'The Spiral Road' Indonesian Recipes and Photos

'The Spiral Road' Indonesian menu includes a Pickled Vegetable Medley, Indonesian Spring Rolls, Curry Pork-Filled Sticky Rice Balls, Dutch Fried-Rice Croquettes, Spicy Indonesian Noodles, Tamarind Chicken, Balinese Catfish, Mango Ginger Chicken, Indonesian Fried Rice, and Curry Pineapple Kebabs with Coconut Milk. 

Indonesian Pickles

2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 cucumber, cut into chunks
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 knob ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar 

Place all vegetables in alarge collander, sprinkle with salt and stir to coat. Place over a bowl to catch drippings, and allow to stand for 2 hours. Rinse vegetables thoroughly and pack into a heat-proof jar. Combine water, vinegar, and sugar and bring toa boil. Pour mixture over vegetables and allow to cool. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Indonesian Spring Rolls 

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 pound ground pork or chicken
1/4 pound shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 knob ginger root, peeled and finely shredded
2 cups cabbage, finely chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 teaspoon sambal ulek
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 package spring roll wrappers
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Heat sesame oil in a wok. Add meat, shrimp, onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until meat is just done and shrimp turns pink. Add cabbage, bean sprouts, and carrots and stir-fry until vegetables are just tender. Season with sambal ulek and sweet soy sauce and stir thoroughly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

Lay spring roll wrappers in rows on a sheet of waxed paper and place about 2 tablespoons of the filling mixture diagonally across the center of each wrapper (from corner to corner). Fold the bottom point of the wrapper over the filling, fold in the two corners, and snugly roll the wrapper around the filling. Moisten the upper point of the wrapper with a little water and press to seal. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers. 

Heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Carefully place the spring rolls in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sweet soy sauce. Makes about 1dozen. 

Curry Pork-Filled Sticky Rice 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 cup coconut milk
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 cups cooked short grain rice, cooled
12 banana leaves (substitute 6" squares of aluminum foil) 

Heat oil in a wok. Add pork, garlic and jalapeno and stir-fry until meat is lightly browned. Season with cumin and coriander. Add coconut milk, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until coconut milk is completely absorbed and evaporated. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To assemble, place a 4"x2" rectangular layer of rice across each leaf or foil. Place a tablespoon of pork filling across the center of the rice, and using the leaf or foil, fold the rice around the filling and press into a compact oblong ball. Wrap the leaf or foil into a snug packet around the rice ball. Place packets into a steam kettle and steam for about 15 minutes, until rice and filling are heated through. Makes about a dozen.  

Dutch Fried-Rice Croquettes 

4 cups leftover fried rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sambal ulek
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fine bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Place leftover rice in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a saucepan and flour. Stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and lightly browned. Add stock, sambal ulek and sweet soy sauce and stir to thicken. Pour over rice and stir to mix. Allow rice to cool. Form the rice into 2" patties, dredge each one first in the beaten egg, and then in the bread crumbs and set aside. Heat about 1" of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry croquettes a few at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sweet soy sauce for dipping. Makes about a dozen. 

Indonesian Noodles 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound pork, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
2 cups bean sprouts
1 pound medium shrimp
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sambal ulek
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1 cup stock (pork, chicken,etc.)
4 portions cooked egg noodles 

Heat oil in a large wok. Add pork, onion, garlic and carrot and stir-fry until pork is lightly browned. Add cabbage, bean sprouts, and shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp turns pink. Adds callions, sambal ulek, sweet soy sauce and stock and bring to a simmer. Add noodles and stir to thoroughly mix. Remove from heat and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving. 

Tamarind Chicken 

1 pound boneless chicken,cut into 1" strips
4 cloves garlic
1 knob ginger root, peeled and finely shredded
1 teaspoon sambal ulek
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
6 scallions
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce 

In a container with atight-fitting lid, combine garlic, ginger, sambal ulek, tamarind paste, and cornstarch. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and reserve marinade for the sauce.

Heat oil in a wok. Add chicken, jalapeno, an scallions and stir-fry until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and reserved marinade and reduce heat. Simmer,stirring frequently until chicken is tender and sauce is thickened. Serve with fried rice. Serves 4. 

Mango Ginger Chicken 

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pound boneless chicken,thinly sliced
1 knob ginger root, peeled and finely shredded
2 scallions
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 lime, juice only
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced 

Heat oil in a wok. Addchicken and ginger and stir-fry until chicken is lightly browned. Add sweet soy sauce, lime juice, and rice vinegar and simmer until chicken is tender. Stir in scallions and mango, remove from heat and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Balinese Catfish 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 knob ginger root, finely shredded
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 stalk lemongrass, crushed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 pound catfish filets

Heat oil in a wok. Addonion, garlic, ginger and bell pepper and stir-fry until just tender. Stir intomato paste, sweet soy sauce, bay leaves, lemongrass and sugar. Add chicken stock and simmer until sauce is thickened. Discard bay leaves and lemongrass. Place catfish filets on a baking sheet and broil until lightly browned and done through (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a serving dish and spoon sauce over thefisn. Serves 4. 

Indonesian Fried Rice 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound small shrimp
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
6 cups cooked rice
2 eggs, lightly scrambled and chopped
1 cup stock (chicken orpork) 

Heat oil in a large wok. Addpork, shrimp, onion, and garlic and stir-fry until shrimp turns pink. Stir in jalapenos, scallions, coriander, cumin, and soy sauce. Add rice, eggs and chicken stock and toss to mix. Remove from heat, cover and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Curry Pineapple Kebabs 

1 whole pineapple, peeled and cut into 4 wedges
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk

Place pineapple wedges on skewers. Sprinkle with curry powder and brown sugar. Place on grill or under oven broiler until tender and lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with coconut milk. Serves 4.