Notes about Recipes in this book

• Pan-fried dabu-dabu sea bass (Ikan goreng dabu-dabu)

  • JoanN on April 29, 2022

    Liked this a great deal, although I thought the dabu-dabu was more fiery than the delicately, lime flavored, fish required. Dabu-dabu is a Northern Sulawesi condiment often served with grilled fish. Will make it again, but need to deseed some of the chiles. And would hope to find either Thai or lemon basil, which I think would better complement the fish, instead of the regular basil which was all that was available to me this time of year.

• Sticky beef short rib with chilli (Iga bumbu dendeng balado)

  • JoanN on April 26, 2022

    Wow! This was excellent. Took one taste of the sauce and went right back into the kitchen to pour spoonsful of it over the rice. Another company worthy recipe from this book. Didn't think the balado added all that much to the dish. Might be because I deseeded too many chiles or used too little lime juice but might just skip it next time.

  • meggan on January 22, 2021

    This ended up very salty more than anything. No one was enthralled.

• Balinese sticky glazed pork ribs (Iga babi Bali)

  • JoanN on April 26, 2022

    Terrific. Company worthy. There aren't many good rib recipes that can be made in the oven and since I live in a NYC apartment, an outdoor grill is not an option for me. This is among the best oven-roasted rib recipes I've made. Almost entirely hands off and can be made ahead. leftovers as good as fresh out of the oven.

• Gado-gado salad with peanut sauce (Gado-gado)

  • Apollonia on May 14, 2021

    Classic Gado Gado. The peanut sauce is particularly nice--- I did mine with a mixture of roasted peanuts and peanut butter because raw peanuts are not easily available where I live, and it was great.

• Spicy baked aubergine (Terung balado)

  • Apollonia on August 30, 2020

    This was good, though it didn't knock my socks off, probably because my sambal wasn't spicy or flavorful enough. It was, however, markedly improved as leftovers the next day, as the eggplant really picked up the flavor of the paste. I'd make again, but with more attention to the sambal.

  • rmardel on May 01, 2022

    Agree with Apollonia that this improved greatly the next day. It was not bad the first day, but not special either. This could partially be because the sambal improves if allowed to sit, and my sambal was not spicy enough simply because of the availability of chiles in my location at the moment. Worth fiddling with though.

• Crispy soy and ginger roast potatoes (Kentang kecap dan jahe)

  • debkellie on August 23, 2020

    Really, really tasty (served without the soy dressing). But again nowhere near golden & crispy in time & temp suggested. I boosted heat in the end. Probably 30 minutes longer...

• Timorese tomato and coriander salad (Lawar tomat dan turis)

  • bernalgirl on June 03, 2022

    It’s still early for great tomatoes so I marinated the cherry tomatoes in a little salt and sugar before putting everything together. This is a really simple and delicious salad and was absolutely great with coconut rice.

  • jenburkholder on May 26, 2022

    Very good. Sharp and refreshing, even kept pretty well. Went great with pork belly. We used regular sun dried tomatoes (not in oil) as our “sun kissed tomatoes”. Normally not a big fan of those but it really worked well together with the cherry tomatoes and all the other sharp freshness.

• Soy mushrooms and pak choi (Jamur sayur kecap)

  • bernalgirl on April 02, 2022

    Working with what I had, I made this with cabbage and wood ear mushrooms. I got a char on the cabbage and then followed the recipe. The flavoring is subtle and delicious, the vinegar adds dimension and the sugar stops well short of cloying. I can’t wIt to make it as written!

  • rmardel on May 01, 2022

    Excellent. Could use less sugar, but that may just be my taste.

  • jenburkholder on April 11, 2022

    Very nice treatment of bok choy and shiitakes. We decreased the sugar slightly and would do that again.

• Fragrant stir-fried morning glory (Tumis kangkung)

  • bernalgirl on April 30, 2022

    A great side dish, and a nice way to prepare morning glory, or hollow stem vegetable.

• Spiced meatball soup (Bakso)

  • bernalgirl on April 14, 2022

    I used a gelatin-rich beef broth and a lighter chicken stock, and doubled the meatballs. The meatballs are light and flavorful, the processing step is worth the time. We enjoyed this soup with the recommended toppings but it would be bland without them. We especially enjoyed the texture of the fried shallots and thinly sliced Chiles along with a good hit of acid, my kids used lime while the adults used a homemade Thai-style chile-infused vinegar.

  • rmardel on May 20, 2022

    I used gelatin rich broth both venison and chicken. The meatballs are light and delicate in flavor and the combination of coriander and cumin enhances the flavor of the soup. The quality of the broth is important here, as is being careful not to use a salty broth as it reduces considerably. IT is really the condiments that make this soup.

• Green chilli and lemongrass pork (Tinoransak)

  • bernalgirl on April 30, 2022

    I knew this would be too spicy for my family as written and I couldn’t get Anaheim peppers this time of year so I used a green bell pepper, two seranos, de-seeded, and a large jalapeño. I’m sure that affected the flavor and the green bell made the combination more wet, but this was a very flavorful dish. I salted along the way and increased the fish sauce to finish at the end. I’d make this again.

• Pork and prawn rice noodles (Kwetiau)

  • bernalgirl on April 30, 2022

    I followed the recipe with the exception of the bean sprouts, which I substituted for blanched 1-inch lengths of green beans. My family and I anjoyed this but my teen said that I make pork noodle dishes they like much more and maybe I should add prawns and eggs to those. This is a little bland.

• Crispy pork belly instant noodles (Indomie dengan babi tore)

  • bernalgirl on July 04, 2022

    This is a bowl full of umami goodness. The directions are very clear and result in a dish with wonderful flavors and textures — no gummy noodles. I sought out Indomie but since the recipe doesn’t include the sauce packets, I think any instant ramen-style noodle would work. Also I couldn’t get red chiles so used serranos and jalapeños with some red bell for color. It is salty, however, so don’t skip the toppings! The fresh cilantro and peanuts cut the salt and a squeeze of lime adds necessary acidity. My family loved this and I will make it again.

• Prawn and chicken fried noodles (Mie goreng udang)

  • bernalgirl on April 29, 2022

    I followed the recipe except for swapping blanched green bean pieces for bean sprouts due to availability and family preference. This recipe is solidly good but did not strike any of us as great. It was a bit bland in seasoning and most of us adjusted at the table. In my teen’s words, “you make way better Asian noodle dishes. Next time just add prawns to those”.

• Spiced Balinese roast chicken (Ayam betutu)

  • bernalgirl on September 21, 2022

    The spice paste is flavorful, the chicken skin is crispy, and the kale cooked in the drippings is out of this world. Excellent with coconut rice and the Timorese tomato salad in the same book.

• Coconut beef and peanut stir-fry (Serundeng daging)

  • rmardel on May 01, 2022

    This was promising but lacked complexity. I don't think the peanuts added anything much to the flavor profile. I do think they would have enhanced the dish if added after cooking. I may feel the same way about the coconut which I felt was lost. The flavor also needs something to brighten it up a bit: more lime leaves? lime? additional tamarind? On the fence as to whether this was a one-off or is with fiddling with.

• Tomato sambal (Sambal tomat)

  • rmardel on May 06, 2022

    Flavor was better, more complex and better melded, the second day.

• Peanut and kaffir lime kerupuk (Rempeyek)

  • rmardel on April 18, 2022

    It was difficult to keep these evenly thin and crispy with small lacy holes. The dough tended to pool in the centers and be thicker. The thin and lacy areas of the crackers were crispy, flavorful, and addicting. The centers a bit too chewy and rich. This may be something that requires practice. The flavors were clear and bright and played well together. Thinly sliceded green chili might be a good addition.

• Sweet soy tempeh (Tempe manis)

  • jenburkholder on July 01, 2022

    Liked this. We subbed gai lan for the mangetout. Added a few more lime leaves and this was a good choice - their citrusy aroma was one of the nicest things about this dish. Would make again.

• Vegan butternut ribs

  • Running_with_Wools on September 25, 2022

    My friend recently went vegan and I had a butternut squash and found this when I searched. These. Are. Addictive. Absolutely delicious. I will make this again and will also try this sauce with slow cooked ribs.

• Spiced corn fritters (Perkedel jagung)

  • Running_with_Wools on March 19, 2023

    These are delicious. I made them as an appetizer for an Indonesian meal with friends. You start with a fragrant fried mixture of shallots, chilies, ginger, garlic and spices. It is ground to a paste and mixed with corn, eggs, and corn flour. I used canned corn and served with siracha and wedges of limes.

• Beef rendang (Rendang daging)

  • Etrnalhope on May 11, 2021

    I didn't love this version, but it could've been because I used another beef rendang recipe first, so my expectations influenced it. I ended up adding another extra tsp of salt and a Tbsp of Gula Jawa. Mine turned out drier than I wanted it. I'm not sure if was something I did or the recipe, but it didn't turn out as dry the one other time I made it with another recipe. Flavor was delicious though!

• Sweet soy pork belly (Babi kecap)

  • atamarindpod on October 11, 2021

    The first time I made this the dish was overwhelmed by the amount of ginger that the recipe asked for and this only got worse on successive reheats. On my second try I reduced the ginger to one-fourth and got much better results. In this iteration the flavors properly mellow out and blend together, making it excellent on repeated reheats.

• Chicken satay with peanut sauce (Sate ayam Madura)

  • dosojosazules on November 06, 2022

    This is so delicious. A lot of sugar with the marinades and sauces, but totally worth it