Laurel liquor (Liquore all'alloro)

Laurel liquor is a homemade liquor that made from laurel leaves, sugar and alcohol.

Ingredients:

1/2 l drinking alcohol
300 gr sugar
600 gr water
10 laurel leaves
1 sachet vanillin

Preparation:

Wash a 1-gallon glass jar and lid in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.

Wash the laurel leaves with water.

Place the laurel leaves in the prepared jar. Add the drinking alcohol and seal the jar. Allow the jar to rest for 10 days in a cool, dark place. Shaking it every 2 days to move the ingredients.

After 10 days, open the jar.

In a pan over medium heat, combine the water, sugar and vanillin . Stir until the sugar dissolves in a low heat. Allow the mixture to cool.

Strain the laurel leaves by using a cheesecloth . Discard the leaves, then slowly mix all the ingredients.

Now your laurel liquor is ready. Transfer it back into the jar or into several smaller bottles. Seal all the containers tightly.

The liquor does not need to be stored in the refrigerator, it is best to chill it before drinking.

Lemon Liquor (Limoncello)

Limoncello is an italian lemon liquor that made from lemon, liquor, and sugar. In italy, it is usually served after dinner.

Ingredients:

1/2 l drinking alcohol
300 gr sugar
600 gr water
6 large thick skinned bright yellow lemons (without scars or flaws in the skin if possible.)
1 sachet vanillin

Preparation:

Wash a 1-gallon glass jar and lid in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.

Scrub the lemons in warm water and pat dry. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from each lemon in wide strips. Be careful not to remove the white pith, which will impart a bitter flavor to the limoncello.

Place the lemon peels in the prepared jar. Add the drinking alcohol and seal the jar. Allow the jar to rest for 10 days in a cool, dark place. Shaking it every 2 days to move the ingredients.

After 10 days, open the jar.

In a pan over medium heat, combine the water, sugar and vanillin . Stir until the sugar dissolves in a low heat. Allow the mixture to cool.

Strain the lemon zest by using a cheesecloth . Discard the zest, then slowly mix all the ingredients.

Now your limoncello is ready. Transfer the limoncello back into the jar or into several smaller bottles. Seal all the containers tightly.

The limoncello does not need to be stored in the refrigerator, it is best to chill it before drinking.

Ayam masak pakai darah (Ayam Gota)

Ini menu khas Batak.

Bahan:
1 kg Ayam, di potong potong.
Darah ayam, yang telah dicampur dengan 1 sdt Garam dan 2 buah Jeruk nipis, peras, ambil airnya saja. (bisa diganti dengan hati ayam)

Bumbu Halus:
15 gram Sereh, dipotong2 kecil, disangrai
20 gram Lengkuas, dipotong2 kecil, disangrai
10 gram Jahe, dipotong2 kecil, disangrai
15 gram Kunyit, potong2 kecil, disangrai
30 gram Bawang putih, sangrai
65 gram Bawang merah, sangrai
10-15 buah Cabe rawit (atau secukupnya), digiling (buang bijinya jika tidak ingin terlalu pedas)
50 gram Kemiri, disangrai, digiling
8 gram Ketumbar, disangrai, digiling
8 gram Andaliman, digiling (tidak perlu disangrai, buang ranting2 kecilnya)
1500 ml Air matang
1-1½ sdt Garam (sesuai selera)

Cara Membuat:
Blender semua bumbu hingga halus.
Panaskan air hingga mendidih. Masukkan bumbu halus, aduk rata.
Masukkan potongan ayam, rendam dengan bumbu. Biarkan selama ± 10-15 menit hingga kuah mengental. Tutup wajan dengan tutup panci (jika ada).
Beri garam. Aduk2, masak hingga matang. Matikan api.
Segera kucurkan darah ayam yang sudah digarami. Aduk hingga benar2 rata dan darah matang.
Sajikan.

Agar Agar Jelly with coconut milk and Pandan Paste

Ingredients:

1 pack of Agar-agar powder
4 cup cold water (1 l)
80 gram palm sugar
1 cup coconut milk
2 drops of pandan paste

1 egg

Method:
1. Heat palm sugar with 3 cups of water. When it became liquid put it a part.

2. Mix well agar-agar powder with a cup of water, pandan paste and egg. And put it a part.

3. Pour coconut milk in a sauce pan. Mix it with no. 1 and no. 2. Cooking it by stirring continuously and slowly in a small heat.

4.When appears the first bubble, means that your jelly is already boil. Remove it immediately from the heat.
5. Pour into pudding mold (wet the mold with water before using) or into cups. Let it stand until cold.

6.Store it in refrigerator before serving.

Black Grass Jelly Drink

Ingre­di­ents

200 grams black Grass Jelly cut into dice, and pour it with hot water
200 grams young coconut meat
200 grams brown sugar
400 ml of water
400 ml coconut milk
2 pandan leaves

How to make:

Boil brown sugar with water until it became liquid, separate it.

Cook milk with pandan leaves. When it has boiled, lift it.
Mix the brown sugar with coconut milk and add the black grass jelly. Put it in refrigerate until it became cold. When you serve mix with Ice block as neccesary.

Enjoy the freshner of your black grass jelly drink!

Beef Rendang

I still remember the sweet moment when I worked as a social worker in Nias island, North Sumatera (Indonesia). The sweet moment with my friends. Not only that but also all the exquisit food that I ate there. In nias (Gunungsitoli), there are so many Padang restaurant. One of my favorite food is rendang.

Beef Rendang

Ingredients:

1 kilograms / 2 lbs beef tenderloin, cut into 1.5 x 2 inch cubes
2 litres/8.5 cups of coconut milk
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp serundeng (toasted coconut)
1 tbsp tamarind pulp (soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds )
salt to taste
sugar to taste


Spice paste:
10 cloves garlic
20 shallots
2 inches ginger
100 grams/ 3.5 ounces ground chilli
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
5 kaffir lime leaves (finely sliced)
6 Salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves)
3 turmeric leaves (finely slices)
3 lemongrass (white part only)
1 inch galangal
3 star anise

Method:

Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
Heat the coconut milk and spice paste to boil and stir occasionally.
Add beef, tamarind juice, black pepper, toasted coconut, salt and sugar on medium heat, stirring frequently.
Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours or until most of the liquid has evaporated the meat is really tender.
Season with additional salt and sugar if its needed. It is usually served with rice since it is quite spicy and tasty, and the rice will help tone down the spice a bit. Happy Cooking!


Tips:

If its possible cooked with wood fire. Wood fire will produce a very good aroma of rendang.
Do not use slow cooker since slow cooker help very little to evaporate the liquid.
Stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Always use fresh ingredients to bring up the aroma.
Do not use instant rendang spice as short cut.
Star anise is the key for bringing up the aroma of authentic rendang flavor.
Heat up rendang over the time will develop rendang complex taste and flavor.