Tuesday, June 17, 2008

blog assignment 2

KETUPAT
Ketupat is a type of dumpling from Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. It is made from rice that been wrapped in a palm leaf pouch and will be boiled. As the rice cooks, the grains begin to expand to fill the pouch and the rice becomes compress. This method of cooking give the ketupat its characteristic form and texture of a rice dumpling. Ketupat is usually eaten with rendang or serve with satay. Ketupat is also traditionally served by Indonesians and Malays at open houses on festival day such as Idul Fitri (Hari Raya Aidilfitri). During Idul Fitri in Indonesia, ketupat is often served with chicken curry, accompany with spicy soy powder. Among Filipinos, puso is also traditionally used as a pabaon or a mobile meal, traditionally brought by workers as a type of packed lunch, served with any selection of stews. There are many varieties of ketupat, with two of the more common one being ketupat nasi and ketupat pulut. Ketupat nasi is made from white rice and it is wrap in a square shape with coconut palm leaves meanwhile ketupat pulut is made from glutinous rice and usually wrap in a triangle shape using the leaves of the fan palm. Ketupat pulut is also called "ketupat daun palas" in Malaysia.

RENDANG
Rendang is a dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia. One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremony occasion and to honour guests. Also popular in Malaysia and Singapore, rendang is traditionally prepared by the Malay community during festival day. Rendang is sometimes described as being like a curry, and the name is sometimes applied to curried meat dishes in Malaysia, authentic rendang is nothing like a curry. Rendang is made from beef or sometimes chicken, mutton, water buffalo meat, duck or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava that will slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, leaving the meat coat in the spice. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid dry. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender. The spices may include ginger, turmeric leaf, lemon grass and chillies. Chicken or duck rendang also contains tamarind, and is usually not cooked for as long as beef rendang. Rendang is often served with rice in Indonesia but in Malaysia it is also served with ketupat and lemang.

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