Thursday, February 8, 2018

Food Terminology



1.      Kue Putu
Kue putu or putu bambu, putu buluh or puto bumbong is a traditional cylindrical-shaped and green-colored steamed cake.[1] The cake is made of rice flour called suji and colored green with extract acquired from pandan leaf, filled with palm sugar, and steamed in bamboo tubes, hence its name, and served with grated coconut. This traditional bite-size snack is commonly found in Maritime Southeast Asia, which includes Indonesian, Malaysian and Philippines cuisines, and believed to be derived from Indian puttu of Keralaite origin. Kue putu is also can be found in the Netherlands due to their colonial ties with Indonesia.[2]
In Indonesia kue putu is one of the kue or traditional snacks, a popular street food commonly sold by travelling vendors, together with klepon, which is actually ball-shaped kue putu, but made with sticky glutinous rice flour instead.


2.      Savory Martabak
The details of its exact origins aren't entirely clear, one thing's certain: the 'martabak' or 'murtabak' has become one of Southeast Asia's most popular street foods - particularly in Indonesia. 
The stuffed, pan-fried 'pancake' is a hot, oily and a rather simple snack that has locals and tourists lining up at vendors across Jakarta and Java. Although sweet and savoury martabak share the same name and are sold at the same carts, there's hardly anything similar about these Indonesian bites.

Savoury martabak is made with thin stretched wheat dough which is gathered and overlayed onto an egg and minced meat filling. When fried, the texture is much like an Indian roti canai or paratha flatbread; oily and flakey. In Arab countries, they call the dish 'mutabbaq' which literally means 'folded'. The concept is similar to Turkish flatbread gözleme, a Mexican quesadilla or even a savoury crêpe, but the martabak becomes blistered when cooked, making a crunchy outer layer that encases subcontinental flavours. 
The base of the filling is egg, shallot onions and coriander, but the added meat be minced chicken, lamb or beef. More upmarket vendors in Indonesia will use duck eggs, making a more rich and fuller centre.


3.      Sweet Martabak
Sweet martabak or 'martabak manis' is very different. Not just in taste, but also in its texture, consistency and cooking method. However, the main principle remains as the batter is placed or 'folded' on top of its filling.
When ready, layers of butter, chocolate sprinkles (a clear influence of Indonesia's Dutch colonial history), fresh grated cheese, a drizzle of condensed milk and peanut and sesame seeds are added, making it the ultimate source of guilty pleasure. 
Sweet martabak begins with a very eggy batter, which is then poured into the same large, deep vendor skillet as its savoury counterparts are cooked in. It slowly heats up as small bubbles emerge from the yellow mix, similar to cooking a pancake or crumpet, and identify when it's ready. Layers of butter, chocolate sprinkles (a clear influence of Indonesia's Dutch colonial history), fresh grated cheese, a drizzle of condensed milk and peanut and sesame seeds are added on top, making it the ultimate source of guilty pleasure. The circular martabak is then cut in half and one crescent is squashed on top of the other side. 



4.      Coto Makassar
Coto is traditionally made from beef and beef entrails such as tripes, liver, lungs, etc, and most often in combination of several types of entrails. For this recipe, I will use only tripes, but you can substitute it with other entrails or even use all beef if you have an aversion to entrails.
As with all kind of coto (soto), some sort of sambal is usually a must, and the Makassar people loves to eat their coto with sambal tauco. Another typical accompaniment is buras (rice cooked in coconut milk and spices then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to make rice cakes), though it is perfectly fine to have a bowl of steamed white rice instead.



5.      Satay
Satay or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce.[3] It is a dish of Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.[4] Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are often used. These are grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal fire, then served with various spicy seasonings. Satay can be served in various sauces, however most often they are served in a combination of soy and peanut sauce.[5] Hence, peanut sauce is often called satay sauce.[6]
Satay originated on the Indonesian island of Java.[2][7][8][9] It is available almost anywhere in Indonesia, where it has become a national dish.[1][10][11] It is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries. In Sri Lanka, it has become a staple of the local diet as a result of the influences from the local Malay community.[12]
Satay is a very popular delicacy in Indonesia; the country's diverse ethnic groups' culinary arts (see Indonesian cuisine) have produced a wide variety of satays. In Indonesia, satay is a popular street food,[2] it can be obtained from a travelling satay vendor, from a street-side tent-restaurant, in an upper-class restaurant, or during traditional celebration feasts.
In the past, there have been stories that satay originated in China, with the name derived from the Southern Min words sa tae bak (三疊肉), meaning "three pieces of meat".[14] However, contemporary scholars say that the English word "satay" is derived from Indonesian: sate, and Malay: saté or satai, both perhaps of Tamil origin,[15] and that satay was developed by Javanese street vendors as a unique adaptation of Indian kebabs.[2][4] The introduction of satay, and other now-iconic dishes such as tongseng and gulai kambing based on meats such as goat and lamb, coincided with an influx of Indian and Arab traders and immigrants starting in the 18th century.[16] 
From Java, satay spread through the Malay Archipelago and, as a consequence, numerous variations of the dish have been developed and exist. By the late 19th century, satay has crossed the Strait of Malacca into neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.[17] In the 19th century, the term migrated, presumably with Malay immigrants from the Dutch East Indies, to South Africa, where it is known as sosatie.[2] The Dutch also brought this dish as well as many other Indonesian specialties to the Netherlands, thereby influencing Dutch cuisine even to this day.[18]



6.      Kerak Telor
Kerak Telor is a snack mainly made of glutinous rice and duck egg. It is served with dried shrimp topping and shredded coconut.
The ingredients are glutinous rice, duck egg, fried onion, dried shrimp, shredded coconut, salt, chili, pepper and sugar. The method of cooking is as follows: first, the glutinous rice is half cooked in a small pan.
No cooking oil is used. The egg is then added. Other ingredients follow. If you like it hot, you can add extra chili and pepper. After a while, add the shredded coconut and dried shrimp and the omelet is ready to be served. The texture is crispy on its edge but soft in the middle. Kerak telor is best enjoyed with hot cup of black Java coffee. 
One interesting fact, the traditional vendors still cook the omelet using charcoal. This method of cooking only made the taste richer and more delicious.In the Colonial era, kerak telor was a privileged food. It was served in big parties held by colonial government as well as rich Betawi. The recipe as well as the profession as kerak telor vendor had been passed from generation to generation. The most skillful kerak telor vendors usually come from Mampang, a small area in South Jakarta, called Betawi Mampang. 
It is a sad fact that the Betawi is gradually push out of the centre of the city, mainly due to economic reasons. Most of their land had been sold to property developer and on that land now stand many skyscrapers. Along with the diminishing Betawi community, the real original kerak telor is becoming harder to find. Many of the vendors now start taking over family business of selling kerak telor at a very young age, sometime right after finishing high school. 
(source : http://yovitasiswati.expertscolumn.com/article/kerak-telor-batavian-traditional-omelet)

 
7.      Nasi Padang
It is public knowledge that Nasi Padang (literally translates to Padang rice, but meaning Padang food) has become the country’s most famous contribution to Indonesian cuisine. When you pay a Padang restaurant a visit, you will enjoy a very unique dish. Instead of going to the counter for a direct order, you simply sit down and waitresses will bring various dishes to the table. Padang Restaurants are spread across Indonesia; no matter which city you go, there is always a Padang restaurant around.
One of the most delicious Padang foods is rendang, a dry beef curry cooked with coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid has been evaporated. Every Padang restaurant is based around this dish, and families love to cook it at home, especially during the holidays. There’s a deep philosophical connection to the food. The beef is a symbol for the ninik mamak (tribal leader), coconut is connected to cadiak pandai (the intellectual), chilli relates to the alim ulama (spiritual leader) and condiments represent society as a whole. In the past, rendang was only for the aristocratic. Now everyone eats it.

Spicy chilli is instrumental in increasing one’s appetite. How could you eat a meal if it doesn’t give you a good appetite? In addition, not simply do spicy dishes make you eat more and more, but they also make your lunch and dinner more ritual. Though food served is not much, Padang people would have a delicious meal so long as there is chilli in it. They believe that dishes without spicy chilli sauce are not real dishes. Yet Padang chilli sauce is not the same as various chilli sauces found in Java, called sambal, since it is made of curly red chillies.
What about gulai? This turns out to be the next essential element as we take our tour around Padang cuisine. In Padang, smart cooking means the capability of preparing gulai (curry). Rendang, asam padeh (sour and spicy stew dish), kalio (watery and light-coloured gravy), to mention just a few, are variations of Padang gulai. You are not ‘good at cooking’ for making fried chicken, griddling pancakes or stir-frying vegetables. When someone excels at cooking gulai, he or she is knowledgeable about spices. That is why, to many Padangnese, ingenuity in cooking is identical with gulai cooking skills.
Last but not least, rice should be taken into account. The majority of Indonesians consume it as their staple food, however, it is so unique that Padang people can only enjoy steamed rice. They would never eat sticky rice like their Javanese brothers and sisters. No matter how poor they are, Padangnese never shift to corn, potato or sweet potato as an alternative to rice. For Padang people, a meal without rice is like a day without sunshine.
Padang food is not only made of meals, but also traditional snacks. While organizing functions and events, for example, I resort to serving and mixing modern cakes with local snacks. Along with brownies or muffins, kelamai (a sweet coconut palm sugared snack), kue talam (sweet glutinous rice cake) and lapek (banana pudding) are dished up as well.

A small change has begun to occur in recent years, thanks to the development of information-technology and burgeoning young people who are always interested in learning something new. In the past few years, Javanese food and beverages have failed to attract Minangnese customers because they are too sweet for the taste of Padang people. Noted restaurants in Java, like Wong Solo and Ayam Goreng Nyonya Suharti were unable to survive in West Sumatra.
Now, restaurants and cafes serving dishes of the archipelago such as ayam penyet (chicken with tempe and sambal) and pecel lele (fried catfish and rice with a side of sambal) are welcomed in many cities around Ranah Minang. The key lies in their ability to adapt to the taste of consumers in Padang. Like it or not, Padangnese culinary traditions are truly extreme. While Javanese, Sundanese or Jakartans can enjoy different meals without effort across the country, Padangnese still have trouble finding ‘foreign dishes’ suitable for their palates.
(source : http://indonesiaexpat.biz/lifestyle/food-drink/nasi-padang-indonesias-most-wanted-food/)



8.      Rawon
Rawon or Nasi Rawon/Rawon Rice (when served with rice) is a strong rich tasting traditional Indonesian beef black soup.[1] Originally from Surabaya in Indonesian province of East Java. It uses black nuts/keluak (Pangeum edule, fruits of kepayang tree) as the main seasoning which gives the strong nutty flavor and dark color to the soup.
The soup is made of ground mixture of garlic, shallot, keluak, ginger, candlenut, turmeric, red chili and salt sauteed with oil until it gets aromatic. The sauteed mixture is then poured into boiled beef stock with diced beef. Lemongrass, galangal, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves and sugar are then added as seasonings.[2] The special dark or black color of rawon comes from the keluak as the main spice. The soup is usually garnished with green onion and fried shallot, and served with rice, hence the name rawon rice or Nasi Rawon in Indonesian language, together with baby bean sprouts, salted preserved egg, shrimp crackers and sambal chili sauce on the side.
Rawon is one of the oldest and the earliest historically identified dish from ancient Java. It was mentioned as rarawwan in ancient Javanese Taji inscription (901 CE) from the era of Mataram Kingdom
There are several variants of rawon, the most popular however, is rawon from Surabaya. A Surabayan popular variant is called rawon setan (Devil's rawon), a popular rawon dish from Surabaya. The reason for this nickname is that the warung (stall) that sells this rawon dish is open from midnight to dawn just like the time when they say devils come out. The rawon setan stall is quite popular in Surabaya.[4]
In Bali, there is also a meat stew called rawon. This Balinese version however, is not using any keluak, thus the soup color is not black bur rather light brownish grey instead, and they favouring pork over beef.[5]



9.      Gado-gado
Wherever you are in Indonesia, there are some common dishes that you’ll find. One ubiquitous Indonesian dish is gado-gado. The name literally means “mix-mix,” a fitting name for a dish that’s basically a mixed salad topped with peanut sauce. It’s thought to originally be a Sundanese dish, and it’s still very popular in West Java along with the rest of the country. Let’s learn about this classic Indonesian dish, starting out with the ingredients.
The great thing about gado-gado is that it can be made many different ways. Different places use different ingredients and seasoning, but it’s always some mixture of vegetables, the peanut sauce, and maybe some rice or krupuk (crackers) on the side. Here are the common ingredients you’ll see in gado-gado, in Indonesian and English:
  • kentang – potato
  • tahu – tofu
  • tempe – tempeh
  • kol – cabbage
  • ketimun – cucumber
  • taoge – sprouts
  • daun selada – lettuce
  • kacang hijau – green beans
  • bayam – spinach
  • telur rebus – boiled egg
  • bumbu kacang – peanut sauce
The vegetables are mostly blanched or lightly boiled. Tempeh or tofu are usually fried, while the cucumber is typically sliced and served fresh. While the vegetables and eggs are obviously important, the star of gado-gado is without a doubt the peanut sauce. Here are the basic ingredients that go into making it:
  • kacang – peanuts
  • kecap manis – sweet soy sauce
  • gula merah – brown sugar
  • bawang putih – garlic
  • terasi – shrimp paste
  • santan – coconut milk
  • garam – salt
  • air jeruk – lime juice
  • cabai – chillies
  • saus ikan – fish sauce
  • jus asam – tamarind juice
One reason that gado-gado can’t really be called a salad is because the sauce is more of a key ingredient. It’s not like salad dressing that you just add a bit of. Rather, it’s quite liberally used. Thanks to the sauce, gado-gado manages to be a bit sweet, savory, and spicy all at the same time! (source : https://blogs.transparent.com/indonesian/gado-gado)

 

10.  Soto Ayam
Soto ayam is a yellow spicy chicken soup[3] with lontong or nasi himpit or ketupat (all compressed rice that is then cut into small cakes) and/or vermicelli[4] or noodles, commonly found in Indonesia,[1][2] Singapore,[5] Malaysia [6][7] and Suriname. Turmeric is added as one of its ingredients to get yellow chicken broth. It is probably the most popular variant of soto, a traditional soup commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. Besides chicken and vermicelli, it can also be served with hard-boiled eggs, slices of fried potatoes, Chinese celery leaves, and fried shallots. Coconut milk is sometimes used as an ingredient.[8] Occasionally, people will add "koya", a powder of mixed prawn crackers with fried garlic or orange colored spicy sambal, krupuk or emping is a very common topping.[9]
(source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soto_ayam)


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