Homemade Kare Raisu (Curry Rice)

We love kare raisu! However, instant curry roux is very expensive here in Indonesia. So I thought of making kare raisu from scratch. I got the inspiration from a cookbook, and modified it. The kare is not like the one made with instant curry roux, the flavoring is a bit different. A bit sweet, because I use peanut butter. My kids prefer this one than using instant curry roux.

 
Ingredients:
- 8 gr curry powder (more or less. You can add more if you like. I used curry powder in a sachet.) 
- 40 gr tomato ketchup (I used four sachets @ 10 gr)
- 1 tsp Chili powder (add more if you like spicy kare)
- 4 tbsp of oil 
- 250 gr meat of your choice (I used beef and chicken, equally delicious), cubed
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped (or vegetables of your choice. Sometimes I add sour apples like Granny Smith, string bean, etc.)
 - 150 ml coconut milk (or regular full cream milk. I used both, I think both are fine. Coconut milk has more flavor, I think.)
- 400-500 ml broth (I used homemade vegetable broth. You can add broth powder to the water, if you like)
- 4 tbsp maizena, diluted with approx. 100 ml water
- 2-3 tbsp peanut butter
- Salt, sugar, to taste. Add grated ginger if you like (1 tsp would be fine.) 

Mix curry powder + tomato ketchup + + chili powder + 1 tbsp of oil with meat. Marinade for a while. (15 minutes would be fine.)

Saute vegetable and onion and potato in 3 tbsp of oil for about five minutes.

Add meat to the pan. Stir for a minute or two.

Add broth. Mix well. After 3-5 minutes, add coconut milk/milk. Stir well.

Add peanut butter. Stir well. 

Taste. Add salt, sugar, grated ginger according to your preference. 

Simmer for 15 minutes. Add maizena+water mixture and stir until the kare thickens.

That's it! Enjoy it warm with rice.

Itadakimasu~!

Simple Recipe of the Day: Mixed Rice

Being Indonesian, I don't think I can survive, ever, without rice. I love rice mixed with other condiments. Since a Japanese friend, Y-san, shared that she liked to mix rice with peas, and sometimes with azuki beans, it opened my imagination. What a boring life I had! Sure, I had my share of risotto, nasi kuning (yellow rice), nasi uduk or even nasi liwet, but I never thought of combining rice with other things.

My belated mom once or twice mixed corn with rice. I decided to add some frozen corn to the uncooked rice before putting them in the rice cooker. They tasted so lovely. Then I ventured by adding frozen peas. Yum. Frozen vegetables. Still yum-yum. I tried rice with kidney beans (after being immersed in water for a night, naturally). Nice. Mushroom? What a delight!

I had some kabocha and thought, hey, why not? And I had some ginkgo nuts, too. I thought they'd give a unique texture to steamed rice.

I prefer soft-textured rice, so if you prefer firmer rice, adjust the water according to your taste.

The following day, I decided to use ginkgo nuts. Ginkgo nuts might be poisonous, especially to children, if they eat too many. That's why I only used 80 grams (a small package), and I used ginkgo nuts which have been peeled and cooked. I also immersed the nuts in hot water with a dash of salt before putting them in rice and water. Ginkgo nuts taste slightly bitter. I think it's an acquired taste. My son does not like it, yet he still eats it. My daughter thinks it tastes bland.

In this picture, I added a bit furikake on top of the rice. I am very fond of ginkgo nuts, so I love ginkgo rice. They are chewy and addictive. For 1 cup of rice and 80 grams of ginkgo nuts, I used 2 cups of water.

Tomorrow, I'll try making some mixed rice again. With sweet potato, perhaps? Or corn again? We shall see!

Simple Recipe of the Day: Sakura Rice Balls

Love the smell of sakura. My favorite Kit-Kat is sakura-matcha. My favorite perfume has hints of sakura in it. When I close my eyes, if I have to describe how sakura would smell, I'd say that it's romantic, sweet, and pink. Definitely pink.

Unfortunately, I have never seen real sakura (in the trees). I tried sakuranbo, and I loved it so much! Japanese cherries might not be as sweet as American ones, but it has a specific flavor and character that I love. I think sakuranbo would make better jams or syrup (compared to American cherries, the dark red and yellow type, the ones that I've tried so far) because it's slightly tart.

In my previous blog post I mentioned that my dear friend sent me some sakuracha. He was generous enough to give me two sachets of sakuracha, and now I am making good use of them. (Thanks again, Non-kun!)

After sipping the lovely (albeit slightly salty) sakuracha, I am thinking of making sakura rice balls. It's very simple and rewarding, because the smell is heavenly.

I use magic jar/rice cooker, easier for me that way. 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of rice, wash thoroughly (I use regular Indonesian white rice)

- 1 tbsp sakuracha 

- 1/2 cup of hot water

- Water

Steep sakuracha in hot water until the flowers are blooming. Add water and sakuracha to rice. Add more water. (my ratio is 1:1 for rice and water to be cooked thoroughly. I measure it by dipping my finger in rice, then add the same amount of water to it.) Cook the rice and when it is done, scoop some, form balls using your hands (I used plastic sheet to form the balls) and garnish with sakuracha (unsteeped) if you want. 

Sakuracha is preserved by salt, so you don't need to add more salt to the rice mixture. I ate sakura rice balls with chicken floss. Yummy!

Simple Recipe of the Day: Rice Balls with Tuna

Sometimes I am in the mood to whip up something elaborate. And many times, I don't really feel like cooking at all. Cooking can be tedious, especially when you are preparing your kids' lunches during week days.

When cooking, you have to be creative and crafty. What do you have in your pantry? Use those, instead of buying new ingredients. Improvise! Listen to your body and soul. If you are sluggish and don't really feel like cooking, choose something simple. Simple can be tasty and filling, too.

I made this for my kids today. I have two: Aza (9) and Chika (6). Aza likes many kinds of food. Chika can be a picky eater, but she can be coaxed to try new dishes. She does not normally like tuna, but I thought I could change her mind. (And I did! Chika ate all of her rice balls!)

For these rice balls with tuna, you will need:
- Steamed rice (give or take, 2 cups)
- 1/2 can of tuna in oil/brine
- 1 sachet of salmon furikake (you can substitute this with toasted sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and pepper to taste)

Just mix all of the ingredients. Form balls with your hands. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (I prefer black sesame). That's it!