Admit It: You’re dreaming of a getaway to just about anywhere. Taste bud travel continues in Indonesia with Lumpia and Nasi Goring Ayam recipes.

Did you know that the last Tuesday of January is designated “National Plan for Vacation Day”?!  A day set aside to encourage Americans to plan and take their time off- this year it is titled “lets go there” inspiring Americans to dream of future trips in the year ahead.  I’ll admit that I have been dreaming of a getaway just about anywhere other than my house.  A “staycation” in a hotel a few miles from home, yes please!  An actual trip involving an airplane ride, or (gasp) a passport!  My heart jumps a beat just thinking about the possibilities. The light at the end of the tunnel really is slowly getting brighter.  

In the meantime, I’m enjoying some taste bud travel from home. This month I’m continuing to teach myself about Indonesian cuisine (wouldn’t a trip to BALI make our travel dreams come true?!) through a new book by Lara Lee called Coconut & Sambal.  I think she might be Indonesia’s new 21st-century national cooking ambassador.  Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia, but there are not many people who know their food outside of Asia.  There is not a large population of Indonesians in the United States or Canada compared to other Asian countries and as a result there are very few Indonesian restaurants in North America.  Since global cuisine is often promoted through restaurants we are sadly missing out on Indonesian food. The combination of textures, the balance of sweet, sour, salt, heat, umami and crunch makes this cuisine stand out from it’s Asian neighbors and I think it needs and deserves more attention!

Table Talk

A few fun facts about Indonesian cuisine for you to share at the table if you decide to do some taste bud travel of your own:

-It’s not a meal in Indonesia without RICE.  The goddess of rice, Dewi Sri, is highly revered in Java and Bali and because of this divine inspiration.  Almost everything comes with rice on the side.  Yes, you might even be served pizza with a side of rice!

-Indonesian cuisine is a big MELTING POT of influences.  Indonesia’s indigenous techniques and ingredients merge with influences from India, the Middle East, China and Europe. And then there are the New World products brought by Spanish and Portuguese traders long before the Dutch colonized the islands. Chinese immigrants in particular contributed a great deal in making Indonesian cuisine what it is today. The famed street food, nasi goreng, was adopted from a Chinese tradition of frying leftover rice in the morning.

-Have you heard the term SPICE ISLANDS? Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of 18,000 islands, spanning one-eighth of the globe and occupied by 250 ethnic groups. The country is credited with introducing the world to a tapestry of new flavors and sensations. Indonesia remains one of the world’s top producers of spices, giving us nutmeg, clove, galangal, pandan leaves, and others which are incorporated into many traditional recipes. 

-Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, a reality that extends to their food/recipes. Since the arrival of Islam in the archipelago, many traditional recipes have been altered to comply with the principles of HALAL, most evidently by substituting pork with other meat.

-SAMBAL (spicy condiment) and krupuk (crackers meant to help stimulate your appetite!) are necessary additions to most Indonesian meals.  There are dozens of sambal recipes known in Indonesia, and they are usually provided as a condiment at the dining table.  Try making one from Lara Lee’s book!

Taste Your World

More people need to eat Indonesian food!  Here are a couple of my favorite recipes that appeal to both the vegetarians and meat eaters in my family (and you can easily make both options in each recipe).  Make the Lumpia one afternoon (one batch made 24 rolls) and freeze them to make this meal that much easier when you combine it with the Nasi Goreng Ayam.  One of my favorite new tips from Lara Lee is to cut a chunk of banana with the skin on to use as the “glue” for the spring-roll.  Genius!

LUMPIA AYAM SAYUR

Adapted from Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee

The spring-rolls can be frozen (highly recommend) in a single layer on a baking tray in the freezer, then stuffed into a freezer bag or container and kept for up to 3 months.  If cooking from frozen cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until golden.  I have also re-heated them the next day in an oven at 375 for 10 minutes.

Makes about 24

Ingredients:

3 to 4 ounces of dried rice stick vermicelli (the thin ones!) noodles

4 T sunflower oil, plus more for frying

1 lb. of ground chicken (omit if making vegetarian version)

4 carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup of shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thinly

1/2 cup bean sprouts, roughly chopped

8 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

6 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

6 T kecap manis (Indonesian soy sauce).  *This makes the dish.  If you can’t find combine 4 oz soy sauce with 3/4 cup of coconut sugar in a saucepan.  Simmer for no more than 5 minutes until it resembles syrup.  Let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

8 T oyster sauce

2 T fish sauce

Juice of 2 limes

Pinch of sea salt

24 square spring roll wrappers, thawed if frozen

1 banana or 1 beaten egg for sealing

Dipping sauce or Sambal of your choice!

Filling:

-Follow package directions to soften noodles.  Once softened, drain and toss with a little oil in a bowl.  Set aside.

-Heat 2 T of oil in a frying pan over high heat and add the ground chicken.  Stirring constantly, fry until cooked through and browned.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

-Heat another 2 T of oil in pan over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.  Add the carrots and bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

-Return the cooked chicken to the pan if using along with the noodles and green onions, stirring for another minute or so.

-Add the kecap manis, oyster sauce, fish sauce and lime juice.  Continue to cook until the sauce is clinging to the meat and noodles.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Set aside to cool.

Assembly:

-Lay a clean tea towel over the spring-roll wrappers to keep them from drying out.  Line a tray with parchment paper.  Line a tray with paper towel.  Cut a chunk of banana with the skin on to use as “glue” for sealing the spring roll (or you can use a beaten egg).  The banana trick is awesome though.

-Peel one wrapper off the top of the pile and lay it on a flat surface, facing you like a diamond.

-place 1-2 tablespoons of the filling on the bottom third of the wrapper.  Roll the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling and continue rolling until you reach the middle.  Fold in the right and left corners (burrito style!), the rub the flesh of the banana along the edges of the exposed top corner of the wrapper.  Finish rolling up the rest of the wrapper and seal the final corner.  Place the spring-roll on the tray and continue with more wrappers until the filling is used up.

Cooking:

-Pre-heat the oven to 375.

-Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

-Gently place the prepared roll in the hot oil (stick a cube of bread in the oil and if it turns golden in 25-30 seconds the oil is ready!).  Cook in batches so as not to over crowd the pan.

-Continue turning rolls until they are golden all over.  Transfer to the tray lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil, then to a baking tray lined with parchment, and finish cooking in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

Serve immediately with dipping sauce of your choice.

*If just making a meat free version omit the ground chicken and double the amount of carrots, shiitake and bean sprouts.  If you want to be vegetarian you can also replace the oyster and fish sauce with vegetarian soy sauce, or coconut aminos.

Chicken Nasi Goreng

NASI GORENG AYAM

Adapted from Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee

This chicken fried rice can easily be made vegetarian by eliminating the chicken (or substituting shrimp) and adding extra vegetable.  If you can find kerupuk or prawn crackers they are a great addition.  The kecap manis is a main flavor component to this dish- don’t leave it out!

Serves 6 as a main dish

Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into small, bite-size cubes

6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

9 inch piece of fresh galangal or ginger, peeled and finely chopped

6 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/4 cups of green beans, chopped into bite-size pieces

5 spring onions, chopped into large chunks

1 1/2 t ground turmeric

6 cups of cooked basmati or jasmine rice (works best to cook ahead and chill or use leftover rice!)

6T kecap manis (*see recipe above for homemade version)

2 1/2 T fish sauce

2 T light soy sauce

sea salt and white pepper, to taste

coconut oil or sunflower oil for frying

To Serve:

6 eggs

3 T fried shallots (make your own or buy at an Asian grocery)

1 long red chilli, thinly sliced

kerupuk or prawn crackers

Cooking:

-Season the chicken pieces with salt and white pepper.  Heat 1 T of oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat and stir fry the chicken until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove and set aside in a bowl.

-Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan/wok, add the garlic, galangal or ginger and shallots and cook over medium-high heat for a minute or until fragrant.  Add the green beans, green onion and turmeric and cook for another minute.

-Add the cooked rice to the pan, breaking up any clumps.  Warm the rice and ensure all ingredients are well combined.  If your only making a chicken version add the chicken to the pan now.  If making a vegetarian AND chicken version continue to the next step before adding chicken and then reserve vegetarian portion before adding chicken back in!

-Season with the kecap manis, fish sauce, light soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

-Meanwhile, fry the eggs in a large nonstick fry pan with 1 tablespoon of oil.  Cook for 3 minutes, spooning the oil over the eggs to fully cook the white but leave the yolk runny.  Or, cook to your preference!  Season with salt.

-Divide the fried rice between serving plates and garnish with fried shallots, sliced chili and fried eggs on top.  Serve with crackers if desired.

Keep dreaming and start planning your getaway but never underestimate the power of food to summon faraway places to your home kitchen!