Makan Dulu

Kalo ini gift dari temen utk anak-anak. Lutju jg krn ada Timtam yg buatan Ina.

Lengkap..ada tempe...telur...dan...

Hmm kalo ini mah...nasi goreng ala rumah yg bikin betah mkn di rmh.

Nasi Goreng ala Dapur Kediri

For brunch....we had nasi goreng. This one is simply different from the usual nasi goreng we're used to make.

The recipe is my Dad's. He cooked a plate of delicious nasi goreng with his secret ingredient!!!

As it turned out.....there's no secret at all. He told me over the phone last night....and zapped here it is....nasi goreng ala dapur Bapak di Kediri.

...simplicity brings out the best...

Nasi Goreng Buatan Bapak

Our father made this special dish: nasi goreng.

Entah apanya....yg pasti...sangat enak dan seperti ada bumbu khas rahasia yg hanya Bapak yg tahu.^^

Terima kasih, Pak. Last week...I once again got the privilege to savor this priceless nasi goreng. 

All About Food I Encountered Along the Way (From Bogor - Bandung - Jogja - Kediri - Seoul Again)

After spending a 3-hour bus ride from the airport to Bogor, I was so haplessly hungry...and just as I stepped out of the car right in front of home (in Bogor), I smelled irresistible temptation from nasi goreng from a street vendor...^^ Yup, that's one of the utmost happiness of going back home....^^ 

and tempe...yes...yes ..yes..tempe.! plus, Budhe cooked some sayur asem for me to try!

superb!!!! home-made meal!!! 

  

ok..what is it? Oh, this is the fried rice I booked on a train on my trip from Bandung to Jogja.

They made a special vegetarian nasi goreng for me!^^  

Now...in Jogja...the first thing I wanted to have was PIZZA HUT. ㅋㅋㅋ I mean...it's a completely different world since Pizza HUT in Indonesia for Indonesian like me is way more palatable than the one in Korea, of course. ^^ and it's HALAL.^^ 

Still in Jogja....I sampled a long-lost 'friend' called wedhang ronde (a traditional Javanese beverage made of ginger, fermented sticky-rice or glutinous rice-ball, kolang-kaling (gee..I don't know what it is in English), and ground peanuts...well...it sounds so horrible..but not for an average Javanese guy like me...^^ ㅋㅋㅋ 

Then..off I went to my hometown in Kediri, East Java...

The first day..I went to a local market with my Mom. Hmm...devouring myself to the freshness of vegetables.... 

But then...ㅋㅋㅋ....at night..again..I stuck to another temptation of having a pizza. Well..not for me..it's a treat from me to my nieces....^^ ok...a big box of pizza....again...^^ 

Still, in Kediri....I wouldn't have called my going back home a COMPLETE one before sampling the famous SOTO BRANGGAHAN.  

ok..another adventure in devouring myself to all of the street vendor. This one a fresh orange juice. Just for a mere 5,000 Rupiah for each cup, I could quench my thirst. 

oh...gulali....!! I remembered having one of this gulali back then..when I was in my elementary school.

Not..the black one is gulali (a traditional candy made of coconut sugar or we as Javanese call it 'gula Jawa'-Javanese candy).

Oh, the big round ones in front are simply crackers.made from rice-powder.

...and.....another nasi goreng!! oh, the best I had since I stepped my feet in Kediri. 

This one ..thanks to my brother-in-law who insisted me on having a dip into the nasi goreng he liked to eat at Jalan Dhoho (the main thoroughfare in Kediri). Ok..I admitted it. 

 

oh, nanas! pineapples. these ones are called nanas madu 'honey pineapple'. 

Gee..I got to got to climb up Kelud Volcano just to find these fruits. 

Yup..and it's worth it. 

Back home..the 2nd day of Ramadan (I guess), another home-made food. Simple, eh? 

and...oh.. oh ...oh...my Mom bought me a fermented glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf. 

yes...it surely had some alcohol in it since it's fermented. zzzzz...ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Gosh...I want to have one again....already. 

ok...it's not something for me since it's mostly made of fish and beef. Yep..abon or beef floss....that my wife asked me to buy for her. ...and..Amplang...a traditional fish-crackers from Kalimantan. The latter is an oleh-oleh (present) from our friend mbak Ulfa (who used to be our neighbor in Seoul before she returned to Indonesia a year ago). 

Back to Jogja..the 5th day of Ramadan.

We're having a breaking-the-fast fiesta at Lombok Ijo (one of the famous Indonesian restaurant chains, in Jogjakarta at least ㅋㅋㅋ). I mean..just look at that..as the name suggested..LOMBOK IJO or green CHILLY....this restaurant serves its signature....SAMBAL or chilly sauce...in traditional way. 

Bon Appetite, Suray. oh..of course, I was not enjoying the chicken, grilled fish etc. Instead....or thank GOD..they have TEMPE and TAHU (tofu) for me to dig in.^^ 

what about this? oh, it's just a simple home-made dish. very humble, right?

my brother-in-law Om DIDIK made the KOLAK (banana mixed in coconut milk)...a kind of dessert or appetizer ....mostly prepared during Ramadan Month. oh, there's ...hmm salad. and tempe again and again. 

Back home to Seoul...dadadaa....Rapukki 라뽁이....hehehe...

savored it with my daughter. 

and..oh...I got a package of fresh PAPRIKA from Gyeongsangbukdo Province...specially delivered by our friend there. 

and...another Ramadan delicacies...a home-made one. None other than 

dawet dan es buah.

Happy Ramadan, Suray.

Bakmi & Nasi Goreng Pak Pele

For most Jogjakartans, Pak Pele is not unfamiliar. In fact, Pak Pele is a trademark for nasi goreng (fried fried)--the traditional fried rice prepared on a traditional stoves as seen on the picture below. 

The fried rice is prepared by using charcoal, instead of modern-day cooking utensil--and this is the recipe that's been handed down for years. And..I think this is what makes this fried rice its authentic taste and flavor--unchallenged by any other standard. 

Located at the northern city square right next to the Sultanate Palace, this banner may look like so oddly shaped and outdated that...first timers would be easily turned off by the fact that 'Pak Pele' is simply a street vendor!!! 

But..boy oh boy...the taste of Pak Pele's signature nasi goreng (fried rice) never fails to impress me. ^^

Bye Bye, Yogyakarta...till we meet again. I do hope that you're recovering soon after being showered by the volcanic ash from Kelud Volcano for the past few days.

Be strong!!!

Food Empire @ IFC Mall

We got dinner at Food Empire at IFC Mall. As the name suggests, it does cater the need of international travelers or any foreign nationals living in Korea. As for us, Indonesians, going to this Food Empire really brings us back to our home. Yes, seriously. For instance, I could eat nasi goreng (fried rice) Indonesian style or Thai-style--using SOUTHEAST ASIAN rice...not Korean rice...:)

so, I could say that they are authentic fried rice.:-) and the taste..hmmm....really great.

Even they have krupuk or crackers to accompany the main menu. 

So, apart from ordering seafood nasi goreng, we also ordered vegetable curry at Indian restaurant 'Mombai'. The curry also tasted good. 

At first...it was a bit empty since it's not even yet 6 o'clock in the evening.  

Then...came along our first great pratta  in Korea. Yeaaaaach I finally had a really good Pratta again. I love Indian bread back home. I used to be a regular customer at an Indian restaurant in Yogyakarta. Oh, I missed this. Although of course I could just go to any Indian restaurant in Korea, but..this was --simply the best.

and..this was also the first nasi kuning (yellow rice) I ever tasted during our dine-out experiences. 

As for the kids, they already got their fried noodle, so they were not really into the pratta that I ordered, after all, they were too spicy for them.  

Pratta bread, yellow rice, curry, and I-don't-know-what spicy soup....+ red onions. 

This is Silk Spice where we could order any kind of nasi goreng or fried rice. I think I could go here again and again..just to sample the food and relax after long-hours of work. 

Then...what would be better than having a cup of yogurt ice cream as the dessert?

But..the kids ate them all. Oh, well.... 

What I like about IFC Mall and its food court is the fact that this mall resembles what malls should be like. heheheehe. I mean...Korea has just recently developed its mall-concept into what we already had since the 1990's in Indonesia. 

Compared to Grand Indonesia, Senayan City, or Taman Anggrek..malls in Korea are still small in size:) But at least...this IFC Mall or (D-Cube:) in Seoul...have become a treat for me. 

(gosh...oh no.....I am a mall-freak). Well..yes...not that I am into shopping...it's just an infatuation that could be rendered to as...a 'happy' therapy-session after work or after class..or especially after assignment and paper writing. 

now..Eyra..you'r done with your ice cream?  so, let's go out and go on to our next venue....(Daddy got to go somewhere)

Just as we got out of the Food Empire, other restaurants started to be full and I saw a lot of lines of people....queuing just..to be seated at other restaurants.

That's how popular IFC Mall is.