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.
Leek
Onion shoots are still very young tuber is the color green and white.
Ends up half of the green, while the middle part down to the white color of the
tuber. Sold with the roots. Prior to use, clean and wash and store in the
refrigerator to make it more durable.
Benefits leek has been since the beginning used for flavoring foods are
often served. In addition leek also add fresh garlic aroma and typical dishes
of meat, fish, chicken. Stir-fry dishes, and soups. Leek indeed issued a
distinctive aroma, especially if used in the mixture will become so savory
dishes. Leeks indeed be a seasoning that characterizes Indonesian cuisine, with
other types of onions like onion and garlic.
As is known, the shape of the leek is not like a leaf in general because
of its shape like a rod but soft texture. It turns out there are 2 types of
leeks can be found, namely leeks or onions semprong daffodils which in Latin is
called allium fistulosum and leaves leek, in Latin called allium porrum. Both
leek has different physical characteristics.
Leek daffodil/semprong have small tubers, leafy round, long, and has a
hole like a pipe. While the leaves of the leek has no tubers, leafy long, flat,
and has a long and tough midrib. Physically maybe both types of leeks is
different but equally usefulness could be seasoning and beautify cuisine.
If you have a leek that has been already cut into small pieces, it is
difficult to keep it fresh and not dry when entered into the refrigerator.
Often leeks that have been cut will spread the smell inside the refrigerator
that interfere with other food aroma.
So, to overcome this, you can use a quick trick to use bottles of
drinking water. Make sure you've washed leeks and dry with a cloth or paper
towel. Then take a piece of used water bottles that had been cleaned and dried
inside. Enter the leeks that have been chopped or cut into small pieces, the
bottle cap. Store in the freezer and you can use chives in a fresh state when
needed.
In this way the leek also will not interfere with other food aroma with
the smell of onions. You can also store leeks in a plastic container, then tied
with a rubber band away. But if the oppressed other foods, leeks can be eroded.
So it is safer to use plastic bottles of drinking water.
Use of the leek is as a spice, although it is used in small quantities
leek is a vegetable that is rich in vitamins and minerals. Discard the leaves
of green spiky, roughly 1/3 leek high. Finely shredded, sliced oblique, or rough cut as required
prescription. So it's still fresh, insert just before the dish removed from the
fire. Leek usually used in fresh form. Soto, soups, stir, and rawon are several
types of dishes using spices leeks. Its use could be cut or sliced. Leeks will
provide a distinctive scent on the cuisine.
Leek
Cung
Looks like a scallion only slimmer and smaller. This leaf is widely used
in Chinese dishes, especially for stir-fry dishes and sprinkles. The following
are sold fresh roots. Chives give a very fresh aroma of onions although it felt
a little bitter. The use of chives is shortly going to be used, finely sliced then sprinkle on porridge, soup or
stir-fry dishes.
Lelem
Leaves
Leaf shape is similar to bay leaves but more supple and glossy green.
Not sold on the market, except in the area of Manado. Can be obtained at the
Manado household yard. If none can be replaced with the leaves of young
melinjo. Lelem leaves give the distinctive aroma of the cooking fry. Widely
used in the Manado kitchen. If boiled will make cooking becomes thick because
the lelem leaves contain mucus. Enter 3-5 lelem young leaves into the dish fry,
boil until wilted and fragrant.
Lime
Leaves
Including herbs were widely used in the kitchen Indonesian and South
East Asia. Soto, soup, curry, and kalio will be more fragrant and fresh taste
when added these ingredients. The aroma is fragrant, fresh, and distinctive so
as to reduce the fishy smell of meat, chicken, or seafood. Kaffir lime leaves,
composed of two equal parts, in contrast with lime leaves its leaves which
consists of only one part. Lime leaves can be purchased in traditional markets
or picked on the yard of the house. Lime leaves give a fresh citrus aroma to
dishes, traditional cake, or drink. Lime leaves are used fresh or dried. So
that superfine aroma, discard the leaves bones, and torn pieces of leaves or
finely sliced. Stir-fry until fragrant, or enter just the fry dish.
Mangkokan
Leaves
In Sumatra, known as tread leman/liman. Mangkokan leaf named because the
leaves resemble the shape of a bowl. Not sold on the market. Is an herb that is
commonly grown in households Indonesia. Mangkokan leaf is used for refreshing
aroma of cooking, to remove the rancid aroma of the fish or the cow's brain. It
can also be used for packaging food. In the old days the leaves are used to
wrap foods that can be eaten at the same time. Select mangkokan young leaves,
wash, waste leaves the bones, then slice thinly crosswise before use. Mangkokan
leaves can also be sliced finely crafted pecel or mixture omelet.
Miana
Leaves
Also called sere ako. The color is dark red or maroon, red spinach
leaves at first glance similar but jagged edges and slightly hairy. It smells
rotten and is widely used in Toraja seasoning. In other areas known as the
slobber-ileran, kotok, and koleus. Many are grown as ornamental plants. Benefit
of miana to eliminate the pungent odor on dishes of pork or buffalo. Pick miana
leaves, washed and mixed with other spices.
Mint
Leaves
Mint leaves originating from the Mediterranean and West Asia. The leaves
are green, round shape with fine hairs. Sold in a fresh state at the
supermarket. Leaves are spicy taste with the aroma of menthol. Widely used for
cakes, custard sauce, or hot drinks. In West Java, mint leaves eaten raw as
well as fresh vegetables. For the sauce, pudding, cake, ice cream: Chop the
mint leaves and cook along with other materials. For brewed tea: Enter mint
leaves together with dried tea leaves, brewed with boiling water.
Pandan
Leaves
Fragrant pandan (or so-called pandan) is a plant species of the family
Pandanaceae monocots which have a distinctive scented leaves. The leaves are an
important component in traditional Indonesian cuisine and the countries of
Southeast Asia. This plant is found growing wild in the yard or on the edges of
the ditch shade. Its roots are large and have prop roots that sustain the root
of this plant when it becomes big enough. The leaves are elongated like a palm
leaf and arranged in a dense rosette, a length of 60 cm.
Pandan leaf herbs are popular in kitchens Indonesia, both for cooking,
baking, or drinks. Fresh obtained in the traditional market or on the yard of
the house. There are two types of pandan leaves. Strand fragrant pandan leaves
small leaves, used to scent the food. Pandan leaves strand forests and large
wide leaves are used to wrap, for example lampu-lampu cakes of North Sulawesi,
cooking fried chicken pandan or tray Thailand. Choose fresh pandan leaves if
pressed easily torn and green a little old. Pandan leaves give the fragrance in
cooking cakes, puddings, or other dishes like compote or green bean porridge to
drink. In addition pandan leaves are also used as decoration component food
preparation, as well as the inside of the flower arrangements at weddings to
scent the room.
For cooking fry, conclude pandan leaves and torn, boiled along with
other ingredients. For rice musty scent, enter 1 pandan leaves while kneading
or when the steaming rice, can also be included in the steamer water. For the
cake batter, made of pandanus leaves the water first with the suji leaves. To
garnish cakes, pandan leaves can be chopped or thinly sliced as a topping.
Pandan leaves can also give a green color to the dish (besides suji leaf),
the way the mashing the leaves and squeeze out the water. Mix the pandan leaf
with suji leaf that the green color produced stronger. For fragrances, baking
or cooking, select pandan leaves that are not too old or younger. Cut the rough
order pandan aroma stronger than in the form intact.
Pandan leaves volatile scent, because it leaves add to the dough or
batter just before cooking or dishes removed from the fireplace.
Ruku-ruku
Leaves
Including varieties of basil leaves. The leaves are often found in areas
of Sumatra provides a fresh aroma and reduce the fishy taste in cooking fish,
meat, or chicken. Planted at the yard of the house. At first glance it looks
and aroma like basil leaves with a slightly spicy sensation when chewed. Leaf
shape is smaller than basil leaves, some green and a little purple. This leaves
many common seasoning in Padang dishes, such as fish curry dishes and other
coconut fry dishes. The leaves are usually used in fresh form. Choose the young
leaves and wash thoroughly, then insert it into the dish just before the dish
was overcooked.
Suji
Leaves
Suji leaves also called the pandan betawi, not too sweet when compared
with pandan leaves. Suji leaves can be used as a natural green coloring. The
use of leaf suji on cuisine is finely crushed and squeezed. Suji leaf water is
what used to color the cake. So that water suji fragrant leaves, mixed with
pandan leaves, how: Mash smooth suji 20 leaves and 10 pieces pandan leaves,
stir in 30 ml of boiled water, strain.
Teak
Leaves
In Java, teak leaves are used as wrapper leaves, especially by people
who live in the area around the plantation teak. But sometimes teak leaves can
also be purchased in traditional markets. Besides functioning as a wrapper leaf
rice because it gives a distinctive aroma in rice such as Sega lengka, typical
dish Cirebon, teak leaves is widely used to give color to red-brown in warm
dish of young jackfruit. Select teak leaves intact, no wormy, and fresh, Briefly
wilted in the sun, a clean cloth before being used to wrap rice. Or put a piece
of teak leaves in the bottom of the pan, pour the gudeg, warm cook until done. Gudeg
will reddish brown.
Turmeric
Leaves
Is an herb that is commonly grown in households Indonesia. Can be
purchased in traditional markets. Turmeric leaves give a savory taste with
delicate aroma of saffron. The aroma like turmeric is fragrant and distinctive
so as to reduce the fishy smell of meat or fish dishes. Sumatra is widely used
in kitchen or for cooking goulash, curry, kalio, or rendang. Choose leaves that
are not too old or too young so that the maximum leaf aroma. The amount that is
used at most 1 sheet of fresh/dry. Conclude then torn before being put into
cooking so that the aroma that comes out perfect.
Werot
Leaves
One type of croton plant that is widely used as an ornamental plant. The
color is dark green with grooves yellow veins and oval shape. The leaves are
used as a spice in cooking meat dishes, especially Manado. Werot leaf benefit
is to reduce rancidity or sharp on beef, buffalo, or pigs. Usage werot leaves
in cooking is wash and then sliced smooth or rough or leave it intact and mixed
with other spices.
