Cooking Sessions with the Ibus

I'm not really sure how it got brought up, but back in December, two of my language teachers and I were talking about food and cooking(it happens pretty often!) and I told them I'd teach them how easy it is to make granola and offered to teach them. We met at Ibu Sulis' house and made granola together. It was so much fun!! We decided to do it once a month and learn how to cook foods from both cultures. This month, I chose something to teach and Ibu Itin chose something Indonesian to teach. I chose Enchiladas(I know, not very "American" but they wanted some Mexican food!). Now, one thing about cooking and baking in Indonesia that I've come to really appreciate is that most things have to be made completely from scratch. I've made enchiladas before, no problem, but this was the first time I've made everything from scratch...Everything from the tortillas to the enchilada sauce! I've loved learning how to make things from scratch like that, and I think it makes it taste so much better! I'm also amazed at how easy things are to make from scratch...I never thought about it before in America since it's just much easier and cheaper to go to the store and buy it. The enchiladas turned out great...maybe a little too pedas(spicy), but hey Indonesians love spicy.

The finished product...enchiladas with guacamole. One funny thing I learned from a teacher is that Indonesians think it's so strange to eat avocado as a food. They usually only use it for juice!

Ibu Itin with her finished product. She made "lumpia" which are a lot like egg rolls. Lumpia's a food from Semarang on Java and are usually fried, but Ibu Itin made her own recipe using something more like a crepe. One thing I have to say about Indonesians is they are very talented at cooking and not needing recipes to follow!

Another shot of the lumpia...sorry for the bad quality. I used my cell phone. Inside was carrots, chicken, beansprouts, onion and garlic. It was so delicious!

I love the chance to hang out and interact more with my teachers and learn new things from them and what they like to cook. I can't wait for next time! :)