Tom Pepinsky

Author: tompepinsky

  • Ragunan Zoo

    Yesterday we took an outing to the Jakarta Zoo, and our low expectations proved to be ill-founded.  It’s about 5 miles from our building down a big road which reminds us of the valley in So Cal.  There were shops and little restaurants just packed along the sides endlessly, sort of like a more run-down version of strip malls. 

    The zoo is really big and it was fun to see the types of animals they had there.  We never knew that there are so many species of peacocks, gibbons and civets (whatever they are).  Most of the orangutans were absent, but there were two funny ones that we watched for a while.  The only thing that sucked was that all the other people there were throwing peanuts and cookies to the animals, who were apparently used to it.  One of the elephants spat on Tom because he thought Tom had some snacks for him.   We also saw lots of big cats, including three of the most gigantic lions we’ve ever seen.  As is to be expected, they were all lazing around, because that’s all big cats at zoos ever do (at least here the heat makes it entirely understandable).  There were also the famous komodo dragons which are indeed as big and ugly as they look in pictures.  They’re pretty impressive, and now we don’t have to go to Komodo.  (I think the only thing on that island is a platform where you can watch guys throw goats to the lizards to eat.)

    When we stopped for a snack, we also saw the usual housecats hanging around looking for food.  But we saw three cats and we’re convinced all three were very pregnant. And then we saw yet another pregnant one around our apartment when we got home.  Weird.

    And to answer the question of how wet you can actually get during a rainstorm in the tropics during the wet season?  Very.  No we mean it.  Our clothes were so wet that we had to put them in the washing machine and showering made us drier.  I think everyone who saw us running home without our umbrella was shaking their heads and thinking, there go some more stupid white people.

  • Ayam Goreng

    Here’s our recipe for ayam goreng (AH-yahm GOH-rehng; fried chicken), Javanese-style. We should warn you that like every dish in Indonesia–and anywhere else, for that matter–there are probably as many different versions of Javanese fried chicken as their are mothers and grandmothers in Java.  Rather than trying to decide on just one, "canonical" fried chicken recipe, we’ve decided to adopt what we call the "modular" approach.  Give the basis of the recipe, so far as we can tell, and list some various combinations.  So here we go.

    For the braise
    One small whole chicken, cut into parts (save the back for stock, of course); or just buy parts
    1 cup water
    1 stalk lemongrass (optional)
    1 sour carambola, sliced (optional)

    For the spice paste
    3 cloves garlic, peeled
    3 shallots, peeled
    1 inch ginger, peeled
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1 inch fresh turmeric, peeled; or 1 tsp. ground (optional)
    1 tsp. peppercorns (optional)
    1 tsp. whole cloves (optional)
    1 tsp. whole coriander (optional)
    1 tsp. whole cumin (optional)
    3 whole macadamia nuts (optional)

    To fry
    2-3 cups vegetable oil, or enough to just submerge the chicken

    First, make the spice paste.  Grind the garlic, shallots, ginger and turmeric (if using) in a mortar and pestle or food processor until smooth.  Add the macadamia nuts (if using) and process until smooth.  Toast the spices (if using) in a pan, and then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.  Combine dry ingredients with the rest of the paste and the salt, and combine.

    Combine the water, spice paste, and lemongrass or sour carambola (if using) in a heavy-bottomed pot.  Bring the mixture to a oil and add the chicken.  Reduce heat, partially cover,  and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the mixture has reduced, about 30 minutes or so.  Remove the chicken from the braising liquid and set aside to cool and dry.

    While the chicken cools and dries, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add the chicken pieces and fry, turning once or twice, until the chicken is deep golden brown, about 3-5 minutes total.  Remove the chicken and drain.  Serve the chicken with a spicy sambal and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis).

    NB: What makes the recipe modular is that you can decide on the spices that you prefer.  We’ve done it with just peppercorns, but other recipes call for a mixture of cumin and coriander, or cloves and cumin, or something else.  Some recipes seem to include macadamia nuts or candlenuts (which we have never seen in the US), but some don’t.  The purpose of the sour carambola or lemongrass is of course to flavor the broth, and both serve to give the chicken a slightly sour but tropical flavor.  So that’s it…experiment away!