Cooking with "Cradle of Flavor"

[C. sapidus]

We loved this new variety of joong!

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Oh, that looks so delicious! Do you think they would survive in the mail?

[Dejah]

We loved this new variety of joong!

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Oh, that looks so delicious! Do you think they would survive in the mail?

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It would survive FedEx, but it won't pass Homeland Security!

[crouching tyler]

Robin,

Why are you afraid of frying? Is it the splatters? If yes, then cut the sleeves off an old long sleeve shirt, sew a channel at the top, thread an elastic thru' it, and wear them over your arms when frying. It protects your arm from splatters as well as sleeves of good clothes.

...

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hmm. Why am I afraid of frying?

I think I am scared that the big pan of hot oil might attack me? Okay. Not really. But, I think I have a somewhat irrational fear that I might cause injury to myself, or my house, or my dog, or my dh with the big pan of hot oil. I am somewhat of a klutz, I must admit, and tend to panic in a crisis (something of which I am not proud).

As I continue to undertaking frying, and hopefully, continue to avoid frying catastrophes, I am sure my fear of frying will dissipate. Or, much like my fear of flying, I will learn to deal with my fear, and not let it keep me from traveling, either in real or culinary terms (if you can follow all that....).

[snowangel]

No pictures, but dinner last night was a Thai green curry with chicken thighs, jasmine rice and Stir-Fried Water Spinach, Nyonya Style.

I had picked up a beautiful big bunch of water spinach on Tuesday at the Farmer's Market, and as I got a late start on prepping dinner, noted this recipe. Since I'd forgotten my mini Cuiz at a friend's house the other day, and had no energy to pound a paste in the mortar, I just finely minced the aromatics.

What a wonderful dish -- brightened with tamarind. What, what a pretty dish with the green, bits of red pepper, purple shallots. This was my first time buying or cooking water spinach, and it will be a regular feature on my dinner table, as there is a ton at the farmer's market all summer, and it is readily available the rest of the year at my local Asian market.

[C. sapidus]

I had picked up a beautiful big bunch of water spinach on Tuesday at the Farmer's Market . . .

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Susan, besides envying your cilantro roots I also covet your access to water spinach – I’ve never seen any around here.

Tonight we made stir-fried tamarind shrimp (udang asam), a variation on tuna goreng. The shrimp “must be in the shell” for this recipe, so I was excited to find head-on shrimp at the Mexican grocery (“Una media libra de camarones, por favor.”). Unfortunately, the shrimp turned out mushy. I am not certain whether it was bad shrimp or bad technique, but I suspect the shrimp - they smelled a bit, um, shrimpier than usual.

I will try this again if I can find better shrimp.

[crouching tyler]

I had picked up a beautiful big bunch of water spinach on Tuesday at the Farmer's Market . . .

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Susan, besides envying your cilantro roots I also covet your access to water spinach – I’ve never seen any around here.

Tonight we made stir-fried tamarind shrimp (udang asam), a variation on tuna goreng. The shrimp “must be in the shell” for this recipe, so I was excited to find head-on shrimp at the Mexican grocery (“Una media libra de camarones, por favor.”). Unfortunately, the shrimp turned out mushy. I am not certain whether it was bad shrimp or bad technique, but I suspect the shrimp - they smelled a bit, um, shrimpier than usual.

I will try this again if I can find better shrimp.

←

Those shrimp are gorgeous - and I don't really like shrimp all that much. I was just talking to someone about my cooking plans and I was telling them how I had already made several of the dishes that I thought of as "easy" - meaning that they were dishes I had eaten, or was familiar with the ingredients or the techiniques. I was talking about what to tackle next, and decided that I should probably focus on some of the seafood dishes - and save some of the longer cooking curry dishes, and braises for this fall/winter. But focusing on the seafood means I need to venture into some unfamiliar territory because:

1. I have yet to cook a whole fish (meaning head to tail in one piece)

2. I have never cooked a crab ( I just had fresh Dungeness Crab (not in a crabcake) for the first time a few weeks ago).

3. I haven't ever really cooked shrimp (mostly because they aren't my favorite food).

But I guess that is the point of this whole thing, right? Venturing into new culinary realms?

[crouching tyler]

Unfortunately I do not have photos of my recent exploits into CoF, but it wasn't new recipes so I guess that is fine. It was, however, new quantities. We had our annual summer backyard party this past Saturday. We have a relatively small house (700 sq. ft.) so we try to have a big party in the summer when we can take advantage of the good Seattle summer weather and enjoy the backyard.

So, this year, given my recent experiences with satay, I made vast quantities of Beef Satay, Chicken Satay, Sweet Soy Sauce & Lime Dipping Sauce and Javanese Carrot & Cucumber Pickle. And it turned out great. Super party food - and the subject of rave reviews from guests, as well. The rum punch to wash everything down with was also a hit! I made sure to tell most people that the pickle was spicier than it looked, and the dipping sauce was milder than it looked. As the evening wore on though, the dipping sauce heat quotient kept rising, perhaps due to the chilis infusing the surrounding sauce with more and more heat. Thankfully, we did not run out of rum punch, so we always had a means to quench the fire. There was also a giant pile of Mushroom Peanut Noodles, which helped round out the menu along with Steamed White Rice.

My fingernails are still a bit yellow from all the Chicken Satay seasoning paste, and my kitchen is still a bit of a wreck. But I was really pleased with the menu - most of the prep work could be done in advance (not that I started cooking until about noon on Saturday), and it was nice watching people's reactions to the satay. You could tell they were expecting plain boring meat on a stick, and were almost all pleasantly surprised to find out that instead they were getting the equivalent of meat candy (tasty and irresistible, if I do say so myself).

[C. sapidus]

Robin: Thanks for the kind words Your “meat candy” and pickle party sounds like a blast!

. . . But focusing on the seafood means I need to venture into some unfamiliar territory because:

1. I have yet to cook a whole fish (meaning head to tail in one piece)

2. I have never cooked a crab ( I just had fresh Dungeness Crab (not in a crabcake) for the first time a few weeks ago).

3. I haven't ever really cooked shrimp (mostly because they aren't my favorite food).

But I guess that is the point of this whole thing, right? Venturing into new culinary realms?

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One of the things that I appreciate about Cradle of Flavor is the clarity and detail of the directions. This makes the book an excellent guide for ventures into new culinary realms. If you are looking for a fairly easy whole fish recipe, check out the pan-seared mackerel with chiles and garlic (chuan-chuan). We have never found whole mackerel, but the recipe works nicely with fish fillets – just adjust cooking time.

The past few weekends have been packed with activities other than cooking, but I hope to try one of the grilled or fried chicken recipes from CoF this weekend.

[crouching tyler]

...

One of the things that I appreciate about Cradle of Flavor is the clarity and detail of the directions. This makes the book an excellent guide for ventures into new culinary realms. If you are looking for a fairly easy whole fish recipe, check out the pan-seared mackerel with chiles and garlic (chuan-chuan). We have never found whole mackerel, but the recipe works nicely with fish fillets – just adjust cooking time.

The past few weekends have been packed with activities other than cooking, but I hope to try one of the grilled or fried chicken recipes from CoF this weekend.

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Thanks for the suggestion - it was a good way to get started on my resolution to wade into the seafood section of Cradle of Flavor. I made Chuan-chuan ( aka Pan Seared Mackerel with Chiles and Garlic) tonight. Of course, not only did I not use a whole fish, but I didn't use mackerel.

Warning - tangent alert. I normally shop for seafood at a great little shop called University Seafood and Poultry - local place, been in business for a long time - decades - probably at least five of them. But, it was a little out of my way tonight, and I was going to drive right past Whole Foods so I caved and went fish shopping at Whole Foods.

Now, Whole Foods is not a grocery store I favor. It is huge, crammed full of people just meandering at slowpoke pace all the hell over the aisles, and for whatever reason, every damned interaction I have with staff there goes badly. I once asked someone in the produce department to help me locate scallions (they were crammed on the top shelf - apparently scallions aren't sexy enough to merit front and center) - he proceeded to give me a lecture on the difference between scallions and green onions. I listened patiently (okay, maybe only sort of patiently) and then asked him to just point out the damn things, whichever of the two they had, because while the lecture was informative, it didn't actually get me any closer to putting the damn things in my basket.

My interaction at the seafood counter today was typical. I asked him if they had any kingfish or mackerel. He said nope. I asked why? I thought mr. seafood expert might tell whether it was in season, talk to me about west coast seafood availability, suggest a substitution, but he replied "it is not available". Thanks - I got that from your ever so helpful "nope". Anyway, he was of no help at all. So, I just winged it (wung it?) and asked for some snapper instead. He told me that Rock Cod was a pacific snapper, and that was all he had to offer me. And then he proceeded to inform me that the "internet is a great place to find recipes,". Really ? Thanks for the tip. I am sure I am not conveying this accurately, but this is what it boils down to:

I get along great with grocers, butchers, produce slingers and wine merchants all over town but every time I talk to the staff at Whole Foods, I find them to be (1) condescending and (B) Not Helpful. I will admit I have a lot to learn, but here is the deal: If you are going to be condescending, you better teach me something or tell me where to find the damn scallions.

Okay - Tangent Over. So anyway, I seriously doubt that Rock Cod is an ideal substitute for whole mackerel, but the dish was a total weeknight winner, regardless. It is very similar to a recipe I've made for a long time (secretly known as Kick Ass Sea Bass - although now it is usually Kick Ass Halibut, but that is not nearly as much fun to say). The Kick Ass Fish recipe involves lime, shallot, ginger, soy sauce, cilantro and jalapeno - with the shallots getting nicely crisp and sweet.

The Chaun Chaun is two kinds of soy sauce, some sugar, pepper, garlic, lots of ginger, a red onion and some red chiles - and it easy as pie. Comes together very quickly - doesn't stink up the whole house or set off the fire alarm - minimal amounts of choppping, and minimal amounts of shopping as well.

Chopping:

We had some steamed rice, and Stir Fried Bok Choy with Garlic and Chiles to accompany the fish.

On the plate:

After dinner we had some Cinnamon Tea ( basically Assam Tea that has been steeped with water that has been boiled and steeped with cinnamon stick). Tasty stuff. The caffeine in the tea can probably account for some of the verbosity and swearing above.

So, what did I learn?

1. Even though Whole Foods may be more convenient sometimes, it makes me unhappy - so I should not shop there.

2. I should go ask the seafood guys at Univ. Seafood & Poultry what they can tell me about mackerel.

3. Chaun Chaun (great recipe) vaguely resembles one of my favorite fish recipes.

4. Caffeine after dinner makes me rowdy.

[crouching tyler]

Regarding my mackerel questions: Now that I think about it, I am sure Mr. Oseland would tell me to go to one of the Asian groceries and talk to them about mackerel. So, maybe I'll do that too. And I should probably go reread the section on ingredients in Cradle of Flavor - the answers might already be there.

Just in case I haven't actually articulated my question yet, the question is:

What do I substitute for Spanish Mackerel (aka Kingfish) here in the Pacific NW, in the summer?

[C. sapidus]

Robin: I am glad that you liked the chuan-chuan. Sorry, I am no help with PNW fish. Any luck at the Asian market?

Tonight we made Nyonya-style spiced fried chicken (inche kabin), Nyonya dipping sauce, and jasmine rice. This was worth making just for the wonderful aroma of frying cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, black pepper, and shallots. I went light on the chiles; since no one complained that the chicken was too spicy I will use more chiles next time. The tangy Nyonya dipping sauce (Worchestershire sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, and red chile) complemented the chicken nicely.

This was my first time frying chicken. I do not have a thermometer, but used Mr. Oseland’s bread trick to guess when the oil had reached the proper temperature and adjusted from there. The first batch (pictured below) was a little dark but the second batch turned out quite nicely. One tricky part was “gently squeezing each piece to remove excess liquid” from the raw chicken without removing all of the marinade. For some reason, this worked better with thighs than with drumsticks.

Nyonya-style spiced fried chicken

[scarlett]

Again, what terrific-looking food.

I sense some dried-shrimp-paste anxiety out there. Let me see if I can dispel some of it.

Though it's often vilified (especially in the West, but even sometimes in Southeast Asia), dried shrimp paste (belacan or trassi) is a harmless--and utterly essential--ingredient. A little dab of the substance rounds out dishes in the most wonderful way, giving them a subtle body and depth that they wouldn't otherwise have. Countless Indonesian/Malaysian/Singaporean foods just aren't the same without it--especially in its toasted state, which gives it a sophistication that it doesn't have when raw.

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I'm just catching up with this thread...what a great read!

Last fall I took cooking classes in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The instructors had a saying about shrimp paste:

"Smells like HELL, Tastes like HEAVEN!"

[markemorse]

Awesome photos and kitchen work, everyone....

I don't want to distract from the cooking, but I do need a quick confirmation about the book itself, which I can't seem to locate in the flesh (as it were) here in Amsterdam...

We have a vegetarian friend who just freaks out about Indonesian food everytime he comes to Amsterdam to visit. I know he'd love to start cooking this kitchen, so, I'd love to get him this book, but my question is: is there enough vegetarian/fish content for it to be worth it? I realize that's pretty subjective, but maybe I'd be shooting for say...40-50% veg and fish recipes.

I'd be super-surprised if it were more meat-centric than this, knowing this region's cooking...but there's just nothing worse than not being a meat eater, getting a new cookbook, being all excited about it, and then leafing through it saying, "oh, mmm, yeah...great...I can't eat any of this." If someone could just give me a quick confirmation that would be a big help.

thanks all! back to cooking!

mark

Edited August 20, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[crouching tyler]

Awesome photos and kitchen work, everyone....

I don't want to distract from the cooking, but I do need a quick confirmation about the book itself, which I can't seem to locate in the flesh (as it were) here in Amsterdam...

We have a vegetarian friend who just freaks out about Indonesian food everytime he comes to Amsterdam to visit. I know he'd love to start cooking this kitchen, so, I'd love to get him this book, but my question is: is there enough vegetarian/fish content for it to be worth it? I realize that's pretty subjective, but maybe I'd be shooting for say...40-50% veg and fish recipes.

I'd be super-surprised if it were more meat-centric than this, knowing this region's cooking...but there's just nothing worse than not being a meat eater, getting a new cookbook, being all excited about it, and then leafing through it saying, "oh, mmm, yeah...great...I can't eat any of this." If someone could just give me a quick confirmation that would be a big help.

thanks all! back to cooking!

mark

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Mark,

Below is a list of the the recipes, but to summarize - I would say there are at least 30 recipes (out of 86 total) that are primarily veg and fish/shellfish. The reason I have this list is because I have a spreadsheet to track my progress. So, it seems like a good number would work for your friend, particularly since they eat seafood.

Obviously, any spelling errors are mine. So far, I have made 16 of the 86 recipes (19%), at least once. The recipes I've made are in bold.

Cradle of Flavor, Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, by James Oseland

Recipe Index:

CONDIMENTS: SAMBALS, DIPPING SAUCES, DRESSINGS & PICKLES

Javanese Sambal

Nyona Sambal

Lemongrass & Shallot Sambal

Green Mango Sambal

Sweet Soy Sauce & Lime Dipping Sauce

Nyona Dipping Sauce

Soy Sauce, Chile & Lime Dipping Sauce

Sweet & Sour Chile Dipping Sauce

Javanese Peanut Sauce

Sweet & Sour Cucumber & Carrot Pickle w/Tumeric

Javanese Cucumber & Carrot Pickle

South Indian-Style Eggplant Pickle

Malaysian Spiced Pineapple Pickle

STREET FOODS

Beef Satay

Chicken Satay

Shrimp Satay

Gado Gado

Chopped Veg. Salad w/Coconut & Lime Leaf Dressing

Crisp Jicama & Pineapple Salad

Fried Sweet Plantains

Bean Sprout & Potato Fritters

RICE & NOODLES

Steamed Rice

Lemongrass Scented Coconut Rice

Celebration Yellow Rice

Spiced Nyona Rice

Javanese Fried Rice

Herbal Rice Salad

Stir Fried Chinese Egg Noodle w/ Shrimp & Asian Greens

Penang-Style Stir-Fried Kuey Teow Noodles

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup, Kuala Lumpur Style

VEGETABLES

Stir Fried Asian Greens w/ Garlic & Chiles

Stir Fried Bean Sprouts w/ Chinese Chives

Sauteed Cabbage w/Ginger & Crispy Indian Lentils

Braised Cabbage w/ Dried Shrimp

Stir Fried Water Spinach, Nyona Style

Green Beans with Coconut Milk

Ching Lee's Braised Lemongrass Long Beans

Rohati's Crisp-Fried Potatoes w/Chile & Shallot Sambal

Potato Rendang

Fern Curry wth Shrimp

Asiah's Eggplant Curry

FISH & SHELLFISH

Fragrant Fish Stew w/Lime & Lemon Basil

Spice Braised Tuna

Padang Fish Curry

Hot & Sour Fish Stew w/Bamboo Shoots

Indian-Style Fish Stew w/Okra

Pan-Seared Mackerel w/Chiles & Garlic

Pan-Seared Tamarind Tuna

Grilled Whole Fish w/Lemon Basil & Chiles

Nyona Shrimp Curry w/Fresh Pineapple & Tomatoes

Stir-Fried Shirmp Sambal

Black Pepper Crab

POULTRY

The Soto King's Chicken Soup

Javanese Chicken Curry

Chicken Rendang w/Cinnamon & Star Anise

Nyona Chicken & Potato Stew

Mien's Garlic Fried Chicken

Nyona-Style Spiced Fried Chicken

Kevin's Spiced Roast Chicken w/Potatoes, Penang Style

Javanese Grilled Chicken

Grilled Coconut Chicken w/Lemon Basil

Nyona Duck Soup w/Salted Mustard Greens

BEEF, GOAT & PORK (FOODS OF CELEBRATION)

Beef Rendang

Spiced Braised Nyona Pork

Malaccan Beef & Vegetable Stew

Javanese Spice Oxtail Stew

Achenese Goat Curry

TEMPEH, TOFU & EGGS

Garlic-Marinated Tempeh

Tempeh Sambal w/Lemon Basil

Carmelized Tempeh w/Chiles

Tofu & Summer Vegetables in Coconut Milk

Twice-Cooked Tofu w/Coriander

Fried Eggs w/Garlic, Shallots, Chiles & Ginger

Kopi Tiam Soft-Boiled Eggs

Chile Omelet

SWEETS & BEVERAGES

Indonesian Spice Cake

Nutmeg Tea Cookies

Purple Rice Pudding w/Coconut Milk

Sweet Spice Mung Bean Porridge

Plantains w/Coconut Milk & Palm Sugar

Sweet Rice Dumplings w/Palm Sugar & Coconut

Cinnamon Tea

Hawker's Tea

Warm Spiced Limeade

Lime-Cordial Syrup

Singapore Slings

Edited August 21, 2007 by crouching tyler (log)

[crouching tyler]

Since the recipe index is available for all and sundry to see, let me know if there are any special requests - something you want to see prepared. Perhaps, we can even arrange a mini-cookoff, of sorts?

As for my plans, I think I might make one of the fried chicken dishes this week. The Nyonya style fried chicken sounds heavenly from C. Sapidus' description.

[markemorse]

Wow, Robin, thanks for the comprehensive response....

It actually looks like it might even be more than half if the rice and noodle dishes don't figure meat/poultry prominently...great! Sold!

Thanks again...

[crouching tyler]

Nyonya-Style Spiced Fried Chicken - Inche Kabin

Nyonya Dipping Sauce

Steamed Rice - Nasi Putih

Javanese Cucumber & Carrot Pickle - Acar Timun

and

Roma Beans (from my garden) and Yellow Wax Beans with Butter and Basil.

I bought a mini-food processor, that became tumeric stained on its first use, of course. Very convenient little appliance though. It made quick work of the spice mix for the spiced fried chicken.

Spices after grinding:

Spices with shallots added:

First batch of Nyonya-Style Spiced Fried Chicken:

A plate full of chicken:

The chicken was fried, spicy and fabulous, if I do say so myself. This was my second experience with frying chicken, and with Mr. Oseland's ever reliable advice, it was a smooth, stress-free process.

One question remains though: For how many more days is my house going to smell like fried chicken?

[Dejah]

Looks great, Robin!

When "aromas" stay in the house, I boil some vinegar in water (about 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water) on the stove. It seems to get rid of all kinds of smells. I use an old pyrex pot.

A friend gave me branches of fresh kaffir lime leaves and basil, so it's back to Cradle and Thai cooking by the end of the week. It's been an insane 2 weeks of beef, bison, and lamb during our son's wedding. Need curry and spices to cleanse my system!

[crouching tyler]

I tried to take advantage of the last days of summer in Seattle, and did a bit of Cradle of Flavor cooking for some friends.

Hmm, I think I need to make Celebration Rice in a larger pot if I am going to get all those aromatics fully immersed in the rice. The reason dh took this photo was the lovely butter yellow hue of the liquid surrounding the daun pandan leaves. Unfortunately, that mellowed tumeric hue doesn't come through in the photo.

But it does come through, in the photo of the final dish.

Celebration Yellow Rice ~ Nasi Kuning

We also had some Green Beans with Coconut Milk ~ Sambal Goreng Buncis, using Romano Beans from the garden. I was skeptical of how well these softened beans would go over but everyone liked them - even the dh, who can be suspicious of fruit or vegetables of a "squishy" texture.

And, the star of the show was the Javanese Grilled Chicken ~ Ayam Panggang Jawa. As has been mentioned before, this is a great dish for entertaining, since the majority of the prep is done ahead of time, including 3/4 of the cooking. As you can see, our chicken got quite a char on it (okay, perhaps burnt is a better word). I am blaming it on the grill (not the griller). That is my story and I am sticking to it.

A plate full of food:

I meant to make a dipping sauce or sambal, but was having too much fun chatting, and also came to the realization that gin and tonics may not be a good combination with chopping chiles.

Oh, and we started things off by snacking on some Fried Okra - totally not a Cradle of Flavor recipe - but I had seen some great looking okra, and it seemed to somehow fit.

The last lonely okra (I wonder what the plural of "okra" is - maybe "okra"?)...

[davidthomas8779]

Again, what terrific-looking food.

Fear not! Dried shrimp paste is a great ingredient! It just takes a little getting used to.

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Fabulous ingredient, except it would cause my wife to croak, which is rarely my objective with dinner. Anything I could use to give that roundness of flavor without using shrimp?

[C. sapidus]

Robin, what a lovely meal! I simply must try the Javanese grilled chicken and the green beans with coconut milk. What's next?

[crouching tyler]

Robin, what a lovely meal! I simply must try the Javanese grilled chicken and the green beans with coconut milk. What's next?

←

I am leaning towards the eggplant curry and maybe some of the plantain dishes sometime this week? And maybe, after that the Stir Fried Egg Noodles with Shrimp.

I have been inundated with tomatoes lately, and tomatoes are noticeably lacking in Cradle of Flavor. So, I have been a little distracted by the Seattle end of summer produce explosion. I think with the arrival of Fall (and the concomitant end of my CSA vegetable box), I will be able to return to a more consistent schedule.

I want to make sure that I have a good balance of dishes - so that I don't end up with all the big intensive, expensive dishes at the end of the project.

By the way, I have made 24% of the recipes in Cradle of Flavor (21 of 86). Woo Hoo. It is a nice point - I have made some progress, but still have lots of good food adventures ahead!

[djyee100]

I've been thinking of doing some cooking for this thread, preferably recipes that haven't been cooked yet, but first I had to figure out which recipes those are. In consultation with Robin, here's a list of recipes that have been cooked on this thread. I count over 40 recipes done from the 85 or so recipes in the book, so people have certainly made inroads here.

Cradle of Flavor

Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore

by James Oseland

Recipe Index:

(numbers refer to post #s on this thread)

CONDIMENTS: SAMBALS, DIPPING SAUCES, DRESSINGS & PICKLES

Javanese Sambal

Nyona Sambal

Lemongrass & Shallot Sambal - 51

Green Mango Sambal

Sweet Soy Sauce & Lime Dipping Sauce - 40, 74, 116

Nyona Dipping Sauce - 136, 142

Soy Sauce, Chile & Lime Dipping Sauce

Sweet & Sour Chile Dipping Sauce

Javanese Peanut Sauce - 124

Sweet & Sour Cucumber & Carrot Pickle w/Turmeric - 17, 40, 51, 112

Javanese Cucumber & Carrot Pickle - 74, 97, 142

South Indian-Style Eggplant Pickle

Malaysian Spiced Pineapple Pickle - 100

STREET FOODS

Beef Satay - 10, 40, 45, 59, 112

Chicken Satay- 74

Shrimp Satay

Gado Gado - 124

Chopped Veg. Salad w/Coconut & Lime Leaf Dressing - 116

Crisp Jicama & Pineapple Salad - 45

Fried Sweet Plantains

Bean Sprout & Potato Fritters

RICE & NOODLES

Steamed Rice - 74, 142

Lemongrass Scented Coconut Rice - 10, 40, 51, 97

Celebration Yellow Rice - 83, 112, 144

Spiced Nyona Rice

Javanese Fried Rice - 10, 116

Herbal Rice Salad

Stir Fried Chinese Egg Noodle w/ Shrimp & Asian Greens

Penang-Style Stir-Fried Kuey Teow Noodles

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup, Kuala Lumpur Style - 67

VEGETABLES

Stir Fried Asian Greens w/ Garlic & Chiles- 74, 134

Stir Fried Bean Sprouts w/ Chinese Chives - 123

Sauteed Cabbage w/Ginger & Crispy Indian Lentils

Braised Cabbage w/ Dried Shrimp

Stir Fried Water Spinach, Nyona Style - 17, 129

Green Beans with Coconut Milk - 112, 144

Ching Lee's Braised Lemongrass Long Beans - 100, 119

Rohati's Crisp-Fried Potatoes w/Chile & Shallot Sambal

Potato Rendang - 32

Fern Curry wth Shrimp

Asiah's Eggplant Curry - 36

FISH & SHELLFISH

Fragrant Fish Stew w/Lime & Lemon Basil

Spice Braised Tuna - 10

Padang Fish Curry

Hot & Sour Fish Stew w/Bamboo Shoots

Indian-Style Fish Stew w/Okra

Pan-Seared Mackerel w/Chiles & Garlic - 10, 134

Pan-Seared Tamarind Tuna - 51

Stir-fried Tamarind Shrimp - 130

Grilled Whole Fish w/Lemon Basil & Chiles

Nyona Shrimp Curry w/Fresh Pineapple & Tomatoes

Stir-Fried Shrimp Sambal - 10

Black Pepper Crab

POULTRY

The Soto King's Chicken Soup - 113

Javanese Chicken Curry - 120

West Sumatran Chicken Curry - 106

Chicken Rendang w/Cinnamon & Star Anise - 10

Nyona Chicken & Potato Stew - 110

Mien's Garlic Fried Chicken

Nyona-Style Spiced Fried Chicken - 136, 142

Kevin's Spiced Roast Chicken w/Potatoes, Penang Style - 112

Javanese Grilled Chicken - 83, 97, 112, 144

Grilled Coconut Chicken w/Lemon Basil - 17

Nyona Duck Soup w/Salted Mustard Greens

BEEF, GOAT & PORK (FOODS OF CELEBRATION)

Beef Rendang - 32, 90, 125

Spiced Braised Nyona Pork - 10, 100, 105

Malaccan Beef & Vegetable Stew

Javanese Spice Oxtail Stew

Achenese Goat Curry

TEMPEH, TOFU & EGGS

Garlic-Marinated Tempeh

Tempeh Sambal w/Lemon Basil

Carmelized Tempeh w/Chiles

Tofu & Summer Vegetables in Coconut Milk

Twice-Cooked Tofu w/Coriander

Fried Eggs w/Garlic, Shallots, Chiles & Ginger - 16, 123

Kopi Tiam Soft-Boiled Eggs

Chile Omelet

SWEETS & BEVERAGES

Indonesian Spice Cake

Nutmeg Tea Cookies

Purple Rice Pudding w/Coconut Milk

Sweet Spice Mung Bean Porridge

Plantains w/Coconut Milk & Palm Sugar

Sweet Rice Dumplings w/Palm Sugar & Coconut

Cinnamon Tea - 134

Hawker's Tea

Warm Spiced Limeade

Lime-Cordial Syrup

Singapore Slings

[C. sapidus]

djyee and Robin: Thanks for keeping track of the recipes made on the thread! You can check off a few more dishes - I have made the Nyonya sambal (10), the braised cabbage with dried shrimp (hmm, but apparently not posted on this thread), Rohati’s crisp-fried potatoes with chile and shallot sambal (10), and the Padang fish curry (10).

We didn’t make a whole meal from Cradle of Flavor, but Robin’s picture and description upthread inspired us to make the green beans with coconut milk (sambal goreng buncis). Tender green beans bathed in coconut milk and flavored with sliced shallots, garlic, chiles, ginger, ripe tomato, and a touch of palm sugar. We had lots of ginger, so we used that instead of galangal. Lovely flavors, but next time I might use daun salam leaves and let the green beans get a bit mushier.

[C. sapidus]

Tonight we made another vegetable dish from Cradle of Flavor: Rohati’s crisp-fried potatoes with chile and shallot sambal (kentang balado). We used a mix of store-bought and home-grown chiles for the paste – maybe six Holland, two Anaheim, and four Kashmiri chiles. Grown from seed, the Kashmiri chiles added a lot of flavor while keeping the heat level manageable for the boys.

We have made this before, and it is one of my favorites. Frying the potato wedges a few at a time takes a while; otherwise, this comes together pretty quickly. The boys preferred the fried potato wedges without the sauce (“Tastes just like French fries!” ).

Kentang balado