Klepon or Indonesian mochi with coconut sugar filling

Klepon is traditional Indonesian dessert made of glutinous rice flour mix with coconut sugar filling inside and coated grated coconut outside.

We made this a few months ago during our church women fellowship. Thanks to Bertha for teaching and sharing the recipe so now we can make them ourselves. Turned out they are easy to make.

First thing first, make the "mochi" part. Mix the pandan paste with water. Place glutinous rice flour in a mixing bowl then gradually add the water mixture. Continuously mixing with spatula until the dough no longer stick to your hand.  

Take about a tablespoon of the dough or about 9 grams, flatten the dough, then fill with grated/ sliced palm or coconut sugar. Shape the dough into ball.

Indonesian Corn Fritters a.k.a. Bakwan Jagung

Growing up, my grandma cook this appetizer often for lunch or dinner. Unlike American's corn fritters, this Indonesian version is more on the crispy and savory  rather than chewy and sweet.

On the past, I tried cooking with canned corn, using the usual "approximate" recipe and it didn't turn out so well. I am tempted to cook this again after seeing my friend's picture of the dish on Instagram and she told me she was using real fresh corn so I gave this dish another try after finding fresh corn from Trader Joe's. It tasted so much better than my previous attempts but still didn't taste like my grandma's corn fritters. Since she passed away already, I asked my aunts thankfully they know exactly what's the missing ingredient: ground kempferia galanga (Indonesian: "kencur").
So I gave it another try:

Place all the ingredients, except the oil in a mixing bowl

Siomay Jambi

I fell in love with Siomay Jambi when my mother in law first brought it from Jambi, a small town in Indonesia where hubby grew up. The inside is mainly veggies and ground pork with little bit flour, which make it less filling than the more popular Siomay Bandung. 

Cooking Indonesian Beef Stew a.k.a Rendang with Instapot

According to CNN' survey on 2017, Rendang is the world's most delicious food. How blessed I am to grow up eating this dish. I used to cook this using instant seasoning but out of so many brands, I only like one particular one. Unfortunately, our local Asian Supermarket no longer carry it so I had to make it from scratch. Turned out it is not that hard. I don't mind making it any day as long as I have chopper and instapot.

First thing first: cut the beef meat then brown them. Pressure cook it with beef bone and water for 35 minutes (or use the meat/ stew setting on Instapot)

How to make Risoles

Risoles was my favorite Indonesian snack growing up. I'm so glad that my boys like it too. I just wish it is easier to make so I can make this often. Anyway, I was making some last week and planning to save some in the freezer but all are gone within 3 days. My mom' sister made the best risoles I ever taste but as typical older Asian woman she doesn't measure her ingredients just approximate she said. Well, approximate doesn't work well for me. I got to make this a few times to get the result turned out as how she made it. Thank you auntie for the inspiration.

Step 1: make the filling

Step 2. Make the flour mixture for the skin

Worcestershire Sauce Chicken

This is one of the most popular home-cooked chicken dish in Indonesia and our family favorite. We call it "Ayam Saos Inggris" in Indonesia.  Over the years, I have been trying different ways and ingredients before finally settle with this one. Instead of deep frying like the way it is usually cooked, I just brown the chicken for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

Sayur Lodeh: Indonesian Vegetables Soup

This is one of my favorite Indonesian meals. I used to buy the instant seasoning but couldn't find one that taste like the one I used to eat in Indonesia. After a lot of trials, I finally found the recipe I like. There is a lot of chopping work involved in making this meal but the result is totally worth it.

Cooking Chicken Soup with Instapot

I don't know about you but hearty chicken soup is one of those meals I long for when I am not feeling well, when the weather is cold, or whenever I miss home. Unfortunately, my chicken soup is not the same kind that my husband grew up eating. "There's something missing," he said and he didn't know what it was. Until last month when we went home to Indonesia, my sister in law was cooking chicken soup and my hubby tasted it. He told me that's it tasted the same as chicken soup his mom used to cook. We finally figured out the  missing ingredient: candlenut, a nut commonly used in Indonesian cooking. This is optional ingredient though. I didn't use it for years and the soup taste just fine.

Ingredients:
chicken with bones, carrots, potatoes, salt, and white pepper
Three main spices: shallots, garlic

and candlenut

mince/ grind them

Indonesian Fried Fishcake / Pempek Bulat

Empek-empek, Pempek, or Mpek-mpek, which ever you want to call this Fried Fishballs is Chris and I favorite. When we were dating, my now hubby used to cook this for me and my roommates in college. It was so good, which make it easy for me to  say "yes" to his proposal. Just kidding. Like my grandma, he is a natural cook and doesn't cook with recipe so I have to stand beside him one day to write down all ingredients and steps while he was cooking this dish.     

A few times in a year, I take my deep fryer out from the garage to cook this or fried meatballs. My boys call them: "golden balls" and it's one of their favorite foods. I like to make a lot because I can use them in my soup as well.  

The process: mix all the ingredients with hands/ wooden spatula then make them into balls using two spoons :

Spicy Eggplant / Terong Balado

I have been enjoying bountiful tomatoes from the garden these past few days and looking for ways to use them up. I used about 5 cherry tomatoes on this dish. Yes!

Note: Some of the pictures are from my old archive.

Indonesian Oxtail Soup a.k.a Soup Buntut

Besides the daikon soup, this is another soup that I cook often. The whole family love this soup so hearty and filling. I used to think this is one of those food that's too complicated to make at home but turned out it's not. I use instapot to make this but you can use regular pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker. I prefer using instapot because I can just press a button and leave, without having to stir or watch it. Very convenient especially when I have to take the kids to different activities.

Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you from trying to cook this. All of them should be available in Ranch 99 or other Asian grocery stores.

I buy oxtail either from Japanese Supermarket or Costco.

Indonesian Siu Mai or Siomay Bandung

I have been tweaking and making this recipe so many time throughout the years. It never fails to make my boys smile every time they see these. On his Kindergarten's "About Me" page, Max even put this as his favorite food. 

The ground meat pork mixture

Put it inside a round wonton wrap