Satay Madura - Lamb Satay

I first had this satay at an Indonesian restaurant called Bali Nusa Indah located on 9th Ave in NY city a few weeks ago and I was hooked - grilled meat on a stick, smothered in dark and sweet sauce- what is there not to like ( well....the fried rice was awesome too, tasted like it came straight from a warung ( a traditional Malay coffee shop) but I was hooked on the satay.

This is the Javanese rendition of the satay, different from what I am used to in Malaysia - it is made spicier with a mixture of fresh turmeric root, lemongrass, dried chillies made into a paste and the meat is then marinated in this paste for a few hours. I found the Satay Madura version easier as there is no spice paste to be pounded ( I use my mortar and pestle for making spices pastes) ahead of time. All I needed to do was a bit whisking, cutting and skewering. Grill for a few minutes and dinner is served!

The main ingredient for the sauce is Indonesian kecap manis/ketjap manis. It is sweetened with palm sugar and not salty like the traditional soy sauce which gives the satay a deep caramelized flavor. It is sometimes available at oriental grocery stores ( and waaaay cheaper than buying it online) or purchase it here.The addition of lime juice adds brightness to this dish.

I usually soak the bamboo skewers for at least 3 hours before using - otherwise the skewers would disintegrate on the bbq! I served the satay with quartered shallots and cucumber as per tradition and oh yes, the ubiquitous peanut sauce - see recipe here



Sate Madura
Feel free to use any meat of your choice ( tofu for vegetarians) for this satay.

1 lb lamb - cut into bite sized cubes
1/2 cup sweet soy sauce
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tb fresh lime juice
salt to taste
4 shallots - peeled and quartered
1/2 cucumber - peeled and cubed to bite sized pieces
1 small green chillies - thinly sliced - optional
bamboo skewers , soaked in water for at least 3 hrs

Mix sweet soy sauce, black pepper, lime juice ( and sliced green chilies if using - I like a bit of heat) in a bowl and taste, add salt as needed. Add one tablespoon of sauce to the cubed meat and skewer meat.
Grill satay for 2 minutes on each side - baste with the sauce while grilling.
Douse grilled satay with leftover sauce and serve with peanut sauce prepared shallots and cucumber.

Cherry Crisp

This week's TWD was chosen by Like Sprinkles On a Cupcake.
The rhubarb season is long gone here and I did not have any stashed away in the freezer like some of TWD members. But I found the tastiest cherries at the grocery store and I went to work to pit it with a pitter. I have pitted cherries with a knife in the past and what a waste of time it was. The $12.00 I spent on the heavy duty cherry pitter was totally worth it!



I had made mini cobblers last month and was not keen in making it again. I was hankering for some fruits crisp and that it is what I ended up making The recipe for the fruit filling was from Dorie's book and it can be found here. I made the crisp topping with some of my favourite ingredients - brown sugar, butter, sweetened shreds of coconut and a dash of aromatic Tahitian vanilla. I baked it till the tops are brown, around 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. The tops were golden brown and and the fruits held their shape ( I am not a big fan of mushy baked berries). The baked crisp had a hint of almond flavour to it although I did not add any almond extract to topping of the filling. The verdict - a great dessert to make with minimum effort - a winner in my books. And it more than satisfied my craving! Below is the recipe for the crisp topping.

Crisp Topping
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tb all purpose whole wheat flour
1/2 cup shredded sweet coconut

Add all ingredients together and cut into flour with two forks until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit filling.

Cool Down

One a hot day like this nothing would be better than a bowl of cendol (chen-dul). Cendol is shaved ice topped with creamy coconut milk, noodles brightly coloured by daun pandan (screwpine leaves), red beans and creamed corn. There is also a version of this with glutinous rice ( pulut). This is topped off with a drizzle of palm syrup...or in my case a puddle of palm syrup - it is the best part cendol !




The best cendol are the ones found in hawker stalls and food courts in Malaysia. This was my afternoon snack on most days ! All palm sugars are not created the same. There are several varieties of palm trees such as kitul, palmyra, sugar plan and coconut palm. The variety grown in Malaysia is sugar palm ( Arenga saccharifera). Palm trees have to be around 15 years of age to be able to produce sweet sap from which palm sugar is made. Palm sugar is also known as gula melaka .

Chocolate Pudding

The recipe for Tuesdays With Dorie this week is Chocolate Pudding chosen by Its Melissa's Kitchen. I have fond memories of pudding.... This is one of the simplest dessert my mom would make for us ( this and her best ever orange cake in a moments notice). My personal favourite is corn pudding. I would devour it while it was still hot with a splash of warmed milk on it. I would help myself to a large bowl of this wonderful, soul soothing dessert while watching my mom spoon the rest of the creamy pudding into generous bowls for my brothers. That would be my meal for the rest of the day! And no, I still do not have the recipe for her corn pudding - I will have to work on it this fall when I visit her.




Back to Dorie's recipe - this is a quick and easy recipe with stunning results. It is rich, velvety smooth and not too sweet. The flavours were bolder and the pudding remained smooth the next day. A great make ahead dessert.


It is a cornstarch pudding made with good quality chocolate, hot milk , sugar and enriched with some butter and eggs - ingredients that can be found in my pantry. The mixture is then cooked and then the whole thing goes into the food processor for a few pulses. Cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours as recommended in the book and serve - with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

The recipe can be found at this site.

Gado Gado

This blanched vegetables salad topped with sweet and spicy peanut sauce used to part of the daily offerings at my school canteen ( we used to call it the "tuck shop") . As we all know most kids love anything with lots of sauce and I was no exception.

The best of part of this salad for me is the peanut dressing. I love the sweet and slightly spicy and aromatic peanut sauce(I always get extra sauce with satay). What I have here is the simple and straightforward version of Gado-Gado, made with ingredients that were available at my local grocery store.

You could blanch the vegetable ahead of time and serve it cold if you wish and grill instead of frying the blocks of tofu ( you could also use tempeh if you wish and I prefer my tempeh fried). The peanut sauce, tofu and potatoes give this dish a bit more heft and it will keep you satisfied!




Gado Gado

Peanut Sauce:
6 dried chilis - soaked in hot water for 1 hr
4 shallots - peeled
2 clove garlic - peeled
1/4 tsp belachan (shrimp paste) - optional
3/4 cup roasted peanuts - skinned
1 /2 tb tamarind pulp mixed in 2 tb water
2 tb vegetable oil
3 tb brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk
salt to taste
1 lemongrass - bruised
1 piece dried galangal


Soak dried chilis in hot water till softened. Drain chillis and blend chilis, shallots, belachan ( if using) and garlic in 1/4 cup water until smooth. Pour paste in small bowl and set aside.

Pulse roasted peanuts and 1/2 cup water 10 times in a blender ( will be chunky) or longer if you prefer a smoother consistency.

Heat oil on a large pot and saute chili paste with galangal and lemongrass on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Pour in blended peanuts, diluted tamarind, coconut milk, brown sugar, salt and bring to a boil. Add more coconut milk if the sauce is too spicy for you ( leftover coconut milk can be frozen). Discard lemongrass and galangal before serving.

Vegetables:
1 cup of cabbage - cut bite sized
5 long beans - cut on 1 1/2 in bias
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 potato - cubed and boiled
2 eggs - boiled and quartered
1/2 cucumber - julienned
2 pieces tofu - shallow fried and cut into bite sized cubes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil . Have a large bowl ready with cold water and set aside.
Blanch chopped cabbage, long beans and bean sprouts for 1 minute, drain and set in the bowl of cold water to stop the vegetables from cooking any further. Drain well. Mix all ingredients together and serve topped with peanut sauce. Makes 2 large servings and 4 smaller servings.

Herb Deviled Eggs

Brad has been requesting for deviled eggs for a long time. I decided to make some for his birthday soiree this past weekend. Deviled eggs are hard boiled eggs with various flavorings added to the finely mashed egg yolks such as mayonnaise, mustard, fresh herbs, relish, freshly ground black pepper and whatever else you fancy and a light dusting of sweet paprika for a traditional touch. Deviled supposedly originated from Rome and are sometimes called eggs mimosa.


I went out on my patio garden for inspiration while the eggs were boiling away in an already hot kitchen. My herbs have been growing like crazy. ...do you have a garden? What is growing in your garden?

I cut off some fragrant dill and chives to add to the finely mashed yolks. I piped the creamy yolks into the egg whites but you could also place mounds of mashed yolk with a teaspoon, that would work too. You make these ahead of time and serve when the guests arrive or pack it in a cooler and tote it for good ol fashion picnic. We had ours with a glass of cool white wine on the patio.

Herb Deviled Eggs
6 medium eggs
1/4 cup + 1 tb mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp finely chopped chives
1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Hard boil eggs in a large pot. Cool eggs.
Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Remove the egg yolks and finely mash it. I used a sieve and the back a wooden spoon to press the eggs through the sieve. Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Pipe or mound mashed yolk mixture into egg whites. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Blueberry Tart

It is that time of the week again. I know, it has been really hot here and my colleagues looked at me like I have lost my marbles when I said that I was planning to turn on the oven Monday night. But I did not mind as I love blueberry anything!

I decided to make a tart instead of a double crusted pie. I made a lovely cake and iced it on Sunday for Brad's birthday ( and sent the rest of the cake to his office on Monday) and did not feel like eating another huge dessert on Monday night..but we did anyway, resistance is futile when it comes to dessert in my house.

The pastry was easy enough - I used my food processor to make the pie crust and it turned out nice and flaky. I really liked the filling - it had the right amount of sweetness and a bit of lemon juice and zest to brighten it up. I could have had a whole bowl of the filling. Sorry guys - no recipe today as the group decided not to publish any of Dorie's recipe. I know - I have published her recipe in the past but since this as TWD event I will have to honour the rules of the group.

I served it with whipped cream and it hit the spot. Or serve it warm from the oven with a scoop of ice cream - make it a large scoop!

Cherry Tomato Salad

I have made this salad quite a few times this summer already. It has been handy when I have a brain freeze as to what to make for a side dish especially in the middle of the week. I do not have much time anymore to lounge around the house. I am still getting used to my work schedule ...it has been over a month, I should be used to it by now! At least I am not as tired as I used to be. I would come home from work, drop my keys and bag on the living room floor and walk over to the couch and that would be it. I would be completely drained ... and take out sushi was a life saver on those days :)


I will be honest with you. This salad is not a revelation, it simple and straightforward. It has a few ingredients coming together very quickly. All you need to do is some chopping, a little whisking and let it sit in the fridge for a bit and it is ready. And the leftovers are great for lunch...which is always a good thing in my book.

I used a tub of mini bocconcini that I got from Trader Joe's called "perlini". It is shaped like little balls, all you have to do is drain it and toss it in the tomatoes It tastes wonderful, creamy and absorbs all the lovely flavours of the freshly chopped herbs and dressing of the salad. Bocconcini is usually made from a combination of cow's and buffalo's milk. The ones that I have used here were made from cow's milk. These little cheese balls are packed in whey or water.

Fresh Cherry Tomato Salad
1 pint cherry tomato
8 oz bocconcini - drained
1 Tb flat parsley -chopped
1 Tb basil - chopped
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tb olive oil
1 1/2 Tb balsamic vinegar

Chop all the fresh herbs and set aside.
Wash and halve cherry tomatoes and set aside.
Whisk olive oil and vinegar in large bowl. Add tomatoes, drained cheese and chopped fresh herbs to the dressing. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
I usually set the salad covered, in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving at room temperature. And I also happen to love to sop up the dressing left on my plate with a hunk of crusty baguette!