'em Q-Tips

I've had some weird requests when it comes to people asking me what I need from home or other more "civilized" places like Singapore. On multiple occasions, I've asked friends to carry out Q-Tips for me. Upon making the request, they've always answered with "ummm, ok" as if I were a nut (maybe I am).

Please see Exhibit A below. Left is a non-Indonesian Q-Tip, right is an Indonesian Q-Tip.

Exhibit A

Fried Rice Salad

Thought I'd share my favorite recipe from the Laos cooking class.

Laos cuisine is almost always served with sticky rice,
stored in cute bamboo baskets.

• 15 g ground pork/chicken/tofu
• 1/2 kg of cooked white rice
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp chopped shallot (or red onion)
• 1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp red chili powder
• 3 Tbsp chopped lemongrass (the top white portion)
• 1 tsp thinly chopped kaffir lime leaves
• 3 Tbsp of chopped green onion
• 3 Tpsp of thinly sliced long beans
• 3 Tbsp of roasted chopped peanuts
• 1 Tbsp of chopped red chili peppers (optional)
• 3 Tbsp of chopped mint leaves

Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soy bean paste
• 4 Tbsp lime juice

1. Mix rice, ground meat, egg yolks, shallots, and chili powder together.

2. Form mixture into 4 slightly smaller than tennis-sized balls and deep fry in hot oil until crispy golden brown; poke holes in the rice ball to allow oil into the center.

3. Remove balls from oil and let it cool for about 15 minutes.

4. Smash balls into small pieces and mix together with rest of the herbs.

5. Drizzle dressing over the top and stir in mint leaves right before serving.

Laos and Bangkok

After 10 days on the road, I'm back in Aceh. I spent 5 relaxing yet activity packed days in Luang Prabang, sandwiched by 2 blissful weekends in Bangkok.

Luang Prabang is nested in a valley in north central Laos. The old town is located on a peninsula wedged in between the Mekong and the Khan rivers. When Laos opened its door to tourism, UNESCO deemed Luang Prabang a world heritage site to protect its 500-year old Buddhist temples and French colonial charm. Eco-tourism has also picked up, with many agencies offering multi-day trekking trips through hill tribe villages, kayaking down meandering rivers, hanging out and bathing elephants, mountain biking down dirt paths, and combination of any or all activities to your liking.

I ran into 2 woman, an American and a Brit, both independent travelers as well. We were all on the same plane from Bangkok and coincidently were all staying at the lovely Apsara along the Nam Khan. Over the next 4 days, I went on an elephant ride (bareback), drifted down the river in a bamboo raft (its maiden voyage), wandered aimlessly around town, stumbled across beautifully preserved temples and stalked cute kids with my camera. I took a Laos cooking class one day and learned all about traditional ingredients and put together a yummy pork fried rice salad. In the evenings, a colorful evening market unfolds on the main street and Hmong women set up shop to peddle their intricately embroidered wares and shiny Laos silks.

The only downside to my time at Luang Prabang was the haze that covers much of Northern Thailand and Laos this time of the year. Due to all the rice burning and slash and burn agriculture, the entire place was covered in a gray haze. It was kind of like being in Jakarta, minus all the cars, concrete and pollution.


For the weekends, I was in Bangkok. Linda had a housewarming party the first weekend, and I had a great time seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends. The second weekend, K was in town from Banda and it was nice to hang out with Aceh friends "off campus". We had a great time bumming around Bangkok's shopping malls, eating Mexican food, and enjoying all the amenities a big city like Bangkok had to offer!

Click here for my online album from the trip.

On the Road...Finally

After 6 weeks in Aceh, I'm finally out! I arrived in Bangkok Saturday afternoon and Iam on my way to Luang Prabang in Northern Laos in 1 hour and 15 minutes!

I had a typical weekend in the big city. Had a very nice dinner at an Italian restaurant with Linda (my awesome hostess for the weekend), Marius (Dutch boy escaping Singapore), Linda's friend Sean (Seattle transplant working in Macau), and 2 of Sean's friends who are teaching English in Bangkok. The fab dinner was followed by a fun party at Linda Lounge which lasted until 4am. Sunday was dim sim lunch, followed by strolling around the Paragon - typical uber posh Asian mall. It happened to be 'Nikon Day 2007' and 3 of us, all photo buffs, got to try out amazing Nikon lenses. Then we went for a Thai massage (ahhh so nice). After sending Marius off in a taxi to the airport, Linda and I went on a shopping spree at the Suan Lum night bizarre. I got this really neat copper lamp...it's hard to describe, but I'll post photos once it's set up...now I just have to figure hot to get it to London (via Aceh and DC).

Off to Laos!

P.S. Only 194 photos taken in Bangkok over 1.5 days.

Poor Babies

Here are some numbers for you to ponder:

73 - how many staff in my Banda Aceh office
3 - how many healthy babies born to my staff or their spouse in the last 6 months
2 - how many still born babies born to my staff or their spouse in the last 6 months

I've been looking online for neonatal mortality statistics for Aceh province but no luck. According to UNICEF, the neonatal mortality rate for Indonesia is 18 per 1,000 births, based on data from the year 2000.

Before tsunami, I've read that Aceh province had one of the worst health care systems in all of Indonesia due to the 30-yr conflict. Those who could afford it went to Medan or Penang Malaysia for preventative care and for surgery. With the inflow of donor funding post-tsunami, condition and training of hospitals and clinics around the province have improved, but I still hear stories about cockroach infested hospitals or clinics with brown water or...I won't gross you out with other stories.

Back to the two poor babies. Both mothers are college educated. One of the mother is even a doctor (her husband works for me). Both mothers are healthy in their mid-20s. Both families live in Banda Aceh, the city with a robust communication system, a decent transportation network, and the best access to health care in the province. You beginning to wonder what the conditions are like in rural areas.

Alright. Hope for all happy healthy babies for my staff from now on!

Moldy Soybeans

I'm addicted to moldy soybeans.

Well...the whole soybeans are cultured in a controlled fermentation process and are bound together into cake form by white moldy particles called mycelium. The lovely moldy soybeans are also known as tempeh! Tempeh originated in Indonesia. It's got a nutty flavor and is high in protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. They're used often in western vegetarian cuisine as a substitute for meat products. It's got kind of a strong taste. Not everyone's a fan.

I was first introduced to tempeh by the neighborhood Whole Foods on P and 14th in DC. They had a curried tempeh salad in the salad bar. Here in Aceh, tempeh is seen as a poor man's food, and my staff often make fun of me for liking it so much. I can get a big hunk of tempeh wrapped in banana leaf for about 20 cents at the local market. Tempeh can be cooked in a variety of ways, since the white moldy part is like a sponge and will soak up any kind of liquid around it. In Java, marinaded tempeh or tempeh bacem is quite popular. The tempeh chunks are marinated in soy, sugar and tamarind. In Aceh, the most common way to have tempeh is thinly fried pieces that kaki-lima (5 leg food stands) sell in the late afternoon to just before evening prayers. The fried stands also fry up banana, sweet potatoes, stuffed tofu, and my favorite - the fried breadfruit! Oooh they're so heavenly when freshly fried and then dipped in the sweet sticky soy sauce with green chili!

The bag full of friend goodies on the coffee table has inspired me to write this post.

Here is a tempeh recipe for you adventurous eaters. You can find tempeh near the packaged tofu in your local high-end grocery store. It'll cost more than 20 cents!

Tempeh Satay

• 1 package of tempeh, cubed (1/2 inch)
  
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• red chili
  
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 small piece of ginger, but galangal is better if you can find it
  
• 1 lemon grass
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp sugar

Put the onion, garlic, red chili, lemon zest, ginger/galangal, lemon grass in a blender.

Mix the spices with coconut milk and boil. Add the tempeh cubes and continue boiling until the liquid is reduced to about half. Cool down.

Put the tempeh cubes onto satay skewers and barbeque each side until golden brown.