I show you a menu that I often enjoy with my family.
For me, every family has typical foods that are served either every day or on certain occasions. If the food is for daily consumption, of course I think it doesn't need to be complicated. The most important thing is that it is delicious and can meet daily nutrition.
This time I have a supply of cassava. Cassava reminds me of the food that my late mother often made when we didn't have other food ingredients to buy. My late father would pull cassava in the garden, and my mother would prepare the spices to complement the cassava.
Cassava is rich in carbohydrates and we usually eat cassava for a healthy breakfast. Meanwhile, this time I will combine it with a source of protein, namely tempeh.
Since I have a lot of tomatoes and chilies, I thought about making homemade spicy tomato sauce. So, later I will fry the cassava and tempeh first. Then, later I will pour the spicy tomato sauce over the fried cassava and tempeh.
In my family, spicy tomato sauce is indeed the mainstay seasoning for our tongues which are used to consuming strong flavors like chili. This is suitable to be paired with plain carbohydrates such as rice, also like cassava which this time I will make.
First, I will make tomato sauce first. Of course, this is a type of spicy tomato sauce. So, you have to remove the chili ingredients, just like making tomato sauce in general.
Actually, I don't have a blender either. So, the results of the tomato sauce are not very smooth, especially for the texture of the chili seeds which will be slightly visible but that doesn't matter at all because the appearance doesn't matter. This is only for personal consumption, not for the purpose of being sold to the public.
SPICY TOMATO SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- 300 grams of ripe tomato
- 5 cloves of shallots
- 5 cloves of garlic
- chilies according to your taste
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 400 ml of water
Tomato Sauce Cooking Instructions
STEP 1
I prepare tomatoes, also garlic and shallots. Meanwhile, boil water. While waiting for the water to boil, I make four-sided incisions on the tomato skin so that later the tomato skin is easy to peel and does not stick to the tomato flesh.
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STEP 2
Boil tomatoes, chilies, garlic, also shallots. Previously I also added a pinch of salt to the water which can bring out a good color on the boiled ingredients. Boil those ingredients for 8-10 minutes. Then, I lifted the boiled water, drained the water.
STEP 3
I continued to peel the tomatoes. Because it was still hot, I had to be careful. Because the tomato skin had been cut before boiling, the tomato skin was easy to peel.
STEP 4
I don't have a blender or food processor as I said before. So, I have to use a manual masher. I mashed or pureed the chilies, garlic and shallots in a separate container.
Then, for the boiled tomatoes, it can be easier to puree just by using a masher.
STEP 5
I prepared a sauce pan. Add tomato puree and chili puree. Then, I added 400 ml of water, cornstarch and sugar. Cook over low heat until reduced. Then, I continued to stir the sauce mixture until it thickened. Once thickened, the sauce can be removed and is ready to be used as a complement to other food ingredients.
CASSAVA WITH TEMPEH SIDE DISH INGREDIENTS
- 250 grams of cassava
- 200 grams of tempeh, or you can replace with tofu
- basil leaves, to taste
- 5 tablespoons-10 tablespoons of tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder
CASSAVA COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1
After I finished making the homemade sauce, then I prepared the tempeh and cassava. I peeled the cassava first. After the cassava was peeled, then I cut the cassava into smaller pieces.
Then, I also cut the tempeh into small cubes, but don't cut the tempeh too small.
STEP 2
After the tempeh and cassava are finished being cut into smaller pieces, I heat the oil. Then I fry the cassava and tempeh until golden brown. Then, drain it.
STEP 3
I also heat the tomato sauce that I made earlier. Then, I add the fried cassava and tempeh. Also basil. I stir them evenly, also I add salt and coriander powder. At this stage, you only need to stir evenly. Well, if there is not enough sauce, or it looks like there is not enough seasoning, then we can add more sauce.
THE RESULTS
Since I was little, I have often consumed similar dish like this. Only, this time I made homemade tomato sauce that can even be stocked for the next few days. Also, the level of spiciness is different, because this time I added more chili and basil.
Really, for me this is a suitable menu to make when we are really saving because we can easily find cassava and tempeh. Also, extra basil that increases appetite.
Anyway, about the tomato sauce, I usually store the sauce in an airtight bottle then I put it in the refrigerator for a weekly supply. So, I can also save time to prepare side dishes in the following days. Hope you like my creation this time!
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009
