Fried Spicy Tofu

This picture is fried tofu I made from blended tofu with sauce from spaghetti I had cooked before, added with 2 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar. Served with chili sauce or thai chili, It tasted so yummy

Spaghetti ala Atjeh

I like spicy and strong character tasted food. A couple days ago, I bought mie Aceh (Aceh noodle) near my campus. It was quite delicious, but I disappointed with the missing taste. The noodle didn’t have authentic Aceh food’s strong character like I assumed before, according to the story of my Aceh and Batak friends. The disappointment number two was I almost couldn't find the shrimps because they were so small and so slightly.

Today I made spaghetti with the recipe of mie Aceh (I found in id.wikibooks.org) with some modification. I change noodle with spaghetti because I am so lazy to walk to mini market just to buy noodle. He.. he.. :D

Ingredients
· 100 grams spaghetti, boiled for 5-8 minutes
· 100 grams shrimp
· 25 grams sliced cabbage
· 2 tomato, chopped
· 1 stalk leek, chopped
· 1 stalk celery, sliced finely
· 1 tsp. salt
· 2 tbsp. fish sauce
· 2 tbsp. soy sauce
· 3 tbsp. olive oil
· 4 garlic, sliced finely
· 3 onion, sliced finely
· 50 ml water

Paste:
· 4 cardamom
· ½ cm turmeric
· 1 tsp. roasted cumin
· 1 tsp. pepper powder
· 4 red chili
· 5 shallot
· 3 garlic
· 1 lime leaf

Preparation:
· Fry sliced garlic and shallot with olive oil until come with the aroma, then put paste. Stir until it smells fragrant. Put shrimp, water, and tomato and let it be on the boil.
· Add salt and fish sauce
· Put spaghetti cabbage, leek, and celery and add soy sauce. Stir for 2-3 minutes

Egg and Tofu Cooked With Fish-Jelly

Don’t judge by its appearance. Petis, an Indonesian authentic seasoning made from residual of fish or shrimp may have dark color and look yucky, but people in Northern Coastal Area of East Java love its exotic taste very much. Egg cooked with fish jelly spice is one of the most favorite main course in East Java.

Ingredients:
· 250 grams tofu, cut into bite-size pieces and fry half done
· 4 boiled eggs
· 500 ml coconut oil
· 3 tbsp. olive oil
· 2 tbsp. fish jelly
· 1 tsp. salt
· 10 bird's eye chili peppers (Thai pepper)
· 2 red chili, sliced finely
· 5 shallot, sliced finely
· 3 garlic, sliced finely
· 2 cm turmeric, chopped
· 4 cm finger root (Chinese ginger), chopped
· 1 cm ginger, chopped

Preparation:
· Fry shallot and garlic until it comes with the aroma, then put red chili, turmeric, finger root, and ginger. stir until it smell fragrant
· Put the spice into pan, mix with coconut milk and fish jelly and let it be on the boil.
· Put tofu, eggs, salt, and Thai pepper. Cook in low heat until the coconut milk become thick and oily

Tempe, an Indonesian culinary heritage asset

Tempe is food product made from soybeans seed fermented with Rhizopus sp. that has white to grey compact and solid shape. It is not clearly known when the production of tempe was begin, but this traditional food has been known in Java cultural system society since a couple ages ago. Serat Centhini manuscript which setting in Java 16th century, mentions a culinary named jae santen tempe or tempe cooked with coconut milk. The word tempe is guessed from ancient Java language tumpi. There was a white colored food made from sago that named tumpi in ancient Java. Fresh tempe look alike tumpi in color and texture.

I’m still couldn’t understand why in Indonesia, the word tempe has been a connotation to represent something lame and weak. For examples phrase mental tempe means coward, otak tempe (tempe brain) means stupid or fool, and bangsa tempe (tempe nation) means weak nation. The fact is that this fermented soybean has good nutrition and potentials to protect our body from free radicals. According from researchers from Bandung Technology Institute, tempe is the only vegetational protein which has phenyl cluster in its amino acids. Tempe contains diarrhea antibacterial agent and prevents us from heart attack and hypertension because it can reduce blood cholesterol. Some research show that nutrition in tempe is easier to digested than nutrition in soybean. Consumptions of tempe by malnutrition and chronic diarrhea babies and kids are proven cure the patients in short time.

Tempe is commonly consumed in Indonesia, and now has been globally used by vegetarian in many countries as substitute for meat. Some research in Germany, Japan, United Stated, and also Indonesia try to develop superior strain of Rhizopus to produce tempe faster and which has better quality and nutrition. Here is my favorite old Java tempe recipe that I can only find in homemade cooking. The name is Momoh Tempe.

Ingredients:
· 300 grams tempe, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1 eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces
· 500 ml coconut milk
· 5 green chilies, sliced finely
· 2 bay-leaf

Paste
· 5 shallot
· 3 garlic
· 1 tsp. cumin
· 1 tsp. roasted coriander
· 2 tsp. salt
· 1 tsp. roasted shrimp paste
· 2 cm turmeric

Preparation:
· Mix paste with coconut milk, cook in medium heat and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes.
· Put tempe, eggplant, chilies, and bay-leaf and stir occasionally until the coconut milk remain slightly
· You may also put 1 tsp. sugar to make more savory

The story behind

Elaeocarpus is genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs. The approximately 350 species are distributed from Madagascar in the west through India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, southern China, and Japan, through Australia to New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii in the east. The islands of Borneo and New Guinea have the greatest concentration of species. These trees are well known for their attractive pearl-like fruits that are often colorful.

When I gave the name of this blog, I was inspired by the story about one of the species from elaeocarpus -Elaeocarpus Ganitrus. In India, Elaeocarpus Ganitrus or commonly named as Rudraksha has a mythological tales that the plant was originated

from the tear drops of Lord Shiva. Rudraksha" is formed by association of two Sanskrit words, 'Rudra' and 'Aksha'. Rudra is another name of Shiva -the Hindu God of all living creatures- and "Aksha means 'tear'. One Hindu legend says that once Shiva opened his eyes after a long time dyana or yoga ,because of extreme fullfillness he shed out tear. This single tear from Shiva’s eye grew into the Rudraksha.

Rudraksha Mala or the seed of elaeocarpus which has a stone-like feel to it enjoys a very important place in the folk lore of Hindus. It is credited with mystical and divine properties and has been used by Hindus (as well as Sikhs and Buddhists) as rosary for thousands of years for meditation purposes to sanctify the mind, body, and soul. In Vedic literature, they have widely explained the beneficial properties of attracting healthy vibrations. Yogis wear it as a necklace. One cell seed or Ekamukhi Rudraksha is in great demand due to its high energy potential.

Although I don’t believe with the tale, sometimes I feel so sad to when I see and think about what happened in this land of mankind. Then, I start crying because it seems that I can’t do anything to fix them. I hope that by writing my feeling and concerns about those all problems, It can bring heal to my mind and soul, just like rudraksha mala for the one who believe in the power of elaeocarpus.

Simply Life

Living in lost generation
Trapped by fake civilization
Did not realize that this world is just an illusion

God give us so many things
Day created for living
And night for relaxing
Sun and its majestic shine
Moon and its warmth light

So why don’t we start thinking
That these all were not made for nothing
Even though life ain’t everlasting

Lets come into freedom
Freedom to be ourselves
No matter what they think
No matter what they say
No matter what they do
Follow the eternal light
And let it guide into the bright
Until we find the beauty of life

Sunshine

As time goes by
Morning sun will brighten the sky
Raindrops the night before
Unleashed the strain attached in heart sore
Let it warmth heal my sorrow
Like the blossom bloom and grow
After the rain has gone
His sweetness scent would still around