Cassava Leaves Curry

Cassava is a growing staple food that can feed the starving people of the world.  Most Westerners knows cassava as the tapioca plant, the root are made into tapioca for your tapioca pudding, and the cooked roots taste a lot like potato.  Cassava leaves and roots are high in hydrocyanic acid which is poisonous, but when cooked, the acid disappears, and be sure to discard the water the leaves are boil in. Cassava leaves must be cooked for at least 10 minutes.

Cassava leaves don’t have much flavor and absorb any flavoring that you add. So adding spices, meats, and other veggies enhances the flavor.  Cassava leaves are a staple in Indonesian cooking.

Cassava leaves curry is one of the dishes you can find easily when you visit a Padang restaurant which I almost always choose whenever I eat there.  In West Sumatera, this curry is usually made from fiddlehead, that’s why they call it “gulai daun paku”. However cassava leaves are widely used in making this dish. If you have trouble finding cassava leaves, you can actually substitute them with equal amount of kale, but be sure to discard the hard part of the leaves.

For those who don’t know,  100 grams of cooked cassava leaves provides about 3.7 grams of protein which is pretty good for a green leafy veggie. And the leaves contain different types of proteins comparable to eggs and soybeans. And cassava leaves contain lysine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, and lots of arginine which are not common in green leafy plants… thus making it a great protein source. The amazing protein content of cassava leaves is also comparable to sweet potato leaves and peanut leaves, and up to 10 times more protein is found in cassava leaves than in the roots.

Cassava Leaves Curry

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         2 bunch of cassava leaves (about 300 gram), washed and drained

·         1 inch fresh galangal, bruised

·         1 lemongrass, bruised

·         2 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon sugar

·         1 teaspoon dried shrimp, brewed, roasted, mashed

·         100 gram fried anchovies (I use ‘teri medan’)

·         1 fresh turmeric leaf

·         600 ml water

·         400 ml  thick coconut milk

·         Oil for frying

Spice for the paste:

·         10 shallots

·         4 cloves garlic

·         3 red chilies

·         2 inch fresh turmeric, burned

Directions:

1.       Boil the cassava leaves with salt until tender. Set aside to drain, then roughly slice.

2.       Heat oil in a frying pan, fry the anchovies until golden brown, set aside.

3.       Put all ingredients for the seasoning paste in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth (add a little bit of oil to help the blending process if necessary).

4.       Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan, stir-fry the paste with galangal, lemongrass, and turmeric leaf until fragrant. Add the dried shrimp.  Mix well.

5.       Transfer the paste to a larger saucepan. Add in the water and bring to boil over medium heat. Add the cassava leaves which have been roughly sliced.  Pour in the thick coconut milk, bring to boil then reduce the heat while continue stirring for 15-20 minutes. Add the fried anchovies.

6.       Adjust the seasoning, add salt and sugar to taste.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         2 ikat daun singkong (sekitar 300 gram), cuci dan tiriskan

·         3 cm lengkuas, memarkan

·         1 batang serai, memarkan

·         2 sendok teh garam

·         1 sendok the gula pasir

·         1 sendok the ebi, sangria dan haluskan

·         1 lembar daun kunyit

·         600 ml air

·         400 ml santan kental

Bumbu halus:

·         10 butir bawang merah

·         4 siung bawang putih

·         3 buah cabe merah

·         5 cm kunyit, dibakar

Cara:

1.       Rebus daun singkong dan 1 sendok teh garam dalam 1.000 ml air sampai matang.  Angkat, tiriskan, peras, dam iris kasar.  Sisihkan.

2.       Panaskan minyak, goring ikan teri medan setengah matang. Sisihkan.

3.       Blender semua bahan untuk bumbu halus.

4.       Panaskan 2 sendok makan minyak. Tumis bumbu halus, lengkuas, serai, dan daun kunyit sampai harum. Masukkan ebi, aduk rata.

5.       Pindahkan ke dalam panci yang lebih besar.  Tuang air dan masak hingga hampir mendidih.  Masukkan irisan daun singkong.  Tuang santan kental dan masak sampai mendidih sambil terus diaduk.  Masukkan ikan teri medan, aduk rata.

6.       Tambahkan garam dan gula sesuai selera. 

Baked Chicken Teriyaki

Growing up in Jakarta with many Japanese restaurants, I had my fair share of teriyaki meat. I’ve tried lots of recipes and store products, but could never quite replicate the smell and flavors that I remember.  Until now.  These are absolutely the best teriyaki chicken thighs I have ever made and quite easy to make.

As a mother, sometimes all I want is to throw something in the oven and be done with it.  Not every meal needs to be super glamorous, but should taste great. This baked chicken teriyaki recipe is something quick and delicious on the go to try.

Yesterday, I decided to take this family favorite and bake it. Prepare this in the middle of the day and let them marinate. The marinade and glaze is to die for. You can never go wrong with an amazing homemade teriyaki glaze.  And baking the chicken still keeps it light and delicious.  Perfect served over some steamed rice and a side of vegetables, and the best part… the entire family devoured it!

Baked Chicken Teriyaki (adapted from allrecipes)

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         12 chicken thighs

·         ½  teaspoon ground black pepper

·         1 teaspoon ground ginger

·         2 clove garlic, minced

·         ½ cup cider vinegar

·         1 cup soy sauce

·         1 cup white sugar

·         2 tablespoon cold water

·         2 tablespoon cornstarch

·         2 stalks of scallion, chopped
·         1 teaspoon sesame seed (optional)

Directions:

1.       In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, ground black pepper, and sesame seed.  Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. Let it cool in room temperature.

2.       Transfer ½ of the sauce to a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken.  Seal bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once, for 1 hour.  The chicken can be marinated for up to 4 hours.

3.       Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

4.       Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased baking dish. Brush chicken with the remaining sauce.  Turn pieces over, and brush again.

5.       Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.  Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

6.       Serve with warm steamed rice and vegetables, drizzle with remaining cooked sauce and garnish with chopped scallions.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         12 paha ayam

·         ½  sendok teh merica hitam bubuk

·         1 sendok teh jahe parut

·         2 siung bawang putih, cincang halus

·         ½ cup cuka apel

·         1 cup soy sauce

·         1 cup gula pasir

·         2 sendok makan air dingin

·         2 sendok makan maizena

·         2 batang daun bawang, iris
·         1 sendok teh wijen (optional)

Cara:

1.       Dalam panci kecil di atas api kecil, campur maizena, air dingin, gula, kecap asin, cuka, bawang putih, jahe, merica hitam, dan wijen.  Biarkan mendidih sambil diaduk, sampai saus mengental dan berbusa. Biarkan dingin.

2.       Tuang ½  saus ke dalam resealable plastic bag, masukkan ayam. Marinasi ayam di dalam lemari pendingin selama 1 sampai 4 jam.

3.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 425 derajat F (220 derajat C).

4.       Susun paha ayam dalam wadah tahan panas yang telah diolesi minyak. Olesi permukaan ayam dengan saus. Balikkan dan olesi permukaan satunya dengan saus.

5.       Panggang selama 30 menit. Balikkan posisi ayam dan panggang lagi selama 30 menit sampai matang dan mengeluarkan kaldu. Olesi dengan saus setiap 10 menit selama pemanggangan.

6.       Sajikan bersama nasi hangat dan sayuran, tuang sisa saus yang sudah dipanaskan kembali dan taburi dengan irisan daun bawang.