Saturday Lunch: Javanese Style of Fried Sambal

This Javanese style of fried sambal is one of my lifetime favorite. Even the name is Sambal which normally refer to the heat of chili, this sambal is not spicy at all. Till now, I am still wondering why people call it Sambal Goreng (fried sambal).

This dish is very popular especially for the Javanese people in Johor state of Malaysia and also one of the must have dish during Hari Raya (Eid Mubarak). 

Ingredient

• 3 clove of shallot (chopped)
• 2 clove of garlic (chopped)
• 100 gm of dried shrimp (dry blended)
• 50 gm of dried anchovies (dry blended or optionally you can use Anchovies stock)
• 1/4 cups of tamarind juice
• 400 gm of glass noodle (soften with water)
• 300 gm of dried tofu (cut into small and soften with water)
• 3 pieces of wet tofu (cut into 12 for each pieces and fry it)
• 300 gm of potato (slice and fry it)
• 100 gm of red chili (slice it)
• 3 pieces of Tempeh (cut into 12 for each pieces and fry it)
• 4 table spoon of cooking oil for stir-frying
• 2 table spoon of food caramel or thick soy sauce
• 2 table spoon of light soy sauce
• 4 table spoon of sweet soy sauce
• Salt for taste

Method

• Add cooking oil into the cooking pan.
• Add shallot, garlic, red chili, blended dried shrimp, dried anchovies and let it cook.
• Add the dried tofu, glass noodle and some water.
• Add the sliced fried potato, fried wet tofu and fried Tempeh and mix them well.
• Add 2 table spoon of food caramel, 2 table spoon of light soy sauce and 4 table spoon of sweet soy sauce. 
• Stir all mixtures well, add some salt, tamarind juice, and taste.
• If the colour is not enough black for you, add more food caramel into it. You can balance up the taste by adding more sweet soy sauce or salt.

Lunch Box: Blackpepper Chicken & Pak Choy

I always prepare lunch box for me and my housemate as early as 5.45am before leaving to office at 6.45pm daily. 45 minutes to cook, shower and get prepare to work make me very rushing at every morning but I still happy with it.

Here I shared about how I made this Blackpepper Chicken, and boiled Pak Choy.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes 

Note: Normally I will go shower and get dress for work while waiting the dish ready (under small fire)

Ingredient

• 400 gm chicken with bone (Cut into small size)
• 200 gm of potatoes (Cut into big chunk)
• 1 inch of ginger (Chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (Chopped)
• 3 table spoon or enough amount of Cooking Caramel or Thick Soy Sauce (For colouring)
• 8 table spoon or enough amount of sweet soy sauce
• 2 table spoon of enough amount of light soy sauce
• 4 cups of water (or chicken stock)
• 3 table spoon of corn flour
• 4 table spoon of black pepper
• 3 table spoon of cooking oil for stir-fry
• Salt for taste

Method

• Add the cooking oil into your frying pan. Once it hot, add the chopped garlic, chopped ginger and wait until it turn brown with nice smell.
• Next, add chicken into the pan, food caramel, sweet soy sauce, light soy sauce and black pepper.
• Add some water, or chicken stock and cover the pan for few minutes.
• Open the pan's lid and add the chunks of potatoes and more water if necessary.
• The chicken and potatoes normally will ready after 15 to 20 minutes on medium fire. Continuously add water if you see its going to get dry. You also can add more soy sauce and salt based on your personal taste. 
• To end up the cooking process, add 3 table spoon of corn floor into small bowl and add some water. Stir it and pour it into the pan. Mix well all ingredient and turn of the fire when the chicken get sticky and thick.
• To garnish, you may put some chopped scallion on top of your serving plate.

As for the Pak Choy, I just boiled some water in a cooking pan, and once it boiled, I add the veggies for about 2 minutes and drained it. 

Vermicelli with Chicken Soup, Deep Fried Dory Fish and Beef Balls on Top

This dish is inspired by Malay Chicken Soup  with selection of spices and a bit oily compared to other kind of noodles soup in East Asia reign. This dish is very suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper. 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients? (Serving for 2 pax)

Soup
2 cubes of chicken stocks
4 cloves of shallots (Chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (Chopped)
1 flower of dried clove
1 stick of cinnamon
1/4 inch of ginger (Chopped)
1 pack of "Adabi Sup Bunjut" (Optional for better taste)
200gm of "Kai Choy" or "Pak Choy" (Cut 2 inch from leave to stem)
Enough amount of Vermicelli or "Rice Noodle" (Pour boiled water to soften it)
Enough amount of water for making soup
1 egg
Salt & pepper for taste
Oil for stir frying

Deep Fried Dory Fish
1 piece of Dory Fish fillet
1 egg
Salt & pepper for taste
Enough amount of tapioca flour or breadcrumbs
Enough oil for deep friend

Garnishing
8 beef balls
Enough amount of scallion
Enough amount of caramelized fried onion

How to Make it?

Soup & Cooking Beef Balls

• Put about 4 teaspoon of oil into your cooking pot and when the oil is hot, add in the clove flower and cinnamon, followed by the chopped shallot, chopped garlic and chopped ginger. Mix it together until it brown and smell really nice. 
• Next, add in water (maybe around 1 litre first) together with chicken stock.
• Cover your pot and wait until your soup boiling.
• Once your soup is boiling, you can add in the beef ball and cover the cooking pot again for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Once the beef balls ready, remove it from the soup and place it aside. 
• You may add 1 egg to make the soup thicker and tastier.
• Add the Kai Choy and normally this veggies will cook after 2 or 3 minutes.
• And now the soup is ready.

Deep Fried Dory Fish

• After washing the fish fillet, cut the fish into equal size.
• Bit one egg in a bowl and add some salt and pepper.
• In the meantime, add in oil for deep frying.
• Then, put the fish fillet into the egg and then take it out and coat it with breadcrumbs or tapioca flour. 
• Next, put the breadcrumbs coated fish fillet into the hot oil and cook side by side.
• Advisable to cook the fish fillet on small fire to avoid any uneven cooking.

Serving & Garnishing

• Place the earlier soften vermicelli into a medium size bowl.
• Pour the soup onto the vermicelli.
• Place the deep fried Dory fish and the boiled beef balls on the side.
• Chop some scallion leave for garnishing and also the caramelized fried onion.
• Ready to serve as displayed above in the photo.