Dessert First

Unlike in most western countries, in my country it is not our custom to serve dessert after meal. Desserts or sweet dishes are regarded simply as snacks, to be eaten when and where you have the need for one.

Desserts also have a social function as well…….they are for serving to guest who drops in or comes visiting…….. they are for eating at any family gathering, formal or informal,……  and they are there too, simply as  a self-indulgence, when you are having a cup of coffee or tea.

During fasting month like now, we even serve desserts first since it is best to start with something sweet and sweet dessert fits well as a starter to break the fast.

We have a comprehensive list of options for delicious sweet desserts . With abundant tropical produce such as coconuts, lots of Indonesian desserts use Santan or coconut milk.
 

Check out a few examples out of the so many ‘drool worthy’ Indonesian desserts to break the fast:

 
Bubur Pacar Cina (Tapioca Pearl Dessert)

This tapioca pearl dessert is very popular in Chinese community and its even called “Pacar Cina” which literally means “Chinese Lover”.  Cooking this dessert is not difficult, but is quite tricky. They would turn soggy if overcooked, or else the middle part is not cooked through without enough cooking time

 
Kue Centik Manis (Pretty and Sweet Dessert)

Centik comes from the word Cantik which means pretty while manis means sweet. The name of this dessert literally means Pretty and Sweet which reflects the look and taste of it. It’s very easy to make, no steaming or baking process. Centik manis is also popular during Ramadan (fasting month) in Indonesia.

 
Kue Lapis Sagu (Layered Coconut Cake)

This cake with its mysterious layered structure is not as difficult to make as it looks.

And here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 180 gram glutinous rice flour
• 180 gram tapioca
• 400 gram sugar (or depends on the desired sweet level)
• pinch of salt
• 900 ml coconut milk
• 5 sachet (40 gram) vanilla
• a few drops of pink food coloring

Direction:

•  mix all ingredients except food coloring to abatter, divide into 2
• dye one part with a few drops of pink food coloring
• pre-heat a steamer and wrap the lid with a clean tea towel to capture the steam
• spoon a thin layer of uncolored batter into a spring-form cake tin
• steam for about 5 minutes it sets and looks shiny
• add a thin layer of pink batter to the tin and steam again
• continue the process alternately until all the batter is used up
• the whole process may take up to 3 hours. the final layers may have to steam longer around 10 minutes
• allow to cool completely before cutting into thin slices

Kolak Pisang (Banana sweet soup)

Kolak is an equivalent of sweet soup. The soup is made of palm sugar and coconut milk. To the soup we can banana or other ingredients such as jack fruit, pumpkin, or cassava. Could be served either warm or cold.


Kue Putu

Everybody will notice easily if a vendor of Kue Putu passes by. It is because he has a special whistle that toots along the way. Usually, the vendor bears two cabinets using yoke or rides a bicycle.

Kue Putu is a traditional cake made of rice flour with palm sugar filler. The taste is plain outside but sweet inside. Added with steamed grated coconut makes the taste richer. The color is white or green and the shape is like a cylinder.


Onde-Onde (Sesame balls filled with mung bean paste)

Onde-onde is one of traditional cakes in Indonesia, and particularly being famous in Mojokerto (East Java) since Majapahit era. We can find Onde-onde in traditional market or in some stores or even in fancy restaurants. Moreover, we can find this cake in China town in Indonesia or in every corner of the world.

References:

• the real taste of Indonesia, a culinary journey – 100 unique family recipes – Hardie Grant Books, Australia
• asiafinest.com
• bandungholic.blogspot.com
• indonesiantravelguide.com
• sotokudus senayan

 

EVERYBODY LOVES PUMPKIN

When I was a kid, our house was located near a busy street. Since early morning the street hawkers who sold Ready-to-Eat (RTE) foods were already busy. They sold many different types of foods like bubur ayam (chicken rice porridge), fried rice noodle, nasi uduk (mixed rice) and some sweet treats like mung bean porridge, dark sweet risotto (black rice pudding) and sweet pumpkin treat (kolak).

My mom was the kind of a mother who never give her children pocket money and she did not allow me and my sisters to buy food from the street hawkers. She knew that as kids, we love food from street hawkers better than our home-made meal. So to compensate what we missed, everyday she cooked me and my sisters different types of snack-foods like those sold by the street hawkers. And one of my favorites is the Sweet Pumpkin Treat.

Let’s cook the Pumpkin

When choosing a pumpkin, we have to know exactly how are we going to cook the pumpkin. To serve pumpkin as a tureen, the size of the pumpkin must fit into your oven and you must be able to lift it out comfortably and safety after it is filled with hot soup. In addition, the pumpkin must have a flat base so that it stands upright firmly and of course it must be free of cracks that could cause leaks.

So far I have seen only 3 types of pumpkin available in supermarkets in Jakarta, where I live: butter-nut pumpkin, sugar pumpkin and the large deep-orange pumpkin (in Bahasa we call Labu Parang). I love the taste of butter-nut pumpkin but certainly not the price. Many people like the sugar pumpkin coz it’s smaller in size and tastes sweeter. My favorite is the large-orange pumpkin. The flesh is thick and I love its starchy taste.

 
It’s a bit tricky to buy pumpkin as a whole coz I don’t have any idea how to judge whether the level of ripeness is just right. Fortunately, in most supermarkets in Jakarta pumpkins are available by piece (in half / one-quarter etc) and it is charged based on the weight. This way it’s easier to judge whether the level of ripeness is in line with our expectation or not.
 
Cooking Sweet Pumpkin Treat

My favorite Sweet Pumpkin Treat is a kind versatile food. It can be served both warm or chilled depending on the occasion. Serve warm for breakfast alternative or serve chilled as a dessert after lunch or dinner. It can also be cooked as pumpkin stew (kolak) or pumpkin soup.

This is the original recipe of Indonesian Sweet Pumpkin Treat (kolak labu kuning):

Ingredients

• 250 gram pumpkin meat, cut in cubes
• 500 ml water
• 50 gram palm sugar, shaved
• 200 ml thick coconut milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pandan leaf, tied into a knot

Method

• Put water in a saucepan, bring to a boil
• Slow cook the pumpkin cubes in the water on low heat until tender but still in the form of cubes.
• Add the coconut milk
• Add the salt
• Simmer uncovered until the liquid thickened
• Remove from heat
• Serve warm or chilled.

The Sweet Pumkin Stew (kolak) will look like this:

 
How to prepare the coconut milk:

To make traditional fresh coconut milk, put 2 cups of freshly grated ripe coconut into a bowl and add 2 cups of lukewarm water. Squeeze and knead the coconut thoroughly for 1 minute, then strain through cheesecloth into a bowl to obtain thick coconut milk.

Repeat the process with another 1 cup of water to obtain thin coconut milk. Combine both for the coconut milk. Coconut milk can be frozen; thaw and stir thoroughly before use. The substitute for fresh coconut milk is instant coconut powder. Combine this with warm water as directed on the packet.

My version of Sweet Pumpkin Treats

To cook my version of Sweet Pumpkin Treat, I prefer to use dairy milk instead of coconut milk:

• Cook 350 gram of pumpkin cubes in 500 ml of water until tender but still firm. Then remove the cooked pumpkin from the water and put aside.
• Mix 250 ml water + 250 ml liquid full cream milk + 100 gram Sweetened Condensed Milk in a sauce pan until mix well.
• Boil the milk on medium heat and stir occasionally.
• Add the cooked pumpkin cubes into the milk.
• Add 1 drop of Vanilla essence
• If needed, add shaved palm sugar (the quantity depends on desired sweetness level)
• Simmer uncovered for around 10 minutes until the pumpkin cubes are really soft and tender and the liquid is thickened.
• To make it into soup type, cook longer, stir and mash the pumpkin. Remove from heat.
• Serve in a bowl either warm or chilled

This is my version of Sweet Pumpkin Stew (Kolak)