post written by my husband chris for #manmonday.
{the OTHER techy/nerdy/foodie in the house.}
So I served a mission for my church in Holland and Belgium. These two countries are beautiful and rich in culture. One of my fears prior to making the move to Europe (being somewhat a fan of flavor) was that the food would be bland and boring; potatoes and maybe some flavorless meat. Turns out there’s all kinds of food available for the taking. Turkish, Moroccan, Traditional Dutch, and one of my favorites, Indonesian. Having been governed by the Dutch for many years, many traditional Indonesian dishes made their way to the tiny country of the Netherlands. So if you’re feeling adventurous, try what has been my favorite Indonesian dish: Bami Goreng, flavorful noodles with chicken and veggies and served with chicken cooked in a peanut sauce on top. I’ve also included a couple complimentary dishes: Acar Bening, which is a simple cucumber salad, and Pisang Goreng, a delicious banana dessert.
Eet Smakelijk!
BAMI GORENG
Ingredients
12 oz. Chinese egg noodles
4 eggs
5 tablespoons oil
4 cups chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1 onion, sliced into thin wedges
1 cup shredded carrots
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon sambal oelek (Indonesian Red Chili Paste)
8 tablespoons ketjap manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Follow the directions on the package for cooking the Chinese egg noodles. Drain and set aside.
Beat the eggs and cook them omelet style in a frying pan (Don’t fold over the egg). Remove the omelet from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, cut the omelet into 1/2 strips.
Heat oil in a large wok. Sauté the chicken with the minced garlic, ground ginger, ground coriander, and chicken broth until chicken is white on the outside (doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through). Add the sliced onion, shredded carrots, sliced leek, and ketjap manis and sauté approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Add sambal oelek and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced omelet and noodles and mix together over medium heat.
ACAR BENING (Cucumber salad )
Ingredients
1 large cucumber, peeled
1/2 teasp salt
1 tablesp vinegar
1/2 teasp sugar
1 chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 green onion stalk, sliced into thin rings
Directions
Slice the cucumber into very thin slices. Place the cucumber on a paper towel to remove excess water.
Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl and add the cucumber slices.
Add chili pepper and green onion stalk,
Best served cold.
ISANG GORENG (Indonesian Banana Fritter)
Ingredients
4 ripe bananas
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 table spoons of sugar
Oil
Cinnamon sugar (1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup of sugar)
Directions
Mash the bananas in a bowl and add the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in frying pan and fry approximately 1 table spoon per fritter of the banana mixture, turning until both sides are golden brown.
Place the fried fritters on a paper towel to soak put the excess oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
