Nasi Liwet Solo // Surakartanese Boiled Rice

Surakarta is also known as Solo. It was ages ago when we traveled in this laid-back city. It was December 1998 during our dating time and we traveled Indonesia in two months - from Jakarta - Solo - Jogjakarta and up to Komodo Island and to Tana Toraja in Sulawesi. It was my first backpacking experience and I'm happy I tried it out. Now I enjoy being a backpacker - well, let's say a middle-class backpacker, because I still need all those luxury things and comfort :D - and the journey is still continue until now.

In Solo, there we had great days, did many excursions and of course, had fantastic food which one of them was Nasi Liwet means less boiled rice. To do the rice cooking process, you need a clay pot but I used a normal pot. Actually when I just moved to Berlin, we didn't have a rice cooker and Sven told me to cook rice in this way. Wasn't it cute that he taught me how to cook rice without a rice cooker?

Ingredients:
Nasi Liwet
500 gr rice - washed, drained
600 cc water

Sayur Labu Siam // Chayota in Coconut Milk
1 chayota - Julienne strips
2 boiled eggs
Shrimps - cut (You can use dry shrimps)
1 onion - thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
3 red chilies - thickly sliced
200 cc coconut milk (I mix with a bit of water)
Salt to season



Directions:
Nasi Liwet
Place the rice and water in a pot and close it. Cook over a medium heat until the water boiling, stir rice once in a while, keep cooking until the water is a bit absorbed. Turn the heat to small and cook until the rice is set

Sayur Labu Siam // Chayota in Coconut Milk
Sauté sliced onion and sliced garlic until fragrant
Add sliced red chilies, sliced chayota, boiled eggs and sliced shrimps. Sauté again for about 2-3 minutes
Pour the coconut milk and water (if used), season well. Cook until set over a small heat until the sauce is thickened. Serve warm over the rice

- us on a boat from Lombok to Flores, 1999 -