The Gravy Train

ayam what ayam

There's a famous fried chicken in Yogyakarta.  It's so famous that there are branches of Ayam Goreng Nyonya Suharti as far away as Jakarta (which locals seem to refer to as The Big City).  I have a connoiseur's love of fried chicken, having grown up in the Deep South, and so when I caught wind of the original Ayam Goreng Nyonya Suharti just a hop away from our hotel, I had to check it out.

This fried chicken was spectacular: crispy, juicy, and flavorful.  It arrived with a crumbly topping that tasted like deep-fried panko bread crumbs.  When I asked what the topping was called, I couldn't get much out of the staff, who only spoke Bahasa, but it sounded like they were saying "keramis."  

We also had karadok, a salad of local greens and vegetables tossed in peanut sauce.  The freshness of the greens combined with the spicy sweetness of the peanut sauce made me wonder why we don't have peanut dressing as a standard dressing for salads more often at home.  The hubby agreed, strongly hinting that I should find a good recipe before we move home.

We also ordered a nasi (rice) dish that came with bean sprouts, bok choy, long beans, and a delightful peanut brittle-type rice cake.  Again, we were enamored.  Who knew that blanched vegetables and rice could be so delightful with the simple addition of a crispy rice cake? 

Clearly, I still have so much to learn.

Ayam Goreng (Fried Chicken) Nyonya Suharti | Yogyakarta | Indonesia

 

sunrise over yogyakarta

The view from our plane's window

After our decadent meal-indulging in Bali, it was time to head on to Yogyakarta.  We woke up at 4:00 AM, and by 6:00 AM we were flying over Java island.  As it turns out, there's often fog in the mornings that keeps planes from landing on time, and so we circled for an hour while we waited for the sun to warm up the valley where Yogyakarta lies.

I can think of worse ways to spend an hour.

Especially when there's a happy but sleepy-eyed companion to keep us entertained:

chandi indeed

Top: the dining room at Chandi isn't normally this empty, but we eat dinner at 5:00 nowadays; bottom left: a chocolate fondant cake with crispy ginger and caramel swirls; bottom right: the chicken sisit bumbu Bali

Our hands-down favorite meal in Seminyak goes to Chandi, an almost unnoticeable little haven tucked in between bars and boutiques on one of the main drags in town.  The menu and website promised pan-Asian cuisine with a focus on Balinese influences, and, as the hubby summarized aptly, someone was firing on all pistons back in the kitchen.  We couldn't stop clapping our hands with excitement every time a dish was laid down in front of us.

Amazing crunchy tofu squares

We arrived at Chandi at just after 5:00 pm after calling to ask Chandi if they wouldn't mind taking us a bit early, since most of their reservations begin at 6:00.  The fact that they were willing to accommodate us, Gravy Baby and all, set the precedent for what turned out to be truly outstanding service.  We chose to start with crunchy tofu squares breaded in panko with a roasted peanut dressing and topped with cucumber shreds, and as soon as I bit into one, my mind was reeling with how I might duplicate such an amazing snack for myself once we were back home.  We also shared a really fun chicken sisit bumbu, a shredded chicken seasoned with kaffir lime, chili, and served with mango inside a crispy tofu skin. 

The special of the night was local grilled squid stuffed with lemongrass and chilies, which we decided was mandatory for anyone who happens upon the restaurant in the future on nights when this special is on tap.  The squid was meltingly tender, and the accompanying daikon "noodles" tossed in a sweet and spicy chili sauce really made for a nice, crunchy textural contrast.

We also dove into our 3-way beef curry noodles, which came with shredded beef (known also as beef "floss" or rou song in this part of the world), crispy beef jerky and a slow-simmered beef rendang (kind of like a braised beef stew made with tamarind, shallots, garlic, chillies).  All I wanted to do was paint my face in these noodles, and as soon as we were finished, I wanted more.

This is what I love about Bali.  While I love the local, unadorned food, sometimes it's nice to see where the simple everyday dishes we eat can be taken with just a little imagination and finesse.  Chandi has the latter in spades.  I'm not sure if I would've appreciated this place two years ago, but I sure am glad we've had the pleasure of knowing it now.

Chandi | 72 Jalan Laksmana | Seminyak | Bali

searching for locals in bali

Ikan panggang kemangi, or steamed whole siakap (local snapper) with fresh red chilies, ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime, then topped with basil

It's really hard for me to resist a steamed whole fish covered in some sort of medley of fresh herbs.  It's my go-to dish on basically any sophisticated menu in Southeast Asia, because the seafood here is just so darn good.  

Lontong lodeh: soybean curd, taro, long beans, local greens, chilies, melinjo leaf simmered in coconut milk

In Bali, it's actually fairly difficult to find "authentic" Indonesian food without some sort of Westernized influence.  Tourism is so well-rooted there that our usual rule of nixing any place that serves some sort of combination menu (i.e., both Western and Indonesian dishes) has been thrown out the window.  We had an absolutely divine Indonesian meal in Ubud (an interior village in Bali) two years ago that also served, inexplicably, club sandwiches.

We were really chuffed, then, to discover Cafe Degan, a restaurant in Seminyak serving up Thai and Indonesian (hey, it's still not purely Indonesian, but at least we're working within the same geographical region now).  It was a quaint little place that was perfect for sampling some local cuisine.

Top: yum som o kab poo nim thod, or pomelo salad with soft-shell crab; bottom: Yum pla foo, a shaved green apple salad reminiscent of a papaya salad 

The local siakap (akin in taste and texture to a red snapper, but without the reddish skin) was perfectly steamed, and the medley of chillies, lemongrass, basil, kaffir lime and ginger made it irresistibly fresh.  We also loved a vegetable dish called lontong lodeh, basically a local vegetable coconut milk stew with bean curd and taro root.  And on the Thai side, we couldn't resist ordering a couple of salads that have become our go-to whenever we're eating Thai.  The first was a soft-shell crab salad with pomelo dressed with cilantro, lime and a dark fish sauce.  We've never had this salad at any Thai places in the US, and I'll weep really big, drippy tears when go home and can't find this staple.  The other salad tasted really similar to the standard green papaya salad, but this one used local green apples.  This salad inspired me to try making it on my own once we're home and can no longer get green papayas (although I might be too focused on the sudden and widespread availability of green tomatoes to fry again to really care much).

The only dish we didn't find as successful was the gulai kambing, an Indonesian lamb curry that the hubby just couldn't resist (what steamed whole fish are to me, lamb curries are to the hubby.  He just buckles at the mere mention on them).  But its errors -- not enough seasoning, lamb wasn't seared prior to braising, which made it inordinately tough -- weren't egregious enough to keep us away from Cafe Degan.  We'd make it our neighborhood cafe if we were so lucky as to live in Bali.

Sigh.  If only.

Cafe Degan | 9 Jalan Petitenget | Seminyak | Bali

in bali, a flavor party in my mouth

The sexiness of this crispy fried pork hock, tamarind caramel, peanuts, cucumber, chili and a poached egg made me feel a little inappropriate eating it in front of strangers

We spent last week in Indonesia, our last regional trip before the Big Move back home next month.  I wanted to go back to Bali, which was our first trip after we moved here.  We went there as a belated honeymoon, and I thought it would be poetic to make our last trip a return to the first place we ever visited together.  

This time, we stayed in Seminyak, a relatively upscale part of the island known for its boutiques, nightlife and upscale dining scene.  Seeing as we were pretty much excluded from being able to enjoy shopping due to the narrow, uneven sidewalks in Seminyak that precluded us from pushing the Gravy Baby's stroller very far and no nightlife starts in Seminyak at 6:00 pm and ends by 7:00pm, which is the Gravy Baby's bedtime, we decided we'd focus this trip on the upscale dining part.

Thai red curry of beef with perfectly braised tenderloin, smoked tofu, eggplant, basil, and pumpkin (two ways, shredded as a topping and braised in the curry)

We started our culinary adventure at a beach club called Ku De Ta, which came highly recommended by several of our friends who are frequent visitors to the island.  As soon as we arrived, just around lunchtime, the hubby and I rubbed our hands together in eager anticipation.  We could see how Ku De Ta would be a happening night spot and a place to be seen once the sun sets, but since we were there in the middle of the day, we could get our eat on relatively uninterrupted.

Above: the scene at Ku De Ta is tame enough for us lame-os during the day

Scene or no scene, Ku De Ta didn't disappoint.  I sank my chompers into a crispy fried pork hock with tamarind caramel, peanuts, cucumber and chili, topped with a perfectly oozy poached egg.  The pork hock was appropriately balanced between spicy and tender, and the skin was perfectly caramelized.  When I broke into my poached egg, yolk ran seductively into the crevices of the pork hock.  It was a sexy dish, for sure.

Chili peanuts and the remnants of the Gravy Baby's lunch, a local banana with orange flesh

The other dish we tried was a red beef curry, which intrigued us because it included smoked tofu, which we'd never had before.  Well, it turns out that I've figured out a justifiable reason for that handheld smoker I've been jonesing for.  The smoked pumpkin brought a delicious added dimension to the curry sauce, which was already very velvety and decadent.   

We also ordered some chili roasted peanuts to tide us over while we waited for our dishes, and it turned out that we were right to do so.  The peanuts were rolled in honey, then smoked paprika and chili powder, which made it a delightful sticky-sweet snack.  We couldn't finish them all before our entrees arrived, so we did what every good, tacky tourist would do: we took out one of the Gravy Baby's spare Ziploc baggies and dumped those suckers right in.  

(By the way, we always travel with Ziplocs and Kleenex these days, because goodness knows we need them to isolate and contain certain, um, messes, he tends to get himself into.  I am becoming my mother.)

Ku De Ta | Jalan Kayu Aya No. 9 | Seminyak | Bali | Indonesia

the last of indonesia

My dear friend Michelle called me all the way from watery Atlanta, Georgia to tell me that she wants me to write about our new home, and show her pictures of it and all of the culture that we're experiencing in our new hometown.  I'm not ready to show you photos of our unpacked but not neatly organized and labeled home yet, because I don't want you to think that we live like Sanford and Son, so for now, here are some more Indonesia photos to keep you distracted . . .

  
 Sometimes we pause in between meals and smile. 

Gawkers at Ibu Oka Restaurant in Ubud, famous for its suckling pig