Authentic Indonesian Food : Nasi Gudeg komplit.

In early January, when I came back from end year holiday, I felt craving for authentic Indonesian food. Funnily, it was not just for the simple one like nasi goreng/fried rice or sate ayam/chicken satay (that I can make easily), but I craved for one of Indonesian authentic foods called “Nasi Gudeg Komplit”. It is a Green Jack Fruit Sweet Stew with braised chicken in coconut milk (opor ayam), sambal terasi/chili shrimp paste and served with warm steam rice. Oh my :). Soon, I went to my pantry and lucky me, I still have 2 cans of young jack fruit I bought last December in a Philipine’s grocery store here in Nicosia (note: there some 12,000 migrant workers in Nicosia 🙂 

And here are the recipes :

Young green jackfruit

Green Jack Fruit Sweet Stew (Gudeg)

Ingredients:

2 cans young jack fruit (800 gram)

6 pieces boiled egg

3 – 4 bags black tea

250 ml boiled water for tea

750 ml chicken stock /water

300 ml coconut milk

8 bay leaves

2 stalk lemon grass, smashed

1 tsp tamarind paste

150 gr brown sugar/palm sugar

Spices paste (use mortar or blender)

12 shallots/ 1 red onion

12 garlics

9 candlenuts/macadamia nuts

1.5 tbs ground coriander

1.5 tps ground galangal/ 2 inches fresh galangal

Salt and pepper to taste.

2 – 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil to sauté the spices paste

Method :

1. Drain the jackfruit and cut in to small pieces (1 inch thick)
2. Boil 250 ml water and put the tea for 2-3 minutes.
3. Heat the oil and saute the spices paste, add bay leaves and lemongrass until fragrant.
4. Add the jackfruit, pour the chicken stock/water, tea, half of coconut milk, palm sugar, salt, tamarind paste and cook for about 45 minutes.
5. Add the remaining of coconut milk, hard boiled eggs and cook again for about 45-60 minutes, until jackfruit are tender, hard boiled eggs looks brown  and all the fluid absorbed by the jack fruit.
6. Let it cool before served.

For me, the Gudeg will be more delicious if allowed to stand for one night so the spices will be more pervasive.

Braised chicken with coconut milk (Opor Ayam)

Ingredients:

12 pieces of chicken

½ lemon

1000 ml water

300 ml coconut milk

2  stalk lemongrass, smashed

4 bay leaves

2 kefir lime leaves

spices paste (use mortar or blender)

2 tsp ginger powder /1 inch fresh ginger

2 tsp galangal powder/2 inches fresh galanggal

1 tsp white pepper

2 tbs ground coriander

½ tsp cumin

3 pieces of candle nut/macadamia nut

10 shallots or 1 big red onion

5 garlics

2-3 tbs vegetable oil to sauté the spices paste

Salt and sugar to taste

Method :

1. Squeeze lemon juices over chicken.  Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat pan over medium-high heat and add oil, sauté the spice paste till fragrant
3. Add the chicken, lemongrass, bay leaves, kefir lime leaves, coconut milk,  water, salt and sugar
4. Cook about 30 – 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Fried chili shrimp paste sambal (Sambal goreng terasi)

Ingredients :

5 red chilies

3 shallots or ¼ big red onion

1 garlic

1 tomato

½ tsp shrimp paste

½ tsp brown sugar/sugar

¼ tsp salt to taste

3 tbs vegetable oil

Kefir lime or lemon zest

Method :

1. Stir fry chilies, shallot/onion/garlic, shrimp paste until fragrant
2. Use mortar/blender, blend all the ingredients except tomato and kefir lime
3. Cook again for a while, add tomatoes, kefir lime, leave to boil about 3-5 minutes.

That’s all. Since I could not find Krecek here,  so I could not make Sambal Goreng Krecek. But it’s ok. This is more than enough to answer my craving. whoooohooooo !!!

Gudeg – sambel terasi – opor ayam – nasi gudeg

Enjoy !!