LEAF (Part 1)

Indonesian cuisine is very rich in the use of herbs and spices, especially the Manado kitchen. Besides flavor of grains and tubers apparent, some types of leaves of certain plants provide aroma, flavor, and color are delicious in cooking. Herbs can be obtained in traditional markets, but to facilitate it, many Indonesian families who grow their own herb leaf variety in their homes. Choose herbs that are still fresh and not rotten. If kept, put it in a plastic bag that had been given a few holes. Store in refrigerator. Herbs used for cooking or baking scent. Usually leaves spice is used fresh, not dry. How to wear it to stay put in the dish, but specifically for turmeric leaves and pandan leaves, leaf conclude first and torn or sliced, so that the aroma that came out excellent. Here are some of them.

Basil Leaves

Is one of the favorite herbs for aroma fresh and very easily available in the markets or on the yard of the house. Also known as basil leaves, some are even calling it a basil leaf because of its shape similar to basil leaves original is smaller than basil. Basil leaves can be eaten raw or for cooking. Basil leaves used for cooking a lot of fish.

Basil leaves give the fragrance its distinctive aroma cuisine. The leaves are used in fresh condition, either as vegetables or as a condiment dishes like spiced or laksa. Apart from giving a fragrant aroma, basil also can reduce the fishy smell in fish dishes, egg, or chicken.

The use of basil in cooking is wash basil, enter lifted just before cooking, stir well. Let the basil leaves wither evaporate as steam cooking.

Bay Leaf

Bay leaf is the name of leaf-producing trees spice used in cooking archipelago. This plant is also known by other names such as lemongrass Ubar, meselangan (Sumatra), tannic, chelating tannic, serah (Maluku), and Manting (Java). In English known as Indonesian bay-leaf or Indonesian laurel, while its scientific name is Syzygium polyanthum.

Bay leaf popular in kitchens Asia, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Almost oval shape of guava leaves. Bay leaves are usually used in the form of whole, fresh and dry. Sold in branches of fresh or dried leaves. In order to get a fragrant aroma, choose leaves that are not too young and intact. In Indonesian cuisine, bay leaves are widely used as a spice in cooking such as stir-fry dishes, vegetables, tamarind, lodeh, pepes, curry, curry, yellow rice, soup, and pureed savory. Typical fragrant aroma of bay leaves make a dish more fragrant and savory.

Enter 1-2 bay leaves fresh or cooked in a stir along with other seasonings. Or add 2-3 bay leaves for cooking fry the coconut milk or broth of 1 liter. For dry, wash and then mixed with other spices.

Celery Leaves

Celery leaves have a fragrant aroma. In the market are sold in a fresh state and powder. This spice is usually used to give fragrance to the dish soup, soup, fry or other dishes. Celery leaf stems are also often used as a fragrance ingredient broth.

Coriander Leaves

Form leaves resemble celery with leaves younger and sharp aroma overpowering. In addition to the leaves, roots are also used. Sold fresh in traditional markets or supermarkets. Coriander leaves give flavor to the dish fry, stir-fry, or for sprinkling, especially the seafood dishes. Enter whole or chopped coriander leaves into the dish. Or sprinkle over stir-fried dishes, it could be weeks to garnish food. Cilantro roots are used for flavoring fresh curry. Cut the root end 2 cm toward the stem cilantro. Blend together with other spices.

Curry Leaves/Koja Bay Leaves

This leaf is one of the ingredients that are often used in Asian cuisine, including Indonesia. European cuisine is also know as curry leaves (curry leaf). Also called temurui leaf or Koja leaves. Texture leaves almost like bay leaves but smaller in size, can be purchased at a traditional market in a state of dry or fresh in the Sumatra household yard. This leaves sold in the market in the form of fresh and powdered. Widely used in North Sumatra and Aceh kitchen. Koja bay leaves give the fragrance on fry dishes such as curry coconut milk, curry, stir the meat, or vegetable broth. In addition to more savory flavor, curry leaves also removes the fishy smell of meat or fish dishes. The use of curry leaves in cooking is to insert 2-3 curry leaves into the dish, boiled until wilted and fragrant. Or use 3-5 leaves for every 1 liter of fluid.

Gedi Leaves

Gedi leaves has green color and seemingly similar cassava leaves. Can be obtained in the yard of the house because of a domestic plant. Gedi leaves useful to flavor and thicken the savory dishes from the Manado kitchen, especially for Manado porridge (porridge tinutuan) is not complete if it is not added as a seasoning mix. In addition to a slurry mixture of Manado, gedi leaf also be used as curry, bobor vegetable, or pan-fried. Usage gedi leaves the dishes are clean wash gedi leaves, 2-3 gedi leaves enter into dishes, boiled until wilted.

In addition to delicious, gedi leaves are also rich in vitamin A, iron, and fiber is good for digestion. The collagen content of the leaves is also beneficial as antioxidants.

Guava Leaf

Also known as guava leaves kelutuk. Used is part of the young leaves (leaf). Usually obtained from the yard of the house. Guava leaves are used to give color to red-brown on boiled egg dish. Choose leaves that are fresh and intact, washed, placed in the bottom of the pan, then put it on top of other seasonings and boiled eggs that will be made pindang. In order for young papaya leaves boiled fresh green, 300 g boiled papaya leaves for 15-20 kelutuk guava leaves until tender papaya leaves. Drain kelutuk guava leaves.

Indian Mint

Scientific name: Coleus amboinicus Lour. This plant is found in almost all parts of Indonesia with a variety of different names, in Central Java called leaf Cumin, Sundanese call ajeran leaves, called goat leaves at Madura, Bali called Iwak leaves and in NTB called herbs jo. In the area of ​​North Sumatra Batak itself is referred to as leaf shapes or torbangun. Foreign name: Country borage, Indian mint, Mexican mint (UK), Tan day la (Vietnam), Zuo xiang shou, yin du bo he, dao shou xiang (China), Kuuban oregano (Japan).

Country borage a tropical plant whose leaves have a certain scent that is known as aromatic plants. These plants are found in India and Ceylon and South Africa, have a flower that looks sharp and contains essential oils so called Coleus aromaticus.

Leaf shapes have soft-boned features, jointed, circular, with a diameter of about 15 mm, the middle and ends about 10 mm, can breed easily. The leaves are still fresh forms a thick, dark green, both leaf surfaces slippery.

Planted as hedges or ornamental. Sometimes it can be obtained in certain areas of traditional markets. Leaf shapes are used to remove the rancid aroma chicken dish fry dishes nodes in North Sumatra (Batak). It is advisable to choose young leaves, the use of herbs is to incorporate into the boiling cooking.

Jintan Leaves

Looks thick and downy make leaves is often called thick leaves. This caraway-scented leaves the combination of cumin and anise odor. Can be obtained at the Manado household yard. Shipment includes plants easily grown, even if taken from young stems though. Caraway leaves gives aroma and flavor and makes the dish into a thick, somewhat slimy. Caraway leaves is widely used in the Sulawesi kitchen, especially North Sulawesi. The use of jintan leaves is to put away or finely shredded leaves and add to the cooking fry to get a distinctive flavor and creamy texture.

Kesum Leaves

Including mint family. Leaves such as leaf shape cayenne pepper. Can be replaced with curry leaves. Kesum leaves give a distinctive savory aroma on cooking, especially cooking fry. Widely used in the kitchen of Sumatra, Malaysia and Singapore. Enter kesum 3-5 leaves into the dish, boiled along with other ingredients and seasonings until wilted.