Indonesian Semarang-Style Turnovers with Bamboo Shoots, Dried Shrimp, and Scrambled Eggs

I had just a bit of filling left over from making Lumpia Semarang (Indonesian Egg Rolls with Bamboo Shoots, Dried Shrimp, and Scrambled Eggs) to fold them into a few puff pastry turnovers. Waste not, want not!

I've included the original measurements for the egg rolls, in case you wanted to make those and use the leftover filling for turnovers like I did. Or you can certainly make a batch of turnovers only if you don't feel like doing any deep-frying.

The filling freezes well so you can easily divide the batch and save it for when you have a craving.

Lumpia Semarang (Indonesian Egg Rolls with Bamboo Shoots, Dried Shrimp, and Scrambled Eggs)

When Mochachocolata-Rita showed off her mother's Lumpia Semarang, I was intrigued at the mention of bamboo shoots, dried shrimp, and scrambled eggs in the ingredients. Semarang is the capital city in central Java with a large population of Chinese Indonesians, which would explain the pork in Rita's mother's version of lumpia. Although, I imagine ground turkey or chicken would work too for the Muslim population in Indonesia.

Lumpia, dervies from lunpia, the Hokkien Chinese word for popiah, which are fresh spring rolls. As Hokkien immigrants migrated throughout Southeast Asia, variations of popiah arose. In Vietnam, popiah became Bo Bia (Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Chinese Sausage, Jicama, and Eggs).

Lumpia Semarang can be eaten fresh or fried. In the former case, obviously all the ingredients would need to be cooked first before wrapping. As I was making the latter though, I opted to use raw ground pork and to slice the bamboo shoots into strips to bind the filling ingredients better so nothing falls out when one bites into the egg roll. I soaked the dried shrimp to soften it, then put it in the food processor to break up in smaller pieces, similar to how Vietnamese people make dried shrimp topping for dumplings. I used a generous tablespoon of Indonesian kecap manis in the marinade since the Wikipedia article on lumpia mentioned that Lumpia Semarang were supposed to be on the sweeter side. Then it was a simple matter of wrapping and frying egg rolls as normal.

The taste was a nice umami earthiness from the dried shrimp and bamboo shoots. I served the egg rolls with bottled sweet chili sauce. Quite a nice change from my usual Cha Gio/Nem Ran (Vietnamese Spring/Egg Rolls), so I hope you give these a try.

Kaffir Lime Leaves

I don't have much to say about kaffir lime leaves since I don't use it too much in my cooking. Kaffir lime leaves add a lovely citrus note to many curries and seasonings without making the food taste too sour. I associate the leaves mainly with Thai cuisine, although there's a random Vietnamese and Indonesian recipe thrown in as well.

The double leaves of the kaffir lime are a little thicker than normal lemon leaves, although in a pinch, I've used Meyer lemon leaves off my uncle's tree with no problems. The leaves can be left whole to stew in curries, or finely chiffonaded and added as a garnish.

Salju Dessert - Alhambra

After the Indonesian grocery store Tip Top Mart - San Gabriel, Gourmet Pigs and I went to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." At the movie theater, the people in front of us were speaking Indonesian. And of course, I was hanging out with an Indonesian. So then I mentioned that I saw an Indonesian shaved ice place under renovation and we could check it out after the movie to see if it had opened yet.


Sure enough, it was.

And what we found was even better than shaved ice. Sure there was regular shaved ice, but Salju Dessert also had shaved snow.

And not just regular shaved snow, flavored shaved snow. Matcha green tea, mango, taro, strawberry, and chocolate ice that gets shaved.

Plus three toppings.

Plus condensed milk.

I've been telling all my shaved ice buddies and the excitement was palpable. Hey, I'm not kidding. Flavored shaved snow is the best thing to happen to shaved ice since, well, since shaved snow. :P

Tip Top Mart - San Gabriel

Gourmet Pigs and I made plans to watch the last Harry Potter film together. So sad. *Sniffle.* She bought the tickets; I paid for dinner. She had recently tried some of my leftover potstickers from Luscious Dumplings Inc. - San Gabriel and really liked them, even cold. And when I found out she had not been before, I had to to take her. Mmm. Beef brisket noodles and potstickers.

 After dinner, we went next door to Tip Top Mart so she could grab some Indonesian ramen.




Tip Top Mart opened some time last year? I remember noticing when it had replaced the previous business and telling GP since I always tell her when I come across a new Indonesian place. But I didn't really have a reason to stop in until now.

Pork Ribs with Korean Gochujang and Indonesian Kecap Manis

This is my newest rib recipe. Well, not in terms of being posted, because it always takes me forever to get around to anything, but newest in creating the recipe. I made these ribs in April and even got around to blogging it before the year is up! What is the world coming to?

And can I say, these are the best photos yet? My ribs are almost always succulent and fall-off-the-bone tender, but these photos really, really show it.

Yazmin Malaysian Restaurant - Alhambra (Closed)

Along with giving me the calamansi, when I met up with Pink Candles at Ridgemont High I suggested Yazmin Malaysian Restaurant in Alhambra because I knew she liked to try new cuisines. Also, it gave me a chance to revisit the restaurant and to finally blog it.

So I'll start back in June 2008 when I first went to Yazmin with cousin Q and his younger brother.

Ultimate Stir-Fry Sauce

The ultimate stir-fry sauce is about using the sauces in my pantry for a quick meal with lots of oomph in flavor. On the left are the umami flavors of Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce) and Chinese oyster sauce. In the middle are the sweeter black sauces of Indonesian Kecap Manis and Chinese hoisin sauce. I've covered all the black sauces in my post: Chinese Black Bean, Hoisin, and Oyster Sauces and Indonesian Kecap Manis. Then on the far right is Huy Fong's Sriracha chili sauce.

Adjust according to your taste, but the perfect ratio for me is 2 tsp each of the fish, oyster, kecap manis, and hoisin sauces and 1 tsp of the chili sauce. I sometimes add 1 or 2 tsp of rice wine or vinegar.

Mix and add to any stir-fry or use as a quick marinade. Double or triple the recipe for larger batches.

I know it sounds simplistic, but that's why it works.

Indonesian Beef Rendang

I've been eating a lot more Indonesian food in the past year than I have ever before. Largely because of Gourmet Pigs, of course. So it was inevitable that I eventually tried my hand at cooking something. I asked her to ask her mom for a beef rendang recipe, a sort of dry curry if you're unfamiliar with Indonesian food.

GP said I needed more chili peppers to my recipe, which makes it perfect for this month's Weekend Wokking CHILI PEPPER edition, as chosen by last month's hostess, Marija of Palachinka. I had most of the ingredients already at home, except for candlenuts and galangal, which I substituted with walnuts and ginger. I also added ground nutmeg and cinnamon, which were not part of her mom's recipe.

*****

WC: What do candlenuts do for recipes? I've seen them in other Indonesian recipes but haven't tried.

GP: Hm. Oil? Or texture.
Nice aroma.

WC: I saw some at the San Gabriel Superstore. Haven't bought any yet because no recipe.

GP: The candlenut also gives it that yellowy color.

WC: I'm thinking the oil and aroma sounds right.
No turmeric huh?

GP: Not according to this recipe.

WC: My aunt makes something similar with lemongrass and coconut juice, not milk.
And only 1 stalk of lemongrass? Think, I'll have to adapt and add another. Bwhaha.

GP: Hahaha. Sure.

WC: I have everything except candlenuts and galangal. I don't much like galangal though. Maybe just stick to ginger.

GP: I've heard the next best thing to candlenut is cashew.
But I don't know... That just won't be rendang...

WC: 2 tblsp candlenuts. Think I can sub with walnuts?
Aroma? Oil? Smoothness?
Haha.

GP: But... but...
Flavor.

*****

Well, I completely bastardized GP's mom's rendang recipe and maybe my flavor is off, but I still liked it.

Bakmi Parahyangan - West Covina

While eating the cow hooves and cow brain curry we ordered from Raso Minang at the Hong Kong Plaza food court, we noticed a crowd of people gathered in front of one booth. It looked like they were praying or blessing? New restaurant opening?

Then we noticed that everyone was lining up for free food.

Free food!

So some of us lined up too. :)

Raso Minang - West Covina

Rocky Mountain oysters and squid lips weren't the only unusual food I ate this year. Shortly before our trip to Mesa Verde National Park, Gourmet Pigs organized a meet-up at Raso Minang in West Covina. I had heard of this food court at Hong Kong Plaza before, which features a handful of Indonesian food stalls. While some Indonesian dishes have become a bit more familiar to me, I'm still on a quest to learn more about the cuisine.

Gourmet Pigs said Raso Minang features food from Padang, in West Sumatra, which is known for being spicy and for being cooked in the morning and left on display for customers to choose from what's available.

She promised us the good stuff -- cow brain curry and cow hooves.

Ooh boy! I definitely haven't had either of those on the blog yet.

Indocart Indonesian & Dutch Groceries - Duarte

After lunch at Pondok Kaki Lima (Indonesian Street Food) - Duarte Inn, Gourmet Pigs and I stopped into Indocart to check out its Indonesian and Dutch groceries. Even though I knew Indonesia was a Dutch colony, this was the first grocery store that I've seen with such a large selection of Dutch products in such a tiny space.

Pondok Kaki Lima (Indonesian Street Food Fair) - Duarte Inn - Duarte

My foray into Indonesian cuisine started gradually with the basic satay skewers and fried rice at Alhambra's Summer Jubilee before I dined at the Indo Kitchen - Alhambra later that year. I had read about Pondok Kaki Lima, an Indonesian street food fair, on Monster Munching and had bookmarked it to try, but it was shut down before I could get to it. Then the food fair reopened in January 2009. So when Gourmet Pigs asked if I wanted to go with her, I leapt at the chance.

Sunday Bistro - Alhambra

Given that my attempts to explore new cuisines at Uzbekistan - Los Angeles and Tagine - Beverly Hills were such let-downs, by the time lil' sis's best friend asked where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner, I opted for the comfort of a Hong Kong cafe.

My, and lil' sis's, favorite Hong Kong cafe is still Baccali Cafe & Rotisserie - Alhambra, but we figured we should try somewhere new.


Sunday Bistro is located on the far left edge of the same strip mall as Top Island Seafood Restaurant. The parking lot is generally pretty crowded so the hassle of finding a spot makes it fall off my radar.

Indo Kitchen - Alhambra

Literally around the corner from Silver Spoon is Indo Kitchen.

Earlier this summer when I grabbed food from their stall at Alhambra's Summer Jubilee, and after much urging from Elmo Monster and Mochachocolata-Rita, I decided I really needed to dine here soon.


So a few months back, I convinced my brother to try Indonesian food with me. A long, long time ago, this location used to be a Chinese restaurant. According to their website, Indo Kitchen opened in March 2003 and serves Indonesian cuisine with a Javanese influence. It's a very small location, with only a handful of tables. This was in the late afternoon, so there were only a few other diners.

Pandan Mini Cupcakes with Coconut Flakes, Hainanese Chicken Rice Mix, Belacan Chicken Wings, Thai Green Curry Paste, and Instant Rendang Mix

I finally got around to trying the Pondan Pandan Chiffon Cake Mix, which sells for $3.99, that I received from Asian Supermarket 365. I was debating whether to make a cake when lil' sis suggested I make mini cupcakes instead. We used store-bought white frosting. Lil' sis frosted them and sprinkled the toasted coconut flakes. Bite-sized goodness. The coconut flakes nicely complemented the green flavor of the pandan. I was at a loss for descriptive phrases. How would you describe pandan?

Free Concerts: Summer Jubilee - Alhambra

I was 100 feet away from John Stamos! OK, maybe not that close since I can't gauge distance. So from the point wherever this photo was taken to the stage was how far I was from John Stamos, who performed with the Beach Boys last weekend at the Summer Jubilee in Alhambra.



Wasn't he a musician on Full House? I vaguely recall an episode where the Beach Boys guest-starred, I just didn't know they were tight. And ladies, he was hooooooot!

A girl walking by squealed and screamed his name when she saw him on the big screen. The guy she was with rolled his eyes and tugged her to move on.

Another woman suggestively said, "He can be my "uncle Jesse" any time."

"Ewww," said her male companion. "Wouldn't that be kind of incestuous?"

Hahaha! I'm guessing the men aren't big fans.

Chinese Black Bean, Hoisin, and Oyster Sauces and Indonesian Kecap Manis

After posting my recipe for Steamed Oysters with Black Bean and Scallion Sauce, I realized it was about time I discussed some of the thick black sauces I have in my kitchen.



According to Wikipedia, Chinese black bean sauce is "made by fermenting and salting soy beans. The process turns the beans black, soft, and mostly dry. The flavor is sharp, pungent, and spicy in smell, with a taste that is salty and somewhat bitter and sweet."

I have to admit, I cook the least with black bean sauce. I use it in addition to other sauces, and usually when I'm marinating meats. It's the saltiest of the three sauces, with hoisin sauce tasting a tad sweet. My favorite of the three to cook with is oyster sauce.

Bamboe Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) and Aik Cheong Instant CoffeeTea 3 in 1 Mix

I had leftover chicken and rice from several restaurants outings and the thought of eating them again just wasn't very appealing. Luckily I remembered I had a packet of Bamboe Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) from Asian Supermarket 365. The mix sells for $1.59. The ingredients listed were simply shallots, garlic, chili, salt, tomato, and vegetable oil.

Hmm. Seems so simple. Couldn't I just do this at home?

San Gabriel Superstore - San Gabriel

While I love exploring new places, for some things I am entirely a creature of habit. This is especially true when it comes to grocery shopping. I like to wander each aisle, taking my time to peruse various items. Or if I'm in a hurry, I like knowing precisely where to go to grab what I need. Once I settle upon a store that I like, it's very hard to convince me to switch. So, would you like to go grocery shopping with me?




The San Gabriel Superstore is part of a chain of Chinese Vietnamese grocery stores. But unlike some of the other locations, the San Gabriel store features stalls with merchants selling everything from clothing to CDs to make-up to jewelery.