Shallot and Garlic, Flavor Base for Many Indonesian Cuisine

stir fry rice noodle with sauteed shallot and garlic as flavor base

If you try Indonesian cuisine,
you will find shallot and garlic inside them.
Shallot and garlic are the flavor base of Indonesian food 
such as soffritto for Italian food 
or mirepoix for French cooking

For tasty stir fry of veggies, protein, rice or noodles,
you first sautee diced shallot and garlic
Rich stew of protein in coconut milk needs 
a big quantity of shallot and garlic paste
Fried garlic and fried shallots can also become
toppings for stew, soup and many other dishes

Peanut sauce salad with fried shallot toppings

The flavor base of shallot and garlic are enhanced 
into three kinds of colors
1. White spice base : puree of shallot, garlic and candlenut
    for chicken coconut milk stew (opor ayam)
2. Yellow spice base : puree of shallot, garlic, candlenut 
    and turmeric for yellow chicken soup or soto ayam
3. Red spice base : puree of shallot, garlic, candlenut 
    and red chili pepper for rendang and sambal goreng

My mom still makes her own white, yellow 
or red spice base when cooking
Well, she is a purist when food is concerned 
and cooking is her passion
I, on the other hand, cook because of family obligation
I use Indofood, Bambu or Munik instant spice. 

 And why the name Shallot and Garlic for characters 
in traditional children story?
Maybe because those two ingredients are so ingrained 
into the daily life of Indonesians ?
Any other opinions, dear readers ? Let me know !

Gado gado picture by Eka Putra

Year of 2018, A Month Old of A New Beginning

Today, the year of 2018 is almost a month old.
When you are expecting a baby,  a month is a milestone
Every month, there will be a new development and excitement

I also want to break a good news to you about my new "baby"
The name of my new baby is "Shallot and Garlic"
I have been "pregnant" with this "baby"
for many many years

 
I have some people helping me with this "pregnancy"
My husband helps me funding the development of this "baby"
My American friend Grace Stanczak helps me editing the text
My Indonesian friend Jeffry Supit helps me illustrated the story
and my Indonesian friend whom I met in America, Handy Atmali helps me designed the lay out

Shallot and Garlic is still inside the "womb" 
of a printing company in Ann Arbor
It will be born in February 2018
I will surely let you know when it comes out

 

The President and His Goats

My snowy and cold morning was brightened by President Jokowi Vlog's about his goats.

He's beaming with joy, showing two newborn baby goats.
He said the new birth was by God's providence
It also means a new optimism for the future

Aw...watching him and the goats really warmed my heart
And it reminds me of an old Indonesian nursery rhyme:

Where...oh where is my baby goat
My baby goat is in Waru tree
Where ...oh where is my sweetheart
My sweetheart is in Kampung Baru

This is the rhyme in Indonesian language, can you sing it ?

Mana di mana anak kambing saya
Anak kambing saya ada di Pohon Waru
Mana di mana jantung hati saya
Jantung hati saya ada di Kampung Baru

Cha cha maricha hei hei 2x
Cha cha maricha ada di kampung baru .

Ahok's Flash Mob, Hip-Hip Hooray, and Chrisye

Ahok's flash mob of Luxembourg

A flash mob from Indonesia becomes viral worldwide. 

It replicates among the Indonesian communities around the world. It started in Jakarta to support Mr. Ahok, the Jakarta governor who is also running as the next term candidate with Mr. Djarot. 

Mr. Ahok and Mr. Djarot

The name of Ahok is very controversial. People loves him or hates him. He (or his teammates ) downloaded many videos of himself  

leading a meeting in which he reprimands, demotes or even fires his staffs. He runs a clean government and hates corruption. 

Due to ethnicity and religion, Ahok is considered a minority in Indonesia, a predominantly Moslem country. 

These days, Mr. Ahok faces many difficulties. 

Despite building several mosques, sending people for a Hajj pilgrimage, and having some Moslem relatives, 

Ahok is accused of blaspheming Moslem religion. 

Thus began the big trials where funny witnesses were displayed.

 

The first flash mob in Citos Mall

8 January 2017, people of Jakarta were gathered in Citos Mall, Cilandak area, to have a flash mob for Ahok. 

Sys NS, a radio personality and politician of Jakarta, 

organized the event which becomes a viral happening. 

In Youtube, there are videos of Ahok’s flash mobs 

from Indonesian communities of Australia, European countries, USA, and also Asian countries. 

The flash mob are mostly wearing red,white, and navy plaid tops 

and using theme song from 1985, Hip Hip Hura 

sung by Chrisye and written by Adjie Soetama. 

Of course the lyrics are changed to promote Ahok’s campaign. 

Mr. Chrisye

Belated Chrisye was a highly acclaimed Indonesian pop singer. Performing on stage, Mr. Chrisye was rather stiff and uptight, but his vocal was smooth and unique. Like Ahok, Chrisye was also of Chinese descent.

Hip-Hip Hura is Indonesian translation of Hip-Hip Hooray, 

tells a story about a boy meets girl in a party and he falls in love with her. 

During its popularity, Chrisye was accused of plagiarism of Footloose by Kenny Loggins, because of the similarities of the beat. Anyhow, the song was successful despite the accusation. 

I wish you good luck and success, Mr. Ahok,

despite accusations that you are facing. 

Pictures and content are taken from various resources at internet

Jasmine Jam and Indonesian National Flowers

My friend Cindy posted a fancy jam in her facebook.
It's jasmine's  from Laduree, 
the renowned maker of French macaroons 

Cindy's toast, spread with jasmine jam, really intrigues me
I am not curious about the flavor
It's the smell that excites my interest

There are many varieties of Jasmine flowers
But Jasminum sambac is the only one that is edible
Jasminum sambac or Melati Putih, in Indonesian language

When I grew up, there was a big jasmine bush in our garden
Jasmine flowers smell heavenly when they in bloom
My Oma handpicked them and put the jasmine petals 
in a small silver dish to freshen her bedroom

Revalina Temat, an Indonesian actress, using Jasmine flowers as hair decoration

 
Jasmine flowers are small, white and simple
Indonesian brides who wear traditional wedding dress
use fresh jasmine flowers as hair decorations
They are also used in traditional medicine 
and ritual ceremonies , as well as decoration

Bunga Melati are common in Indonesia
The bushes can easily grow almost everywhere
No wonder Jasminum sambac is Indonesian national flower 
or Puspa Bangsa

I still remember Cindy's fancy jam 
and her regular toast that looks sophisticated 
slathered in jasmine jam

I wonder if the jasmine petals inside her jam 
were from Indonesia...Maybe...
If that was so that means they have traveled far away 
from Indonesia to French and to Chicago
the fragrance still preserved in the yummy sweetness 
of pectin and sugar

Pizza Hut, My Indonesian Nostalgia

Lately, Indonesian social media has been talking 
about Fitsa Hats. I was curious about 
what kind of hats are those
After some research, Fitsa Hats turned out 
to be a typo of Pizza Hut

Whether the typo was intentional, let me not be a judge
And I think there have been so many judging, 
I'd rather talk about something light and fun
Such as my nostalgia eating pizzas in Pizza Hut

I was in middle school when I first took a bite of pizza
Oh, I fell in love instantly
with the gooey of cheese, softness of the bread, richness of meat, combination of texture and taste
of saltiness, sweetness, richness, spiciness. 
Spicy is a must because most Indonesians love to put sambal in everything they eat, pizza included.

gathering of university friends with a lunch of pizzas from Pizza Hut

It happened in the Pizza Hut in Jalan Thamrin in the 80s
After that, I continue my relationship with pizzas
Back then, eating in Pizza Hut was rather expensive 
for my family's budget
So, my family kept it for special occasions 
such as birthdays and graduation

I remember that Pizza Hut had a salad bar
I got an empty bowl and made my own salad
Usually, I tried to put as many veggies as I could inside the bowl
Because the salad was not refillable
I would also share my salad with the friends or family who were in my table

The pizza menu did not have as many variety as today
If I am not mistaken, there were Special Supreme, 
Supreme, Meat Lover, 
Sea food lover ( which I did not like), and Vegetarian. 
There were also limited variety of appetizers and pasta dish
The drinks were sodas, and special drinks like lemon tea, lemonade, lime-soda (fresh lime juice mixed with sprite)

In the 90s, Pizza Hut started their delivery
I remembered ordered a pizza delivery by phone
They were opening new branches
I remembered a high school girl friend treated me and others to Pizza Hut in Gunung Sahari 
to celebrate her birthday

When I moved to US, I found American Pizza Hut was not as yummy as Indonesian pizza Hut
Maybe my opinion was rather subjective
I also found that my Asian/Indonesian friends prefers Asian restaurants 
They won't choose Pizza Hut to dine out together 

When I have kids,
Pizza became a staple in my house
I always have frozen pizzas in my freezer
Pizza are my kids favorite but it's not a special treat for them 
like they had been for me

My taste in pizza is different from my kids
I like to put as many topping as I can in my pizza
They like it plain cheese

breakfast menu in Pizza Hut Jakarta

Last summer, when my family visited Jakarta
I was surprised to see so many pizza hut stores 
The small stores are called PHD, Pizza Hut Delivery
The big stores are Pizza Hut Restaurant, 
when people usually dine in
The menu is different now, Pizza Hut enlarging their repertoires 
to many kinds of pasta and rice dish, 
also a big variety of drinks including coffee and smoothies
Some of the Pizza Hut restaurants are also open for breakfast
with special breakfast menu

Time changes everything, including Pizza Hut
But I cherish my nostalgia of them

The Tiniest Seahorse and Its Diver

This was the story that happened at Derawan Island, 

situated in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. 

The island is small, quiet and beautiful 

surrounded by the blue water of Sulawesi/Celebes Sea. 

The sunrise and sunset are magnificent. 

Sea turtles come in the morning and 

drop their eggs off at the sandy beach. 

Many kinds of fish live there. 

They are available to view and of course, to eat. 

Have you ever eaten a cooked fish freshly caught from the sea? Believe me when I say it’s a heaven for your taste buds.

The beauty of Derawan attracts many divers. 

One of them is a lady from Japan called Satomi Onishi. 

She is a professional diver. 

She works with the tourist, leading them diving under the sea. 

On that particular year, there weren’t many guests for her. 

Miss Satomi Onishi got bored. 

Unlike many of us who dive in the sea of virtual reality, 

she dived in the Sulawesi sea to explore. 

In one of her research dive, she found something like a dust collected on the coral reef. 

The more she saw, the more curious she became. 

She brought her underwater camera 

and started to shoot some videos. 

Finally she came into conclusion that the so called dust 

were some very tiny seahorses. 

She collected the specimens and got into the taxanomic process. Hippocampus Satomiae is named after Miss Satomi Onishi to honor her. I called it the power of boredom that leads to the founding of a new species.

So what is so special about Satomi Pygmy Seahorse? 

Well, it is the smallest seahorse in the world for now. 

It’s about the size of a pea. The young one is about the size of an apostrophe written in font size 12. 

Seahorse is very unique because the male 

is the one who is pregnant and carrying the eggs inside his body.

 

As for Miss Onishi, now she lives in West Bali as a manager in Sari Dive and Cottage.  

pictures taken from :http://1.bp.blogspot.com/, national geographic.com, and facebook