Recipes from Indonesian Cooking Class

Spicy Sambal, Tempeh Me Goreng, and Curried Greens (with my cat waiting to steal some food)

Last Tuesday we had a really great time cooking up some delicious Indonesian food. We started by making the basic yellow sauce that is common all over Indonesia… of course I had to do some modifications because the sauce usually has shrimp paste and a ton of ingredients that I couldn’t find even at Asian markets in Portland. It took some experimenting, but alas the recipe has been tested by two classes and my family and everyone enjoyed it!!

We used the yellow sauce for the greens (green beans work really nice too) and then we made a sweet tempeh. The tempeh dish is called Tempeh Me Goreng, that has a sweet soy sauce over it, but again to make it gluten free some modifications where made and I have to say this is my favorite way to prepare tempeh now… try it, you’ll see.

The spicy sambal is something you can get creative with, depending on how hot you like your food. For the second class we had some serious spicy food lovers so I put in a habenero pepper to give it a real kick!

Indonesian Curry (serves 4)

• 4 cloves garlic
• ¼ medium onion
• 1 in. piece of turmeric
• 1 in. piece of ginger
• 1-2 chilli peppers (depending on how hot)
• juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• black pepper to taste

Mince up all the ingredients in food processor. Then use 2-3 TBS coconut oil on medium heat to sauté ingredients together for 5-10 minutes. Can use immediately or put in fridge for later use. Will keep for 1 week or more in fridge.

Mixed Greens (serves 4)

• 6-8 cups chopped greens
• Indonesian Curry + 1 cup coconut milk
• Liquid Aminos or salt to taste

Use any greens you like: spinach, kale, mustard, collard greens, or even green beans. Steam for just a couple minutes if cooking spinach or for 5 minutes for the tougher greens. Then top with Indonesian Curry and about a cup of coconut milk.  Add liquid aminos or salt to taste.

Tempeh Me Goreng (serves 4)

• 1 package organic tempeh
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ medium onion
• 2 TBS agave or maple syrup
• 3 TBS liquid aminos (coconut or soy)
• 1 TBS black strap molasses

Traditionally the tempeh is deep-fried first, but since we are already going to be sautéing them with the onion and garlic there is no need to fry them beforehand unless you want them crunchy. Slice the tempeh into thin strips. Use 2-3 TBS coconut oil on medium heat to sauté chopped onion until slightly brown. Add garlic and tempeh and cook until golden. Mix in the agave, aminos, and black strap molasses. Ready to serve and enjoy!!!

Sambal Oelek (Spicy Sauce)

• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 2 red chilli peppers
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 TBS rice wine or apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave or maple syrup
• salt to taste

Finely chop the peppers and garlic. Sauté over medium heat to soften and add vinegar until starts to thicken. Add agave and salt to taste. Stores in refrigerator for a couple of weeks.