Indonesians eat this dish for celebrations because yellow symbolizes good fortune, prosperity, happiness and everything nice! There are a lot of side dishes that go with this rice, but I prepared 5 of my favorites here.
I made this for Indonesia’s 79th birthday on 17 August 2024 to eat with my beloved friends :)
This is definitely a lot of work and I don’t expect any of you to make it but I’d like to share the recipe with you guys just in case.. You could also make and eat the dish separately! Let me know if you tried them~
I posted a longer duration of my cooking on YouTube
YELLOW RICE (nasi kuning)
500gr white rice
700gr water
50gr coconut milk
salt
1 tbsp oil
aromatics:
2-3 stalk lemongrass
2-3 slice galangal
4-6 lime leaves
1-2 pandan leaves
Mix everything in the rice cooker and cook in a normal setting
Same if using a stove, but you have the option to substitute more water for coconut milk for even more fragrant rice (you cannot do this in a rice cooker because rice won’t fluff properly)
Once cooked, add more salt if you prefer saltier rice
CORIANDER FRIED CHICKEN (ayam goreng ketumbar)
6 chicken thigh
5tbsp potato/tapioca/corn starch
white pepper
salt
blended paste:
5-8 garlic cloves
2-3 large shallot
3tbsp coriander, toasted
50mL water
for frying: oil
Mix all ingredients with the blended paste, making sure every chicken surface is well-coated
Deep fry in medium heat until golden brown (~12 minutes if room temp chicken)
Let cool on a wire rack to keep it crispy
Optional double fry: before fully cooled down, heat oil to high and fry chicken for 1-2 minutes extra (will stay crispy longer, do it if you are not going to eat right away)
Another option: Air fry
Generously oil chicken, lay chicken on a single layer, and cook in a preheated 400F air fryer for 20-25 minutes. Quickly flip the chicken in the middle of cooking.
Don’t forget to regularly check your potatoes. Remember that different air fryer, different specs, different cooking times.
SPICY POTATOES (kentang balado)
3-5 large potatoes, diced
aromatics:
4-6 lime leaves
2 slices galangal
2 stalk lemongrass
blended:
2 roma tomatoes
2 large shallots
5 garlic cloves
3-6 thai chilli
1 tbsp candlenut
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil
salt
sugar
white pepper
Deep fry potatoes in medium heat until just matte, about 5 minutes
Strain, let cool a bit, heat oil to high and fry potatoes until golden brown
Another option: Bake
Soak diced potatoes in cold water for min. an hour, pat them dry, generously oil, arrange a single layer of potatoes on the pan and bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 20 minutes (quickly take out and flip potatoes in the middle of cooking), turn up the heat to low broil at 450F and cook for extra 15 minutes or until crispy and golden brown
Don’t forget to regularly check your potatoes. Remember that different ovens, different specs, different cooking times.
Another option: Air fry
Soak diced potatoes in cold water for min. an hour, pat them dry, generously oil, arrange a single layer on the preheated 400F air fryer and air fry for 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown (quickly flip in the middle of cooking), take them out (you might need to do batches), and toss everything in the air fryer to fry for an extra 2-3 minutes
Don’t forget to regularly check your potatoes. Remember that different air fryer, different specs, different cooking times.
Pan-fry blended ingredients + aromatics until fragrant and change to a darker color, adjust to your taste
Mix in the fried potatoes to the sauce
SOY TEMPEH (tempe orek)
400gr tempeh
aromatics
1 tbsp oil
2 slices galangal
diced:
2 large shallot
6 garlic cloves
2-4 thai chili
sauce
5 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1-2 tbsp oyster sauce
salt
sugar
white pepper
for frying: oil
Deep fry tempeh until brown. Sadly I’ve never tried cooking tempeh with other methods. I am sure you could easily find other ways online though
Pan-fry aromatics until fragrant
Pour in the sauce, adjust to your taste
Toss in the cooked tempeh
Optional: add stink beans!! :p
SHRIMP PASTE SAMBAL (sambal terasi)
10 thai chili
5-8 garlic cloves
4-6 large shallots
2 block shrimp paste
salt
sugar
msg/mushroom bullion/chicken stock
3-5 tbsp oil
Easy: Blend everything and cook on a pan until the color changes darker
Harder: Pan-fry all ingredients and blend/crush with a mortar & pestle
STIR FRIED VERMICELLI
vermicelli, boiled
shallots
garlic
thai chili and or serano pepper
carrot
sweet soy sauce
white pepper
salt
sugar
mushroom bullion
EGG OMELETTE
egg
salt
white pepper
sugar
Notes:
Always adjust to your taste as you go when cooking! Take your time—don’t rush! (I warn you, this recipe isn’t for when you’re in a hurry. PLS.) And most importantly, have fun! <3