Chop Till You Drop

You use it everyday in the Kitchen. If not looked after it can make you sick – And yet you probably never give it a second thought.

The Chopping Board is a large board you use in the kitchen for chopping, cutting and preparing food on.

When purchasing a new board, there are heaps of options to choose from – timber, glass, marble, plastic. And it can be a confusing choice.

Glass and Marble type cutting boards may look good but they play havoc on your knives. The hard surface will quickly blunt your knife and damage it's edge.

So, keep your glass and marble boards for serving food only.

When it comes to wooden and plastic boards, even the experts are divided as to which is best. It comes down to personal preference. And mine is…. wooden.

Wooden boards are generally heavier and less inclined to slip. They are also more attractive and can be used to serve food at the table.

Where as plastic boards are lighter, come in various colors and are dishwasher safe.

Whichever type you choose, it is imperative you clean it well. Harmful bacteria can breed on your board and cause dreadful food poisoning.

So … be sure to scrub your board well after each use, with hot water and detergent. Then allow it to stand and drip dry. Your board should be completely dry before using again.

It's a good idea to have more than one board, to avoid cross contamination. Have one for raw meat and one for other foods.

Or take it to the extreme and do what the professionals do. Use 5 different colored boards:-

Red – Raw Meats
Yellow – Poultry
Blue – Seafood
Green – Fruit and Vegetables
White – General

So, if you board is starting to look a bit worse for wear, then it is probably time for a new one. And now you will be well informed to choose the right one for you.

Happy Cooking
Lisa "The Crock Cook"
http://www.a-crock-cook.com

Gudeg Jogja (Green Jack Fruit Sweet Stew)

Ingredients

- 5 Shallots
- 10 Candle nuts
- 10 Garlic cloves
- 4 Indian bay leaves/Salam
- 1/2 lb. (250g) Jack fruit
- 2-1/2 tsp. (12g) Coriander seeds
- 1-1/4 tsp. (6g)Cummin
- 1/4 cup (62ml) Coconut sugar
- 2 cup (500ml) Coconut milk
- 2 tsp. (30g) Tamarind
- 2 lb. (1kg) Chicken (cut into small pieces with bone)
- 5 cups (1.25l) water
- 2 inches bruised Galangga


Instructions

• Cut jack fruit 1 inch thick wash.
• Boil until tender. Ground shallots, candle nuts, saute paste, salam leaves, and galangga until fragrant then add chicken pieces.
• Stir fry until chicken changes color.
• Pour 4 cups of water and coconut sugar, bring to a boil.
• Add jack fruit and simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender.
• Add coconut milk 5 minutes before it's done, bring back to a boil.
• Serve hot with rice.

This dish is sweet and usually served with shrimp cracker.

Otak Otak Pipih (Fragrant Fried Fish Cakes)

These Javanese fish cakes are flavored with coconut, spices and shallots, and can be prepared several hours in advance and kept refrigerated before the final deep-frying.


Ingredients:
1 cup (100 g) frehly grated coconut or 1 cup (80 g) unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 lb (500 g) white fish fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (250 ml) thick coconut milk oil, for deep-frying
1 portion Pickled Shallots (see our sambal recipe categories) to serve
½ portion Sambal Soto (see our sambal recipe categories) to serve
Spice Paste
2 candlenuts, roughly chopped
½ in (1 cm) fresh galangal, peeled and sliced
½ in (1 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Cooking Directions

1. Prepare the Pickled Shallots and Sambal Soto by following the recipes on sambal recipes categories
2. Dry-fry the grated coconut in a skillet over low heat, stirring constanly until  golden brown, about 10 10 minutes for fresh coconut to burn. Set aside to cool in a small bowl.
3. Make the Spice Paste by grinding all the ingredients in a mortar or blender, adding a little oil if necessary  to keep the mixture turning.  Add the fish chunks and grind until fine.
4. Place the ground mixture in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sugar and salt, and mix well . shape the mixture into small balls, then flatten with your palm and shape them into patties.
5. Heat the oil in a wok and deep-fry the patties until cooked and golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels , serve hot with serving bowls of the Pickled Shallots and Sambal Soto on the side.

Gado Gado (Tofu and Vegetable Salad with Peanuts Dressing)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (50 g) bean sprouts, seed coats and tails discarded
• 2 cup (180 g) spinach, rinsed, though stems discarded
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 cup (100 g) green beans, cut into short lengths
• ¼ head cabbage, leaves separated  and slice
• 1 cup (100 g) greens beans, cut into short length
• ¼ head cabbage, leaves separeated and sliced
• 2 cakes (about 7 oz/200g each) deep-fried tofu, sliced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons Crispy Fried Shallots , to garnish
• Krupuk Shrimp Crackers to serve (optional)

Gado-gado dressing:

• 1 cup (150 g) roasted unsalted peanuts
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 to 3 bird’s-eye chilies or red finger length chilies, deseeded
• 1 in (2 ½  cm) freh kencur root, peeled  and sliced
• 1 kaffir lime leaf
• 3 tablespoons sweet Indonesian soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cup (500 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeeszed lime or lemon juice

Cooking Direction:

1. Prepare the Crispy Fried Shallots by following the recipe on categories pages: pickles sambal and dipping sauce
2. To make the gado-gado dressing, coarsely grind the peanuts, garlic, chilies and kencur in a mortar or blender , adding  a little water  if necessary to keep the mixture turning. Place the ground mixture in a saucepan with all the other dressing ingredients, except the lime or lemon juice, and simmer uncovered over  very low heat for about 1 hour. Stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to thr pot and burning. Remove from the heat  and set  aside. Add the lime or lemon juice, mix well and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Crispy Fried Shallots over the sauce just before serving.

Ayam Masak Tauco (Chicken Cooked with Salted Yellow Beans)

Indonesians develop their Culinary Skills by embracing and combining other ethnics cooking style and ingredients. Such example is Tauco, it's a kind of salted yellow beans that originated from chinese cooking ingredient.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Roasting chicken
• 2 Onions
• 4 Cloves garlic
• 2 tsp Dark soya sauce
• 3 tbsp Tauco (salted yellow beans)
• 1 tsp Brown sugar
• 1 tsp Paprika (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Tamarind water
• 1 cup Water

How to:

1. This recipe calls for tauco which can be either salted black beans or salted yellow beans. Either can be found in a Chinese market as salted black bean or salted yellow bean sauce. Or you can track down Indonesian salted yellow beans and smash em up yourself. Thai markets carry them.
   
2. Cut the chicken into serving pieces; wash, and dry. Slice the onions. Pound the garlic and the tauco into a smooth paste.
   
3. Fry the onions in the oil for half a minute. Add the tauco, then the chicken. Stir well, so that every part of the chicken is coated with tauco.
   
4. Put in the soya sauce and the rest of the ingredients. Cover, and simmer very gently for 45 minutes. Then take the lid off, and cook for a further 5 minutes to reduce the sauce.
   
5. Serve hot.
   
6. Makes 4 servings.

Urap-Urap ( Cooked Vegetables with Coconut )

Ingredients:

• 8 oz fresh green beans
• 8 oz bean sprouts
• 4 carrots
• 1 can bamboo shoots
• small cabbage
• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (sambal ulek)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Wash bean sprouts, pinching of any brown tail.
2. Pour boiling water over bean sprouts, then rinse under cold water tap.
3. Drain well.String beans and cut diagonally or bite-size lengths and cook in lightly salted water until just tender. Beans should still be crisp to bite.
4. Scrub carrot and cut into thin strips, cook until tender. Drain well.
5. Slice cabbage, discard the center stem.
6. Blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, until tender but not limp. Drain and refresh with cold water.
7. Cut bamboo shoots into strips the same size as the beans.
8. Place fresh grated coconut into a bowl, add onion, chili sauce, salt, lime juice and the shrimp paste which has been grilled for a few minutes, or heated in a dry frying pan.
9. Mix thoroughly together.
10. Sprinkle this grated coconut mixture over vegetables, reserving some to garnish the dish when served.Put vegetables in a steamer and steam for 5-8 minutes.
11. Put the steamed vegetables to a serving dish/platter and sprinkle with reserved grated coconut mixture.
12. Use as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a salad by itself.

Ayam Masak Habang (Chicken Cooked with Red Chili Sauce - Padang Style)

Ingredients:

• 2.4 lbs Chicken
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Tamarind Water
• 500 ml Water
• 2 tbsp Sweet soy sauce ( "Kecap Manis" )
• 3 pcs Chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp Javanese palm sugar ( "Gula Merah" )
• Cooking oil

Spices:

• l50 gr Red chilies
• 12 Shallots
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Shrimp paste
• 2 cm Ginger
• 2 cm Lesser galangal
• 2 tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Cut the chicken into 8 - 10 pieces, then smear it with salt and Javanese Tamarind Water.

2. Knead the chicken and leave it for 10 minutes to let it absorbs the seasonings.

3. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or skillet, fry the chicken until yellowish.

4. Remove and drain.

5. Heat 5 tbsp of cooking oil, saute (stir-fry) spices until fragrant.

6. Add the fried chicken, stir, and pour water.

7. Add sweet soy sauce, sugar, tomatoes and palm sugar.

8. Continue to cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked well and the sauce thickens.