towel
3.) Stir fry processed pesmol spices until fragrant. Add lime leaves, lemon grass & whole shallots
4.) Add fish, then 1/2 cup of water. Cover until cooked through
5.) Add bird's eye seed chilies, red chilies, vinegar, salt-pepper, sugar. Cook till sauce thickens
6.) Serve with sprinkles of chopped spring onions

Recipe in Indonesian version click here

Shrimp in Abalone Sauce

Experimenting with abalone sauce this afternoon. With a bottle of abalone sauce bought from Beijing, and a fruitless search on google for recipes using abalone sauce. I decided to come out with something of my own.

Ingredients:
* 200 gr large shrimps - deshelled & deveined
* 1 bouquet of broccoli - cut into small florettes
* 3 tbs abalone sauce
* 1 pcs medium onion, sliced thin
* 4 pcs garlic
* half of red bell pepper - cut into tiny cubes
* oyster mushrooms - sliced
* enoki mushroom - halved
(vegetables may be replaced as you wish)

Cooking Directions:
1.) Heat 2 tbs olive oil & stir fry onions + garlic till fragrant
2.) Put abalone sauce, bell pepper, broccoli
3.) Add the mushrooms, salt + pepper, sugar if needed
4.) Add shrimps, quickly mix in thoroughly until cooked thru
5.) Ready to serve

**Recipe from my own creative kitchen

Kepiting Masak Cabai Hijau

Para bapak disini - a.k.a Mike & David - anti pedes, apalagi masakan yang diselundupi rebon/ebi, pasti tetep ketahuan sama mereka. Hidungnya terlalu sensitif. Jadi kemarin aku masak 2 macam, cottage pie untuk para bapak, dan kepiting buatku sendiri... semuanya :P maruk...Resepnya sama dengan udang lada hitam, cuma diperbanyak cabai hijaunya, jadi bau si cabai lebih dominan. Pedeeeesss & seru makan pakai nasi anget. Serasa ada di rumah ibu.... *nah kan, bikin comfort zone lagi lewat makanan

*PS: fotonya gak pake natural lighting, matahari udah ngabur pas selesai masak dinner... hiks

Ingredients:
* 2 buah kepiting, bersihkan cangkangnya, kalau masih idup rebus dulu, daripada lecet-lecet kena capit...
* 250 gram cabai hijau besar
* 3 btg daun bw yang besar, iris2
* 1 butir bw bombay, potong besar-besar
* 6 siung bawang putih, geprek
* 1 cm jahe, iris tipis
* 3 sdm saus tiram
* 2 sdm mentega
* 2 sdm kecap manis
* brown sugar/gula jawa secukupnya
* 2 sdm ebi/rebon - tumbuk halus
* lada hitam tumbuk kasar, sesukanya
* daun ketumbar, iris kecil-kecil untuk taburan

Directions:
1.) Didihkan air & rebus kepiting sampai berubah warna
2.) Pisahkan cangkangnya & bersihkan insang di dalam, buang penutup perut, potong capit, lalu belah 2 badannya. Sisihkan
3.) Lelehkan mentega, tumis bw bombay + bw putih hingga harum
4.) Masukkan irisan cabai hijau, jahe, rebon/ebi halus, jahe. Aduk rata
5.) Masukkan semua bumbu. Tumis sampai harum
6.) Campurkan potongan kepiting, masukkan daun bawang, aduk rata sampai matang
7.) Taburkan irisan daun ketumbar sebelum disajikan

Tumis Teri Cabai Hijau

Resep yang gampang & cepet bikinnya saat darurat, gak punya waktu atau gak punya banyak bahan.

Bahan dasar:
* 200 gram teri kering ukuran sedang
* 5 siung bw putih
* 8 btr bawang merah
* 100 gr cabai hijau besar
* seikat daun bawang
* 2 cm lengkuas
* 2 bungkus tahu, potong kotak-kotak
* 1 btr tomat, potong kotak-kotak
* 4 lbr daun jeruk

Cara Memasak:
1.) Panaskan wajan, goreng ikan teri sampai matang, sisihkan
2.) Gunakan 2 sdm minyak yg sama, tumis bw merah + putih sampai harum
3.) Masukkan tahu, masak sampai berubah warna, masukkan cabai hijau
4.) Tambahkan daun bawang, lengkuas, garam, merica, gula sedikit
5.) Campurkan kembali ikan teri yg sdh digoreng, masukkan daun jeruk + tomat
6.) Aduk hingga matang. Sajikan dengan nasi panas

Udang Lada Hitam ala Singaporean street food

**Black Pepper Prawns**
Kemarin dapet kiriman tiger prawns besar-besar banget dari chinese kitchen. Pas lagi kangen sama jajanan di Singapore, kebetulan ada resep kepiting saus lada hitam, kepitingnya diganti dengan udang

Ingredients:
* 1 butir bw bombay besar, potong besar-besar
* 6 siung bawang putih, geprek
* 1 cm jahe, iris tipis
* 3 sdm saus tiram
* 2 sdm mentega
* 2 sdm kecap manis (bisa diganti kecap hitam biasa)
* brown sugar/gula jawa secukupnya ~ (buat yg pake kecap hitam biasa)
* 2 sdm ebi/rebon - tumbuk halus katanya ini loh yang bikin rasanya beda
* Lada hitam tumbuk kasar, sesukanya
* cabai hijau kecil, sesukanya
* paprika/bell pepper hijau, sesukanya
* daun bawang besar, iris 2 cm
* daun ketumbar, iris kecil-kecil untuk taburan

Directions:
1.) Bersihkan udang, belah punggungnya
2.) Panaskan minyak, goreng udang satu-satu setengah matang.
Sisihkan di atas paper towel
3.) Lelehkan mentega, tumis bw bombay + bw putih hingga harum
4.) Masukkan irisan cabai hijau, jahe, rebon/ebi tumbuk. Aduk rata
5.) Masukkan semua bumbu. Tumis sampai harum
6.) Campurkan udang yang sudah matang, aduk rata
7.) Taburkan irisan daun ketumbar sebelum disajikan

Shrimp in Hoisin Sauce

Ingredients:
* 600 gr large shrimp - deshelled, cleaned and deveined
* 5 pcs garlic, grated
* 1 large red bellpepper/capsicum/paprika
* 2 tbs oyster sauce
* 4 tbs hoisin sauce
* 2 stalks of leek - cut 2 cm
* 1 cm fresh ginger, slice thinly lengthwise
* spring onions - chopped roughly
* coriander leaves - chopped roughly
* 2 tsp corn flour

Cooking Directions:
1.) Clean shrimps and marinate in 1 pcs of grated garlic, salt, pepper.
Set aside for approx. 40 mnts
2.) Heat oil in a wok, mix corn flour with marinated shrimp.
Deep fry until golden brown. Set aside
3.) Stir fry grated garlic & ginger until fragrant. Add chopped bellpepper & leeks
4.) Mix in oyster sauce and hoisin sauce. Add a few tbs of water until cooked through
5.) Stir in shrimps. Mix in thoroughly then add chopped spring onions and coriander leaves
6.) Serve immediately

Ikan Pepes Sunda

Michael sebenernya suka banget pepes ikan, sayang dia gak suka versi aslinya yang pake cabai rawit oranye - biasanya lebih pedeeesss…. Biarpun baru bikin pertama kali, rasanya lumayan juga, sudah hampir mirip dengan yang biasa dijual di resto sunda, minus cabe rawit aja sih. Karena ngundang pasukan, jadi enaknya dibuat bite-size, pepesnya dibuat dalam ukuran mini

Bahan halus:
Aku beli yang sudah jadi dipak merk MUNIK, tapi bahan utamanya bawang putih (6), kunyit bubuk secukupnya aja, kemiri (5), lengkuas aku kasi agak banyak karena pakai yang bubuk, gula pasir, garam, lada

Rempah-rempahnya:
* 1 batang sereh yang dimemarkan, masukkan ke tiap bungkus
* daun salam, 1 lembar untuk tiap bungkus
* cabe merah, buang bijinya & rajang halus
* daun kemangi
* tomat cherry 2 warna, merah & kuning, belah-belah

Cara Memasak:
1.) Ikan mas tanpa kepala, aku belah 4 supaya lebih mungil….. tamuku banyak soalnya
2.) Ikan direndam dengan jeruk nipis & garam selama beberapa menit
3.) Balurkan ikan dgn bumbu halus, bgn atas & bawah. Tambahkan rempah-rempah di tiap bungkus
4.) Kukus pepes ikan selama 45 - 60 menit.

Fish Sampadeh

I found an interesting looking fish with large pinkish scales and beautiful texture. I couldn’t think of a better way to cook it but to smother it in a lot of tomatoes, garlic and tamarind. It does tastes like Sampadeh but not as spicy, just perfect….. **sampadeh is a typical west sumatran dish from Indonesia, spicy sweet & sour stew of beef or fish usually**

Ingredients:
* Fish fillet
* Lemon 1 pcs
* 2 stalks of lemon grass - pounded
* Kaffir lime leaves 5 pcs
* Fresh ginger slices about 2cm
* Bayleaf 2 pcs
* Pinch of galangal powder
* Tomatoes - lots
* Tamarind ~ asam kandis is the best one, it’s important to have the right kind of tamarind as it affects the overall taste
* Red chilies, seeded and washed - processed smoothly
* Cardamom pods 2 - 4 pcs
* Fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
* sugar, salt, pepper, garlic

Directions:
1.) To begin with, I always stir fry some garlic & onions, add chilies
2.) Add chopped tomatoes, bayleaf, salt, sugar,, cardamom pods, kaffir lime leaves
3.) Add the fish and then leave the cover on for a while until the sauce thickens
4.) Throw in chopped coriander leaves and a twist of lemon juice



**Recipe source: my dad's fam

Cabbage Bundles

** Recipe is modified from hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls with minced beef fillings ~ these cabbage bundles are filled with siomay which is a fish-base steamed delicacy doused in spicy peanut sauce. Since hubby is not a big fan of peanut sauce, the sauce is then replaced by mildly spiced tomato sauce

Ingredients:
* 1 pcs of large head green cabbage
boil in low heat for 8-10 mnts until soft enough to peel
* 1 pcs of large mackerel fish, skin and bone, mashed until soft
* 200 gram of prawns, deveined and deshelled, mashed
* 200 gram corn flour/starch
* 6 pcs of shallot + 6 pcs of garlic, pound smooth
* salt, white pepper, fish sauce, sugar to taste
* spring onions, slice thinly
* 4 pcs large tomatoes, roughly chopped

Cooking Directions:
1.) Once the cabbage is soft enough, remove from cooking pot, drain and let cool
2.) Remove the core prior to taking off the layers. Slice off the remaining core on the layer so it would be easy to roll into bundles
3.) In a bowl, mix mackerel, prawns, shallots and garlic.
4.) Add flour gradually while pouring cold water little by little. Add salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce to taste. Mix in one egg. Ensure the mixture is not watery or too dry.
5.) Place a spoonful of mixture onto the cabbage leave. Roll carefully into bundles and tuck both end by pushing inwards. Set aside.
6.) Prepare medium heat pan, drizzle with olive oil and stir in chopped garlic until fragrant. Then add chopped tomatoe or tomato paste. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
7.) Place cabbage bundles on top of the sauce, add half cup of water, cover and let it simmer on low heat.
8.) Serve with sprinkles of chopped scallion.

Garlic Shrimp with porcini mushroom

** Recipe is adopted & modified from Herti’s Kitchen and Ine’s Kitchen Multiply

Ingredients:
* 400 gr large shrimps - deshelled and deveined
* 1 egg white - whisk thoroughly
* porcini mushroom
* red capsicum / red bellpepper - chopped
* scallion - finely chopped
* garlic - lots of them, roughly crushed or grated
* flour or bread crumbs

Cooking directions:
1.) Marinate shrimps with garlic, salt & pepper - leave for a few minutes
2.) Dip shrimps into whisked egg white then roll into flour/bread crumbs
3.) Shallow fry shrimps until turn golden, set aside on paper towel to absorb excess oil
4.) Stir fry crushed garlic until fragrant, add porcini mushroom, bellpepper & spring onions
5.) Pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Mix in shrimps.
6.) Ready to serve

Fish in Turmeric Gravy

Ingredients:

* any firm texture white meat fish will do
* 3 stalks of lemon grass - roughly pounded
* half cup of tamarind juice (few drops if using tamarind extract)
* 1 lime juice
* 2 cm of galangal root
* 2 tsp of turmeric powder
* 4 pcs of garlic
* 5 pcs of shallots
* 4 pcs candle nuts
* 4 pcs kaffir lime leaves

Cooking Directions:
1.) Deep fried fish until lightly brown then set aside on paper towel
2.) Process garlic, shallots & candle nuts. Stir fry them until fragrant then mix in turmeric, lemon grass & lime leaves
3.) Mix in fried fish, add a cup of water, lime juice and tamarind extract
4.) Add salt, pepper, a bit of sugar if you prefer.
5.) Serve with sprinkles of chopped coriander leaves and thin slices of red chillies