Black Rice

Indonesian black rice (not glutinous rice), is one of the several varieties of black rice.It is a deep black color and turns deep purple when cooked. It has a relatively high mineral content (including iron), the grain has a similar amount of fiber to brown rice, and like brown rice, it has a mild, nutty taste.

(Black rice served with deep fried chicken and tofu)

During my holiday in Bandung, my second hometown, I happened to enjoy some of the local favorite dishes of Sundanese cuisine (West Javan): black rice, brown rice, and rice mixed with oncom. Oncom is a secondary product from the production of other foods. It's made from fermented groundnut and soybean, fermented using molds.

(Brown rice served with deep fried chicken)

The below 'Nasi tutug oncom' or rice mixed with oncom, served with gepuk (sweet smashed fried beef), crispy fried tofu and sambal (special chili sauce)

(Nasi tutug oncom or rice mixed with oncom)

Tadaima!

I am back home! Back from my 'kampung' (hometown), a small town of Central Java, visiting my family and friends three weeks wasn't long enough..
Eat, eat and eat... that's all I did so not much to share except some shots from my 'kampung'..

(Egg serabi) 

 (Plain serabi)

The above pictures are 'serabi', an Indonesian traditional delicacy made from rice flour and coconut milk, and palm sugar, sweet and rich in flavor. Every province or city has different kind of serabi, in my hometown serabi could be served plain or cooked with egg or banana. 

(Teh Poci) 

The above 'Teh Poci' is a traditional tea pot from Central Java, made from clay and used to serve strong jasmine tea with strong aroma and normally served with rock sugar. 

(Ketupat)

Ketupat is a kind of rice cooked in a woven palm leaves, boiled for hours so it has a firm texture and served with dishes like curry.

(Salak and banana)

Salak is a tropical fruit native to Indonesia, believed to be a high nutrient fruit and could ease diarrhea but don't eat too much otherwise you will have constipation..

(Kenanga flower)

 (Mango tree)

The 'kenanga' flower and mango tree  are from our backyard, the mango tree has been producing sweet and delicious mangoes for nearly twenty years!

Ayam Goreng Tulang Lunak

Ayam goreng tulang lunak (Soft-bone fried chicken) is a deep fried chicken with edible crispy bones. I tend to make a fuss about eating fried chicken when it comes to washing my hand but neither toilet or hand washer available in the restaurant, so this soft-bone cuisine is a fuss free since I can easyly use spoon and fork to eat the whole chicken with all the bones, and surely there will be no left-over bones for a big eater.

This morning I made my way to this Indonesian restaurant located in Jones street, Ultimo-Sydney. They serve a range of Indonesian food from Gado-gado (vegetables with peanut dressing) to 'cah kangkung' (stir fried water cres) but the one caught my intention was this Soft-bone fried chicken, so I ordered a special set comprises soft-bone fried chicken, rice, 'sambal' (Indonesian chili sauce), and 'sayur asem' (sour dish or tamarind dish), a popular Indonesian vegetable soup which is a perfect compliment for fried chicken.

Soft-bone fried chicken

And yes I did eat the whole chicken with all the bones, yum... :) It's not merely because I am a big eater but some says that bone is a great source of calcium and iron which is important for our body, or is it just an excuse?

Update:

ATL Maranatha has moved to: 61 Todman avenue Kensington (corner of Todman ave and Baker st)

Deep fried fish

It's a nice Sunday! 

The weather has been unfriendly over the past few days with gusty wind and heavy rain all week causing disaster in some of northern region, but today is a nice break. I didn't have any plan for this weekend apart from my weekly shopping and cooking, and today's lunch special was deep fried fish in sweet and sour sauce from my own kitchen.

Deep fried fish in sweet & sour sauce

My favorite fish for home cooking especially deep fried is Burumundi but today just couldn't find the right size, all the burumundi was about 2 kilos at least, just way too big.. so I tried Talapia, and it's not bad though.

Breakfast at Waroeng Ethnic

Having breakfast in a cafe? sounds a bit strange for me since most of the cafe in town serve lunch and dinner only, that was my first response when a friend asking me to have breakfast at Waroeng Ethnic, a small cafe at Jl. Rancabentang, Ciumbuleuit Bandung.
Yes, my friend proved me wrong! This cafe is open from 7 o'clock in the morning and serves some light western and Indonesian food for breakfast. The cafe looks so 'green' and homy, nestled in a hill area and far away from the busy and crowded city area.


A couple couch-set inside the main room, a small swimming pool with some teak-wood furnitures and patios in the backyard deliver a relaxing and homy atmosphere.

We had some cheese sandwich with omelette and mie tek-tek (Indonesian style noodle) and I also tried their freshly brewed 'Kopi tubruk', a traditional Indonesian black coffee.

Mie tek-tek (Indonesian style noodle)

Cheese sandwich with omelette

If a cozy looking place and a relaxing ambience are what you seek, this cool cafe offers a quiet environment and good food at an affordable price.

Sierra Cafe and Lounge

A best friend drove all the way from Jakarta just to pay me a visit after about 4 years we hadn't got a chance to catch-up! After having a bowl of 'yamien' (noodle) we came up with an idea to have a drink at Sierra Cafe & Lounge.

City's view from the cafe

This cafe located at Jl. Bukit Pakar no 33, Dago Pakar, a hill area of Bandung. The cafe has a cozy lounge, indulging ambience and a stunning view of Bandung's city light at night.
The western and Japanese food served at this cafe are ok even not my favorite though, so we just had some milk shake and a soup, gossiping about our old friends and times when we were colleagues, just for the old times' sake!

Food Safari

I've been traveling to 5 cities during my first week only in this country, what a tight and tiring schedule since I got to catch up with some friends and join my big family's gathering, yet I did enjoy my trip and off course my food hunting!

Here are some of my yummy pictures taken during my year-end holiday trip, started with the famous Singapore Chili Crab.

Singapore Chili Crab at Long Beach Restaurant, East Coast-Singapore

Kangkung with garlic at Long Beach Restaurant

Nasih Gudeg Manggar (Rice with gudeg) from Eva Coffee House in Bedono-Ambarawa, Central Java. I was on my way up to Bandungan, a highland resort in Central Java.

Gudeg is a traditional food originated from Yogyakarta a city of Central Java, made from stewed young jackfruit, slow cooked in coconut milk and usually topped with egg, chicken, tofu and spicy ox skin.

Bubur gudeg (Porridge with gudeg) served on banana leaves at Gudeg Yu Tien Muntilan, it was my breakfast in Muntilan, 30 minutes drive from Yogjakarta.

Fried Rice with egg, beef jerky, baked bean and chicken nuggets.
It's my breakfast at Susan Spa and Resort, Bandungan-Central Java

Nasi Pecel, a famous local food at Goa Maria Kerep, Ambarawa
(Rice with pecel, a mix of vegetables, bean sprout, and noodle with peanut dressing)

Soto Sangka, my favorite Soto (Soup with chicken, bean sprout, peanut) from my hometown