Monday, September 10, 2012

Super Chef Diary: Marinade for Shawarma

Super Chef Diary: Marinade for Shawarma: 3 kilograms yogurt 2 kilograms tahina 2 liters olive oil ½ liter white vinegar ½ kilogram lemon juice 1 kilogram orange juice ...

Marinade for Shawarma

3 kilograms yogurt
2 kilograms tahina
2 liters olive oil
½ liter white vinegar
½ kilogram lemon juice
1 kilogram orange juice
1 teaspoon clove powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
4 kilograms onion, chopped
½ kilograms garlic, chopped
2 kilograms tomatoes
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

About the image above: Shawarma paste

In a pot or large container, combine all of the ingredients. Use a large hand blender to turn the ingredients into a very fine paste. Season the marinade with salt and black pepper.

Keep the marinade in a clean container covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. For smaller quantity you can use a blender to prepare the paste.


Super Chef Diary: Kaasstengels

Super Chef Diary: Kaasstengels: When one thinks about cookies, usually what comes to mind is a sweet-tasting small crisp cake. But for this particular cookie, it is somethi...

Kaasstengels

When one thinks about cookies, usually what comes to mind is a sweet-tasting small crisp cake. But for this particular cookie, it is something different and unique. The Kaasstengel is a cheesy cookie traditionally available during festive season. The word ‘Kaasstengel’  is a Dutch word which means, ‘kaass – cheese’ and ‘tengels – stick’.

This crisp cheese sticks cookies has been one of the most favorite cookies in Indonesia. We do not know exactly when this cookie was introduced to the East Indies region by the Dutch, but what we know is that this cheese sticks were served as accompaniment of soups or salads during dinner or at ‘rijstaffel’ gatherings in the earlier days of Batavia.

During the early introduction of this bread stick it looked like a puffy pastry cheese stick and later modifications were made on the recipes by the colonial chefs for the ‘meneer’ that has become the kind of recipes we found today.

The basic ingredient of this cookie is flour; combined with margarine, egg yolk, baking powder and Dutch cheese (Edam or other cheeses can be used, like Gouda, Cheddar and other hard cheeses). Then the texture is adjusted to produce crispier, tastier cookie with richer nutrients by adding some cream, corn starch, parmesan cheese and milk powder.

Today, many varieties of ‘kaasstengels’ are available in the market, sometimes with herbs, spices or other flavors in different forms and sizes with attractive packaging.

Kaasstengels Cheese Cookies Recipe

100 grams corn starch
100 grams milk powder
1400 grams flour
3½ teaspoons baking powder
900 grams margarine
6 pieces egg yolks
150 grams fresh cream
350 grated edam cheese
400 grams grated parmesan cheese

Additional
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten, to brush before baking
1 cup grated edam cheese to sprinkle

About the image above: kaastengels cookies

Combine the corn starch, milk powder, flour and baking powder and sieve, keep aside.

Beat the margarine until fluffy and pale color, add the egg yolk one at a time then combine the fresh cream and grated cheese.

Beat slowly while adding the flour mixture gradually, let the machine combine them well until the texture has become as smooth dough. Remove from the machine and start forming with the shape that you wish, round, stick, or a heart-shape cookie, it would be good also to use cookie shaper if you have them.

Place on a baking tray, brush them with egg yolks and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 150°C-160°C for 20 minutes and lower the heat to 100°C-110°C and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until the cookies are cooked to golden crisp.

Take out from the oven and allow to cool and store the cookies in an air-tight container to keep them crisp.

Helpful Hints
  • This cheese cookie is a little bit fragile because of the crispiness, so handle them gently, with extra care J
  • You can prepare this cookie and keep for at least for two weeks in an air-tight containers.
  • A great partner for your tea or coffee, during morning or afternoon breaks.