
Resep Sayur Babanci, warisan kuliner tempo dulu Betawi yang nyaris punah.
"Sayur ini bumbunya banyak sekali. Soto bukan, gule bukan, kare juga bukan. Jadi karena rasanya campur-campur, nggak jelas kayak banci," kata Fahmia Anggraini, menjelaskan alasan kenapa dinamakan Sayur Babanci di gerai makanannya di Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Sabtu (19/4).
Babanci sendiri, artinya kebanci-bancian. Sayur tradisional Betawi ini, sangat jarang ditemukan di masa kini. Apalagi di restoran-restoran Betawi atau masakan Indonesia, dijamin anda tidak akan menemukan si jadul ini. Konon, sayur ini pada masa kejayaannya, hanya disajikan khusus untuk orang-orang Betawi yang mempunyai status sosial tinggi, seperti bek betawi alias mandor. Tak heran, jika hanya segelintir orang yang mampu memasak menu Betawi kota ini.
Salah satunya adalah keluarga H. Buchori. Resep istimewa ini diteruskan secara turun temurun dari generasi ke generasi. Kini, tinggal dua orang dari keluarga ini yang piawai memasak sayur berkuah jingga ini, seorang diantaranya, Hj. Siti Masfufah, yang saya temui siang itu, di tengah-tengah Festival Kuliner Nusantara dalam rangka ulang tahun ke 33 TMII.
Ia menuturkan, dibutuhkan waktu satu minggu untuk mengumpulkan bahan-bahan si 'banci' ini karena langka dan susah didapat. Beberapa adalah temu mangga, kedaung, bangle, adas dan lempuyang. Wow, susah membayangkan semua bahan itu masih dipakai untuk masakan jaman sekarang.
"Masaknya juga lama, sekitar empat jam. Jadi bikin orang males membuatnya, karena bikinnya nggak gampang," jelas Masfufah. Mendengar semua cerita menarik tentang sejarah sayur ini, lidah siapa yang tidak tergoda untuk mencicipinya? Saya pun langsung memesan seporsi babanci.
Selain bumbu-bumbunya yang jadul, isinya juga tidak biasa, yakni, kelapa muda dan daging yang diambil khusus dari kepala sapi. Tak jelas, kenapa musti kepala sapi. Para pembuat sayur ini juga hanya menggelengkan kepala ketika saya tanya, tanda tidak tahu jawabannya. Wujud fisik sayur ini mirip dengan gule, jingga dan bersantan. Daging sapi dipotong dadu kecil-kecil, dengan lembaran-lembaran daging kelapa yang tipis-tipis. Aroma santan yang wangi bercampur rupa-rupa bumbu dapur, benar-benar menggoda hati.
Meski didominasi oleh santan, tetapi kuahnya tidak terlalu kental dan lebih segar dari kuah gule. Perpaduan antara bumbu-bumbu dan kelapa menghasilkan rasa yang seimbang antara manis dan gurih dengan aroma rempah yang kuat. Dagingnya juga dimasak hingga empuk hingga bumbu meresap. Potongan-potongan kelapa muda juga memberi pesona tersendiri pada sayur tempo dulu ini. Mmm...nyam-nyam. Unforgettable food!
Babanci adalah contoh dari masakan tradisional Indonesia yang terlupakan di tengah derasnya globalisasi kuliner yang merambah tanah air. Syukurlah, masih ada orang-orang yang berusaha mempertahankannya, seperti keluarga H. Buchori.
Puas mencicipi kuliner jadul tanah Betawi, saya berganti dengan makanan-makanan daerah lain yang tersedia di area ini. Soto Kwali dari Solo, Lontong Kupang dari Surabaya, Nasi Kucing dari Yogyakarta, Lapis susu dari Bangka Belitung, Jajanan Pasar dari Jawa. Semuanya menarik dan enak di lidah.
Sebenarnya, masih banyak masakan yang tersedia di acara ini. Tetapi, perut rasanya sudah penuh dan mau meledak. Masih ada Kambing Bakar Madu, Mie Aceh, Kue Delapan Jam dari Palembang dan lain-lain. Tetapi, saya tidak khawatir. Toh, ada kartu nama mereka di kantong. Jadi, kali lain saya bisa menyambangi masakan-masakan ini satu- satu, langsung dari dapurnya. Oke nggak? ***
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source: artikel Kompas
by: Angelina Maria Donna
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How to cut a cake
Have you ever wondered how to cut a cake? I have had a lot of practice. When I turned 16 and requested a Spider Man sheet cake I busily honed my cake cutting skills by making concentric rectangles and then served up the master piece. My family all refused to eat stating lack of presentation skills. Since that time my skills have, thankfully, been refined. Here are tips to cutting a round layer cake.
First select a knife you are comfortable holding. A long slender knife works best. Begin the first cut about two inches from the edge. Cut along the entire edge of the cake keeping the knife in about two inches. Your cake will now have an outer ring two inches wide.
Next cut the outer ring into two inch wide slices. This outer ring is perfect for those who enjoy a lot of frosting. To serve use a cake spatula and easily lift each slice from the outer ring of cake.
Follow these same steps with the center of the cake. This technique will give you uniformed attractively displayed slices every time. By serving the outer ring to those who enjoy the frosting this leaves the moist inner cake to those with less of a sweet tooth. ***
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by Shauna Hanus
About the author: Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com
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How to eat well on a tight budget
Just about everyone wants to eat better, but budgetary constraints sometimes make healthy eating a difficult goal. It is important, however, to buy the healthiest food you can afford, whether you are cooking only for yourself or for a growing family.
One fun and easy way to cook healthy food while still saving money is to grow your own herbs and spices. Unlike a vegetable garden, that can take up lots of space and involve a lot of work, a simple herb garden can be easily grown in a windowsill or similar small space. There are kits available for just a few dollars that contain the seeds, pots and other items needed to start an herb garden, or you can save even more money by buying the seeds and planters yourself.
Cooking with herbs and spices is a great way to enjoy healthy cooking on a budget. Spices and herbs are a great way to flavor dishes without the need for heavy sauces, butter or other high fat preparations. Growing your own herbs give the grower a great deal of control over those herbs. This is important, since many prepared herbs and spices contain large amounts of sodium.
Another excellent way to save money while still eating a healthy diet is to buy fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season in your local area. Buying locally grown produce is often the best way to guarantee freshness and quality, and in season produce is generally less expensive since it does not need to be shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles.
Watching the sales at the local grocery stores is important to everyone, but it is particularly important to those who are trying to eat right on a limited budget. Using grocery store sales to stock up on such important staples as whole grain cereals, breads and whole wheat flour is a great way to make even the most limited food budget stretch a bit further.
Using coupons is another great way to make a food budget stretch. Cutting coupons is a great way to save money on products you already buy, as is signing up for various frequent buyer programs and other money savings opportunities.
In addition to manufacturers coupons, many grocery store chains offer customer loyalty cards which allow their customers to save money on products they buy regularly. These grocery store loyalty programs often print coupons for products customers have bought in the past, and they can be great ways to save significant amounts of money. Since most of these programs are free, there is really no downside to their use.
Stocking up on meats, seafood and poultry during store sales is another great way to save significant amounts of money. Buying a second hand chest freezer may be a good investment, particularly for those people with large families to feed. Having a large freezer space allows customers to take advantage of grocery store sales and stock up on chicken, beef, lamb, fish and pork when they are on sale.
Careful meal planning is another great way to save money while still providing healthy meals for yourself and your family. Planning meals well ahead of time allows you to take advantage of what is already in your freezer in order to create delicious, nutritious meals without spending any additional money. One great thing about most fruits, vegetables and beans is their low cost. Another great feature of these staples is their high nutritional value. Combining these two important features is a great way to make your budget stretch while providing your family with nutritious, healthy foods.
For instance, why not make that expensive skirt steak go further by interspersing chunks of expensive beef with chunks of inexpensive pineapples or green peppers. Not only will you get twice as much food for your money, but you will enjoy a healthier meal as well.
No matter what strategies you choose to make your food budget stretch when cooking healthy meals, we think you will find that cooking healthy is worth any sacrifice it may require. Healthy cooking will pay big dividends in increased health and fitness, as well as increased energy levels.***
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by Zaak OConan
About the author: Zaak O'Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You'll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com
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