Beef Rendang - The Ancient Amazing Dish From Minangkabau in Indonesia

By Boya Fernando

Have you ever heard about 'Rendang'? Indonesian, Malaysian and Singapore must be familiar with this food. As a main course, Rendang hold out from many hundred years ago. So, what is 'Rendang'? and what is made from?
Rendang is a dish originated from Minangkabau (one of the ethnic from Sumatra Island in Indonesia) made from mostly beef, but can also chicken, duck or buffalo. This food is really important and it is often served on the ceremonial occasions, wedding celebration and honored guest. The dish will not be complete without Rendang. But it is not everyday beef dish because it is special. Not every beef Rendang are made exactly the same taste; it depends on who made it. The main recipe, except beef, is milk squeezed from coconut which is cooked and stewed the meet with low heat so as to dry up and become golden and drier. There must the exclusive spices for made this from Minangkabau. Spending at least three hours to make it mixed each other and this food is so aromatic from the beef and spices.
Actually, there are two types of Rendang; the dried and the wet one. The dried Rendang can be saved for 3-4 months. There will not the different taste if you warm it up at least once for three days. While the wet one, called Kalio can be saved for 1 month with the same way of keeping. It usually is eaten with rice or ketupat.
So, can you imagine how flavorful beef Rendang is? Be sure that this is one of the unforgettable tastes from ancient origin Indonesian food. This is a dish for people who have high appetite in spice of food. Are you interested to taste it?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Boya_Fernando

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Satay Beef Makes a Delicious Appetizer

By Uma Wylde

Satays are possibly the most famous food to come out of South East Asia. These succulent little morsels on sticks are perfect finger food and ideal for parties and BBQ's.
Serves: 4
Preparation & Cooking Time: 15 minutes + marinading time
Effort Level: easy
Shelf Life: best eaten immediately, will keep 3 days in fridge
Ingredients:
500g meat (Chicken breast, strip sirloin, pork loin)
Spice Paste Marinade
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp fish sauce
4 garlic cloves
3 shallots
2 red bird eye chillies
20g fresh ginger root
1/2 stalk lemon grass
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
Equipment:
Food processor
Pestal and mortar
Plastic bag
Small wooden skewers
N.B: The trick to having juicy satays and not dried up ones, is to thread small pieces of meat onto the sticks, so they cook quickly.
Here's What You Do:
Slice the meat into thin ribbons no thicker than 1cm then cut into small strips and tip into the bag.
Toast the coriander and cumin seeds for a couple of minutes then blitz to a powder in a spice grinder or pestal and mortar and tip into the food processor with all the ingredients and blitz to a paste.
Massage the paste over the meat, coating all the pieces thoroughly. Stick the bag in the fridge for a minimum of two hours preferably overnight. Soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes, to prevent them from burning. When you're ready to cook, weave the meat onto the skewers.
Preheat the grill to highest setting and grill for 2-3 minutes each side.
Serve with one of the following sauces:
Spicy peanut sauce
Satay sauce
Cucumber dipping sauce

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Uma_Wylde

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Savory Martabak - Delicious As a Snack and Loved by Everyone

By Mety Wistarin

Martabak Telor or Savory Martabak is very delicious as a snack and as a company for white rice as a side dish. This snack is loved by many people especially in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia.
We use so much leeks and eggs to make this savory and delicious snacks. And it's pretty easy to make. You can make your eat table in just short of time the place where the whole family keeps coming back to taste this snacks. Everybody would love this. No doubt about it.
Use the paste of gulai to make this snack.
The ingredients to make the paste:

• 5 Red chilies
• 10 shallots
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 candlenuts
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbs coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp anise
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• Salt

Make a smooth paste of this above ingredients. You can use food processor if you like it. It's fast and easy. Or you can use mortar and pestle in traditional way. Set the paste aside.
The ingredients for the martabak:

• 1 kg leeks (you can also use spring onions, but leeks is much cheaper and less work than spring onions), chopped
• 12 medium eggs
• 1 kg grounded meat (use low fat meat, don't use grounded pork, it's too fat)
• 1 pack lumpia sheets
• Vegetable oil

Instructions:

• Set a wok on the medium fire without oil, add the grounded meat. Stir it occasionally until the sauce from the meat almost gone
• Add the paste that you're already made. Mix it with the meat until well. Remove from the fire.
• Add into the big bowl, the chopped leeks, the eggs and the grounded meat. Mix it together until well. Add some salt if needed.
• Spread out the lumpia or spring roll sheets and put some of the mix in the middle of it, Fold one side and follow the left and the right side. And at the edge of the sheets make it tight with some eggs mix. It has to be flat, not as a lumpia.
• Baked in the flat pan with a little bit oil, on low fire. Be careful, the fire not too high, the martabak would be baked too soon but the inside it's not really done.
• Ready to serve

Do you like this recipe? Why don't you take a look of my website for more tips and recipe.
http://www.discover-java-and-bali.com/
And here is the link to martabak asin or martabak telor recipe for more tips and image.
http://www.discover-java-and-bali.com/martabak-asin.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mety_Wistarin

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North Sumatra - A Trip to Brastagi

By Fadil Aziz

Berastagi is situated in the upland of North Sumatra Province. Wedged between Mount Sibayak (2,049 m) and Mount Sinabung (2,451 m), it has cool climate, beautiful scenery, and several tourist attractions. With a well-developed infrastructure, the city is perfect for weekend getaways or longer holidays.
Berastagi has always been a favorite weekend spot for Medan’s citizen since the 1.5 hours trip from Medan (Capital of North Sumatra Province) is relatively shot. The city, however, can also be a worthwhile destination for Jakartans. It only takes a total of 3.5 hours to reach: 2 hours of Medan Berastagi drive.
There are vast forest along the road from Medan and occasionally, you can see buildings with unique Karo (a tribe from Batak ethnic) ornaments, a sign that you have entered their domain. Women wearing the distinctive Batak headdress can also be seen from time to time.
Mejuah-juah, welcome to the land of Karo! On the road between Medan and Berastagi, lies Sibolangit Botanical Garden, which houses several kinds of local vegetation. Next, it goes winding and sloping upward, going through Penatapen. If you want, you can stop here briefly to enjoy the cool air or a clear view to the plains below.
Near Berastagi, there is an intersection that goes to Semangat Gunung, a starting point for people who wants to climb Mount Sibayak. After this intersection, you will see hotels lining up along the road, right up to the hilltop. You can also see forested hill on the right side of that winding road, before finally entering the main street.
Berastagi is small city with downtown area comprising only of a main street with stores and restaurants on its left and right. For accommodation, it is better to pick hotels on the hilly areas, such as Gundaling Hill where it is quieter and offers better view.
The panorama from Gundaling Hills is especially beautiful in this afternoon. You can see the whole city, its surrounding orchards, and the crater of Mount Sibayak, a volcano that has been dormant for centuries. To the west is Mount Sinabung (another dormant volcano), while the Karo plains lie on the south.
Martabak Telor and Bandrek.
Evening is the best time to savor various North Sumatra dishes in Pasar Kaget, a market that opens nightly along Berastagi main street. Among the interesting dishes are martabak and roti canai, both of which bore heavy Indian influence. Indian are not the dominant ethnic group in the province, but they have definitely left their mark in North Sumatra culinary scene. Among several stalls selling such food is Aboy’s restaurants , named after its owner. It offers martabak telor , roti canai, and Indian-style fried rice.
For drinks, you can enjoy a glass of milk tea or try Berastagi’s favorite beverage: bandrek. It is similar to bandrek common in java, a mix of milk and ginger that warms the body, perfect remedy for the cold weather typical of a place standing 1,400 meters above sea level. Across Berastagi, bandrek is an everyday beverage and the pride of locals.
It may be a bit puzzling why a popular beverage in Java, especially West Java, ends up wiyh the same popularity in Berastagi. Local tales have it that bandrek was introduced some decades ago by a Javanese who opened the first warung (similar to café but with a simpler setup) serving bandrek. Back the, the drink is virtually unknown in Berastagi, but because bandrek suits cold climate, its popularity took off at once. Presently, almost anyone visiting the city will feel obliged to try the beverage. In fact, bandrek has become synonymous with Berastagi.
Fruits Market
Morning is the best time to buy fruits or enjoy the atmosphere of Berastagi’s fruit market at the main street . you can find all sorts of fruits and vegetables, from the ubiquitous orange and tomato, to Berastagi’s special beet, red cauliflower, and passion fruit. You can even buy flowers at this market.
A lot of these fruits were first planted under the direction of Dutch colonial government to supply their need in Medan. Since Karo Plains are Surrounded by volcanoes, the land is very fertile and able to produce the best fruits and vegetables. In the past, most of them are exported to Singapore and Malaysia. Now, it is the tourists that come here to enjoy the harvests.
Another activity you can do is visiting the Lingga traditional village, 16 kilometers south-west of Berastagi. You can observe traditional Karo villagers go about their lives and see their unique tribal houses that are almost extinct, or their traditional garment that are almost extinct, or their traditional garment that many still worn, especially during certain occasions.
You can also continue to the Sipisopiso Waterfall, about 1.5 hours from Lingga, and onwards to Toba Lake, through Simarjarunjung, Prapat, and Samosir Island.
On the way to airport in Medan, you might want to visit the famous Maimoon palace and mosque, or go to Majapahit Road for a box of bika ambon, a delicious local cake with unique spongy texture, sold by various vendors there.
A major point to remember is that you have to book your accommodation in advance for weekends or long weekend, since you will be competing with tourists from Medan, and even Singapore and Malaysia for lodgings.
"Tourist Destination for Nearly a Century"
The de development of Berastagi into tourist destination is closely related with colonial planning. When the area around Medan was converted to plantation (one of the most successful plantation in Dutch colonies), their need for fruits and vegetables were supplied from the fertile lands of Karo. This connection increased in 1908 when the Dutch constructed a road directly linking Medan and Karo high plain.
The Dutch recognized Berastagi’s potential as vacation spot. So they built bungalows, villas, resorts. Clinics, schools, and even a nine-hole golf course. In fact, many of them fell in love with Berastagi that they opted to spend their retirement here.
Berastagi’s fame as a tourist destination began to spread in the 1920s. almost a century later, the city is still attracting local and foreign tourists. Berastagi has become even more popular than Kabanjahe, the capital of Karo.

Fadil Aziz is a founder of Alcibbum Photography, the photography company specializes in Indonesian nature and travel photo. Visit his site http://www.AlcibbumPhotography.com to enjoy his works, including images related to Indonesia and this article.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fadil_Aziz

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SAILOR CULINARY

Nothing wrong if home city of Napier called sailors because the city's many excellent sailors who are known not only at home but abroad as are .. Many interesting things are in this city, many natural attractions and historical tours or inappropriate for your visit ..
When you visit the city of Napier and tired after enjoying the exotic attractions of course your stomach "roared" when it comes over you, you need not worry because you are at home sailor .. The city is known to have the variety of interesting foods and yahuudddd in taste, and it can be said you have not been to Napier if you have not tried his trademark culinary ..
Here's a typical town house sailors food that you must enjoy:


Coto Makassar
A typical regional cuisine berkuah soup with ingredients consisting of colon,, heart, and brains, beef or horses, cooked with spices lemongrass,, laos,, coriander, cumin, shallots, garlic ,, salt that has been mashed,, bay leaf,, lemon juice, and beans .. In general, Coto Makassar served / eaten with diamond .. You can find these foods around the streets Crow ..

SOP KONRO
Typical regional dishes are served a soup berkuah and burned with basic materials such as ribs, beef or buffalo, cooked / baked seasoned with coriander, cumin, lemon grass,, kaloa,, shallots, garlic, salt, , which has been mashed vitsin .. Sop Konro generally served / eaten with white rice and sambal .. Enjoy these foods and roads around Karebosi Ratulangi ..
SOP SAUDARA
Typical regional cuisine in the form of soup berkuah with basic ingredients such as beef / buffalo cooked with various spices and served with white rice or a diamond with Ikan Bakar as an additional side dishes .. Enjoy these foods around the streets of DR. Wahidin Sudirohusodo ..




PISANG EPE
Typical regional food made from banana kepok the mengkal,, burned and flaked .. Pisang Epe 'served with a sauce of red sugar water that is usually mixed with the aroma of durian or jackfruit can be appetizing ..

PISANG HIJAU
Made from plantain, wrapped in flour that has been given a coconut milk and pandan leaves water as dyes and fragrances that are green,, served with sauces that are shaved ice and syrup ..
ES PALLU BUTUNG
Made from bananas that have been cut into pieces, cooked with coconut milk fed wheat flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, and a little salt and served with shaved ice and red syrup.
BARONGKO
Barongko is a dessert typical of the Bugis-Makassar area made from ripe fruit Banana kepok steamed in banana leaves. Previously, in the reign of the kingdom in South Sulawesi, Barongko is a luxurious dessert, and only served to kings, and served in certain moments, such as weddings, birthdays, and others.
To add flavor and taste, ingredients Barongko usually coupled with Jackfruit fruit slices or young coconut.

In addition to the above specialties, there are many more other dishes typical of Makassar, such as Mara Pallu, Pallu tongue (can be enjoyed on the road night and day on the road Camel Wolves), Ce'la Pallu, Pallu Kaloak (Fish Head Soup, enjoy street troops students), various seafood, and so forth. Foods that are mentioned above you can enjoy on the beach seanjang Losari ..

To allow you to distribute your culinary desires the following partial list of Restaurant & Restaurant in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, complete with addresses and phone numbers you can contact:
Labakkang Aroma Restaurant
Jl. Anwar. Makassar, Indonesia
Phone: +62-411-324520

New Asia Restaurantr
Jl. G. Salahutu No. 2, Makassar, Indonesia

Phone: +62-411-313987

Shogun Restaurant
Jl. No entertainer. 15, Makassar, Indonesia

Phone: +62-411-319842

Surya Restaurant

Jl. Nusa Kambangan 16. Makassar, Indonesia

Phone: +62-411-317066

Ujung Pandang Restaurant
Jl. No New Guinea. 42, Makassar, Indonesia

Phone: +62-411-317193

Himalaya Restaurant
Jl. G. Latimojong No. 142, Makassar, Indonesia

Phone: +62-411-329775

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