Gado Gado

Cooked salad with hot peanut sauce (adapted from the cookbook 'Oriental Cookery' by Sallie Morris)

It's already August. We have so many fruits and vegetables to buy from the produce stand and farmer market. I like making this Indonesian dish because it is very easy. Besides, who wants to stay in the kitchen on a hot day? Most of the vegetables (watercress, potatoes, bean sprouts, cabbage) are simply boiled or steamed. Some (tomatoes, cucumber) are just raw. Most are pretty bland so the pungent sauce is great for it. You can also add boiled eggs, string beans, carrots and tofu to the list. Please no broccoli or spinach.

The ingredients for the sauce are shown in the picture on the left. I just sauteed the diced shallots and garlic with some oil and added the rest (a few tablespoons) in a medium saucepan. The book asks for coconut milk but I skipped it. Not a big fan. I'd go easy on the balachaung and 'Super Tauco' (fermented beans). They can be too strong. The bean paste makes the sauce super sticky and gives depth to the taste (you know, Umami). If you can't find 'Super Tauco,' substitute with Japanese natto, just mesh up a little with a fork. Luckily chili sauce (Sambal Ulek) and peanut butter (from Trader Joe) already come in a bottle, no need to make from scratch. Tamarind requires soaking in water for some time to make the juice. The combination of all these just take you instantly to South East Asia. Selamat Maken!

BTW, thanks to the Dutch colonials who brought the potatoes, peanut, corns, eggplants, chili and peppers from the 'New World' to Asia. And the Indonesians for all kind of spices (black pepper, cardamon, cumin, ginger, coriander, galanggal, nutmeg, cloves, turmeric and so on).

Shrimps with Okra in tomatoe sauce

It's okra season! I like making this dish every summer. I think the pictures show how to make it. One correction - the 'Cumin' bottle should be labeled 'Turmeric.'

Purple rice sushi

Sneaker

Pencil drawing

Mini samosas & egg rolls for the Saturday feast

This Friday was our last day of our summer painting class (more on that in the future posting). I decided to make some mini samosas and egg rolls for the pot luck party. I also made another batch for Saturday dinner. I made these many times before but the last time was probably four or five years ago. So I better write how I made them before I forgot. I learned it at my cousin's Burmese restaurant in New York when I just graduated from college, working as a waiter. Gosh, more than 20 years ago! It was my beginning of living in the 'real world'. I learned so many things - shopping, cooking, cleaning - all that stuff you take it for granted living at home.

To make mini samosa (or golden triangles as they sometimes called in the restaurants) all you need are potatoes, egg roll skin, spices, salt and oil. Take 4 or 5 potatoes (2.5 lbs) and gently boil them in pot of water for about half an hour. Take them out and let them cool down and peel the skin. Then I add Gram Masala (Indian spice you can buy at grocery store). I ground and mixed my own which is fresher and tasted different and unique each time. It is good not to mash too hard and over add spices and salt. It should be somewhat fluffy and light.

Then I take unfrozen egg roll skins and cut them into long strips with a scissor- 3 cuts to make quarter of the square. I cut 5-6 sheets at a time and put the remaining back in the plastic bag so they don't dry up. Then I scoop a teaspoon of the filling and start wrapping at an angle to make triangle shape. I use all my fingers to pinch and stuff the filling as I go, making sure the corners are tight sort of like a little pillow. To close it I dip the tip in a lightly beaten egg and press. Then I place it in a plate lined with a towel. Keep making them until you either run out of the filling or the wraps. I don't count but I think you can get about 70-80 each batch. When you are ready to serve, just deep fry them. It is better to eat while they are hot and crunchy. Otherwise they get soggy.
For the hot sauce I use store bought chili sauce and add some lime or lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

For the egg rolls, I chopped half a cabbage, onion and garlic. I stir-fried with a teaspoon of turmeric, paprika and salt. I wrapped the same way was the diagrams on the package. It can be a little messy. I just wipe My fingers with a paper towel as I roll.

Maybe I'll make some more in the future.

Roasted Eggplant Dish

(recipe loosely adapted from the book Arabesques - a taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon by Claudia Roden)

It's summer and the big plump eggplants are on sale for $1.15 each. So I bought three. I have made this eggplant dish before and couldn't believe how easy to make. And it is delicious with pita bread. You can eat it any time of the day as a snack or an appetizer with dinner.

All I did was prick the eggplants with a paring knife so they don't explode in the oven. Put them in the pre-heated oven (475 degree) for about an hour. Turn over once or twice in between so they cook evenly. To cool down, put them in a big cooking pot with lid covered for about half hour or so.

The cookbook said to peel and drop them in a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to keep the flesh pale. And drain them in a strainer and press out the juice. I skipped all that. I just cut them in half and scooped out the flesh. I did have to take out the seeds carefully. They are like big fish eggs only not in a sag. I don't like any seeds in my food - not even in tomatoes and chili pepper. The liquid just came out by itself and I just discarded them. It's a little tangy sweet and a little bitter. I don't want to save it for anything else.

I sauteed the chopped shallots and garlics with oil in a pan. I added half a teaspoon of salt, paprika and cumin. Then I just added back the eggplant and mixed them up together. I didn't have to mash them as the book said. They are so soft already - guaranteed to melt in your mouth. You can garnish it with olives and parsley. You can do the same with tomatoes and peppers. Mix all together. Enjoy!

More B&W Photos

from the Golden Gate Park arboretum