VeganMoFo: An Indonesian Feasty-Feast!

Okay! Back on the road again... After our quick flight home for Thanksgiving... it's time to get back to our Around the World in 30 Days Mofo Adventure! Onward to Indonesia!

Oh, glorious Indonesian Food!!! Indonesian food is not something I've had much of. There are a couple of very vegan-friendly spots here in town that offer Indonesian food and flavors, but it's definitely not something I've cooked before. Well, there's a first time for everything, and this definitely won't be the last time I make Indofood! Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats and I were madly, madly in love with this dinner! And, best of all, the recipes I picked out were such a great combination ... different flavors, heat levels, textures, substantial and light... it was just a perfect meal!

I used all recipes from Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian," and wasn't disappointed once! The Fried Spiced Tempeh was downright magical. Instead of deep frying, I lightly pan fried it, just like when you make tempeh bacon. In fact, it was like a wonderful, other-worldly variation of tempeh bacon. It's got this totally WOW shallot-almond-coriander marinade that is absolutely gorgeous. I am eager to put that sauce to use in 1 million other ways, because we both loved it so much. The tempehs were quite salty, so I'll probably knock the salt down a bit next time... but the other components of the meal were more mild, so when you ate it all together, the tempeh added the kick for the other dishes. Next to the tempeh is a big mound of Cabbage with Garlic & Shallots. This recipe takes about 10 minutes, but is really lovely. It's light and mild and a perfect balance to the tempeh...

... and it's especially good with a few generous spoonfuls of this red Sambal poured on top of it. This is the Sambal with Roasted Tomatoes, Shallots & Chilies. I made a half batch, and totally loved it. It's sort of an Indonesian twist on salsa. Everything is roasted under the broiler and then blended up in the blender. Quick, and full of a special depth of flavor that comes from the charred and caramelized bits all mixed together. It was so quick and easy, and added so much to the meal, definitely don't skip it!

Finally, as a special treat, I made Indonesian Boiled Peanuts. Some of you may know that I have a special affection for boiled peanuts, and when I saw this recipe, I just knew I had to make them! Plus, we actually have a vendor at the farmers market who sells raw, fresh peanuts, and I am never able to resist their allure! Unlike Southern-style boiled peanuts, this recipe calls for the peanuts to be shelled, boiled, then skinned, then boiled again. The whole thing goes rather quickly, about 1 hour, but very little of it is active time. Mostly just the peanuts boiling away... The end result, though, is a delicious, very mildly spicy, gently salted little bowl of boiled peanuts, which was gone in a flash.

Come back tomorrow, as we head further east

into our Asian leg of "Around The World in 30 Days!"