Dishes to bring in the New Year

*SOP BUNTUT SAPI

Oxtail soup is hearty fare on New Year's Eve and is enjoyed as hot as possible. One can easily make it into a filling meal by adding some steamed rice and season with some sambal! This soup is from Jakarta's southern suburbs.

Ingredients: 1 kg oxtail, cut into portions; 5 liter water; 8 shallots; 4 cloves garlic; 2 slices turmeric; 3 slices ginger; 4 purut lime leaves; 2 tsp salt or to taste; 8 stalks local leek (daun bawang or prei), cut into 1 cm pieces; 4 bunches local celery, chopped

Method: 1. Boil the oxtail in 5 liter water. Cover and boil covered for 2 hours on medium flame. 2. Grind shallots and garlic, turmeric and ginger and put into the stock, add lime leaves and season with salt. Continue until meat is tender. About 10 minutes before taking from flame add local leek and local celery leaves. Continue on low flame for a quarter of an hour. (Makes 8-10 portions)

* NASI GORENG BUMBU

A dish often served a New Year's Eve on Java's northern coast.

Ingredients: 1 free range (ayam kampung) chicken, 700 g; 2 liter water, to make the stock; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 6 cloves, whole; 1/2 tsp ground pepper; 2 tsp salt or to taste; 500 g rice, washed, drained; 200 ml cooking oil, to fry the chicken and rice; 5 hen eggs, hardboiled, halved; A bunch kemangi leaves (optional); 3 tbs crisply fried shallot slices (bawang goreng)

Method: 1. Clean the chicken and discard head, liver and intestines. 2. Boil on medium heat, add nutmeg, cloves, pepper and salt. Continue cooking until chicken is half done and stock remains about one and a half liter. 3. Take the chicken out of the stock and set aside. 4. Put the rice into the remaining stock and cook over low flame or rice cooker until done. Remove from flame or rice cooker and set aside. 5. Heat oil and fry chicken until done and brownish. 6. Fry the rice on medium heat in 3 tbs of the remaining oil. 7. Arrange rice on a serving dish and garnish with halved eggs and kemangi leaves. 8. Top with crisply fried shallot slices. 9. Cut chicken to your liking an serve with the nasi goreng bumbu Note: Use a small broiler about 1 kg if you prefer more tender meat. (Makes 5 portions)

* BESENGEK TEMPE

This dish, pronounced "Besengak", is very versatile. Ingredients vary from vegetarian to chicken. A popular dish with the Dutch until now; nearly every restaurant serving Indonesian food in the Netherlands has it on their menu.

Vegetarian

Ingredients: 200 g tempe, steamed; 200 g tofu, steamed; 1 tbs ground coriander; 4 shallots; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 slices galangal; 1 sdt terasi (shrimp paste); 2 tsp brown sugar; 1 tsp salt or to taste; 2 tbs cooking oil, for stir-frying; 300 ml thick coconut milk.

Method: 1. Cut tempeh in squares of 2 x 2 cm, grill over medium flame until light brown 2. Cut tofu in 2 x3 cm pieces, grill over medium flame until light brown 3. Make coriander, shallots, garlic, cumin, galangal, terasi, brown sugar and salt into a paste 4. Stir-fry until aromatic 5. Pour in coconut milk and stir to prevent curdling 6. Put tempeh and tofu pieces into the sauce 7. Continue cooking until sauce thickens

Nonvegetarian

For those preferring chicken or beef: Change tempeh and tofu for a 1 kg chicken cut into ten pieces. Steam and grill chicken before further procedure.

Note: Good to serve with nasi goreng bumbu (for non vegetarians) and for vegetarians, cook the rice in a vegetable broth or serve with steamed white rice. (Makes 5 portions)

* LEMPER MAKARONI

Macaroni has been known for a long time in Indonesia and is mostly made into the Dutch-Indonesian dish called "macaroni schotel", often served at family events. This lemper makaroni is one of the recent adaptations of pasta and spices.

Ingredients: 100 g uncooked macaroni, boiled, drained; 6 shallots; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tbs ground coriander; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp salt or to taste; 2 tbs cooking oil, for stir-frying; 200 g minced beef; 1 hen egg, beaten; 2 tbs wheat flour; 200 ml coconut milk; Banana leaves, for wrapping cut into 15 x 15 cm pieces; Toothpicks, for fastening

Method: 1. Make shallots, garlic, coriander, turmeric and salt into a paste. Stir-fry until aromatic 2. Add minced beef and fry until meat changes color 3. Finely mix egg and flour using a fork and add to the meat 4. Pour in coconut milk, stir and continue until milk is completely absorbed 5. Take a banana leaf and put 2 Tbs macaroni in the center, add 1 Tbs meat and roll the leaf securely, fasten both ends with toothpicks 6. Serve room temperature and some chilies to your liking (Makes 10 portions)

* RISOLES ISI APEL

Risolles were a French snack but have become part of the . This recipe a creation using apples from Malang, a hilly cool town in the mountainous region of East Java.

Ingredients: 600 g chicken breast; 2 sourish Malang apples, peeled; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp ground cloves; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tbs butter or margarine, for stir-frying; 1 tsp salt or to taste; 2 tsp granulated sugar (optional); 2 tbs wheat flour; 4 tbs water, to dilute

Batter: 200 g wheat flour, sifted; 3 hen eggs; 4 tbs milk powder; 1 tsp salt or to taste; 350 ml water; 2 tbs cooking oil; 150 g wheat flour, sifted, or bread flour; 3 egg whites, beaten; 200 ml cooking oil, for frying; 50 g sesame seeds

Method: 1. Cut chicken and apple thinly. Finely grind garlic, coriander, cumin, cloves and cinnamon and stir-fry until aromatic 2. Add chicken and apple. Season with salt and sugar (optional) and add diluted wheat flour. Stir until thickened 3. To make the batter: Mix wheat flour, eggs, milk powder, salt and water thoroughly 4. Grease a pancake pan with 15 diameter with some oil and pour in 2 tbs batter. Continue until the pancake is done. Proceed until the batter is finished 5. Take a pancake and put 2 tbs apple mixture in center. Wrap and close the pancake into a quadratic form 6. Dust the pancakes with a little flour and coat with beaten egg white. Coat again with wheat or bread flour and then fry until golden (Makes 6 portions)

* KACANG BAWANG

A traditional peanut snack to enjoy anytime.

Ingredients: 500 g skinned peanuts; 400 ml boiling water, to soak the nuts; 3 cloves garlic; 200 ml cooking oil, for frying; 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Method: 1. Put the nuts into a deep bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let stand for 15 minutes 2. Slice garlic into thin slices 3. Heat oil and fry the peanuts and the garlic slices on medium heat 4. When golden take out of the frying pan, drip dry and season with salt (Makes 6 portions)

* OLIEBOL

A fried Dutch snack "adopted" in Indonesia since the days of the Dutch administration. Amsterdam is known for its oliebollen, enjoyed on New Year's Eve.

Ingredients: 500 g wheat flour, sifted; 11 g instant yeast; 500 ml tepid milk; 2 tbs butter, melted; 2 tbs ground sugar; 100 g raisins; 2 apples, peeled, sliced; 1 hen egg; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp lemon peel (optional); 200 ml cooking oil, for frying; 3-4 tbs ground sugar, for dusting.

Method: 1. Put wheat flour in a deep bowl and make a small well in the center 2. Put instant yeast onto it and add the milk little by little whilst mixing 3. Add butter, sugar, raisins, apples, hen egg, salt and lemon peel (optional). Mix thoroughly 4. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let stand for one hour in a warm place 5. Heat the cooking oil on medium heat and fry the "oliebollen" forming balls with two tablespoons until golden 6. Transfer onto tissue paper and let drain for a while. Dust with sugar (Makes 20 pieces)

* MUTZEMANDELN

On the last day of December, bakeries in Rheinland Westphalia, Germany, sell heaps of Mutzemandeln to pass the evening on New Year's Eve. A children's favorite, mothers used to make their own recipe of the almond-shaped cookies.

Ingredients: 500 g wheat flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 200 g ground sugar; 2 hen eggs; A pinch of salt; 1/2 tsp vanilla powder; 200 g cold butter, cut into small pieces; 2 tbs wheat flour, for dusting; 200 ml cooking oil, for frying; 3 tbs ground sugar, for dusting

Method: 1. Sift wheat flour and baking powder into a bowl 2. Make a well and add sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla powder 3. Mix with a knife, add butter and mix until the dough is somewhat crumbly 4. Then continue mixing rapidly with hands into a ball. Put in a refrigerator for some 15 minutes 5. Dust an even surface with flour and roll out the dough about 2 cm thick. Cut the dough with 2 teaspoons forming almonds 6. Heat the cooking oil over medium heat and fry the "Mutzemandeln" until brownish 7. Dust with ground sugar (Makes 40 pieces)

* WEDANG JAHE WANGI

Fresh ginger is a much liked root to make warming and healthy drinks. For those preferring refreshing drinks the ginger beverages can also be enjoyed cold or even ice cold with some ice cubes. For New Year's Eve, the ginger drink is a real pep up.

Ingredients: 250 g fresh ginger root; 1 sachet powdered colorless agar-agar (seaweed), 3 tsp; 50 g granulated sugar; A pinch of salt; 500 ml water; 1 stalk lemon grass, 15 cm, bruised; 150 g granulated sugar; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground cloves; 1 liter water, for the liquid; 100 g sago pearls (pacar cina) (already boiled in sachets, supermarkets).

Method: 1. Peel ginger root, grate and squeeze out the juice 2. Mix agar-agar with granulated sugar, salt, water and bring to a boil. Put in a suitable bowl to cool 3. Boil the ginger juice with lemon grass, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves and water. Let cool 4. Cut the cold agar-agar in small cubes and put 2 Tbs in a suitable glass, or mug, add 1 tbs sago pearls and pour in ginger flavored water to your liking. (Makes 8-10 portions)

* KENTANG SAYUR

Potatoes are frequently used in vegetarian kitchens, and veggie burgers are healthy and delicious. This is a potato creation from the West Java town of Sukabumi, where several vegetable plantations grow various local and imported vegetables. For a hearty snack (or meal) while waiting for the clock to strike 12, kentang sayur is just right.

Ingredients: A large potato baked or roasted in the jacket, 150 g; 3 leaves lettuce; a piece of cooked carrot, 20 cm; 1 tbs margarine, for stir-frying; 1 clove garlic, chopped; 3 tbs canned peas; 1/4 salt or to taste; 1/4 ground pepper; 1 tbs bottled tomato sauce or a sauce to your liking

Method: 1. Slice the potato in halves 2. Leave the lettuce leaves as are, cut carrot into thin slices or slantingly 3. Heat margarine and stir-fry garlic and peas until heated. Season with salt and pepper 4. Arrange the potato on a serving plate and put the lettuce leaves around the potato, add the carrot slices and peas next to the potato or over it 5. Enjoy with a sauce to your liking Suggestion: for non vegetarians have sausages on hand, or spicy minced beef or chicken, and a choice of bottled sauces. (Makes one portion)

-- Suryatini N. Ganie