Random Banget: Biaya Hidup Di Jakarta

Kali ini ingin berbagi cerita dalam bahasa Indonesia (campur bahasa Inggris sedikit lah :). Saya kadang suka random, dan suka baca apa saja, jadi kadang suka nyasar ke blog/site yang kadang bikin M bingung: “kamu ngapain baca itu?”
Salah satunya, nyasar ke blog ini.

Post yang menarik mata adalah tentang berapa sih sebenarnya biaya hidup di Jakarta untuk satu keluarga dengan 2 anak. Untuk keluarga menengah dan hidup dengan layak. Kategori di blog diatas untuk hidup dengan layak kurang lebih adalah seperti ini:
1. Tinggal di rumah berukuran layak (kurang lebih 200 m2), di lokasi bebas banjir di suburb Jakarta dan bisa mencapai Jakarta dalam 60 menit (contoh Tangerang atau Bekasi)
2. Mobil untuk kedua orang tua. Bukan mobil mewah tetapi sekelas Honda Civic atau Toyota Corolla atau kebawah.
3. Tidak membeli barang-barang mewah seperti jam Rolex atau tas Louis Vuitton.
4. Anak-anak sekolah di sekolah dekat rumah, bukan sekolah mewah seperti Pelita Harapan dengan ekstrakurikuler menunggang kuda
5. Tidak punya pembantu dan sopir
6. Tidak sering makan di luar.
7. Berlibur bersama keluarga satu tahun sekali.
8. Kadang mengganti barang elektronik (tidak sering ganti telepon seluler, etc)
9. Punya asuransi

Yang mengejutkan, adalah angka yang keluar: IDR 644.825.000 per tahun, jadi seorang kepala rumah tangga harus berpenghasilan IDR 54.000.000 per bulan. Wow. Detail tentang ini bisa dilihat disini.
Jadi kaget, apakah benar? Padahal kalau melihat detailnya, rumah yang harus dicicil pun bukan rumah yang mahal.
Kalau dipikir-pikir, ngapain juga saya nulis tentang biaya hidup di Jakarta. Padahal saya juga tidak tinggal di Jakarta. :)

Add some thoughts / May 25th, 2013

Updates

I haven’t been here for a while.
But.
I’ve been to Hong Kong and it was awesome!

And I made a birthday cake for the sweetest 5 years old for her bday.

And I made a Japanese inspired moss garden brownies.

And I made a pretty but totally not edible soup :)

And I made a surprise bday dinner for M.
And I burnt the cake I made for M bday too.
And I hosted another bday dinner.
And I am making a new collection (plus freaking out a bit. Well, may be…a bit more).
And I am I am grateful to be surrounded by awesome people in my life.

Add some thoughts / May 9th, 2013

One Roller Coaster Week

I was making prototype in my kitchen table today, using an iron and natural materials. And I suddenly realised how different my life is now. Five years ago, in Milan, if I ever need to make prototype, I would design in my computer then someone would use a 3D printer to make it. Done. Here, with the heat blazing outside, and I am sweating in my messy kitchen, trying to make sense of things.
Just so funny.
There is no better or worst.
The question I asked myself was: Are you happy?
And the answer is: Yes.
That’s enough.
I can’t stop smiling.
Well. I am not saying that life is perfect and all here.
This week is actually quite…a roller coaster.
But I am not complaining.
I am just grateful.
Let me just share with you the things I made this week:

This awesome chewy mochi cake, recipe is from the blog of lovely Kathya. I used a smaller pan that I should, and it raised too much then sank a bit haha but anyway I am loving all the wrinkle and crinkle of this cake. It makes it quirky. And you should totally make it!

Strawberry pound cake. Recipe from Martha Stewart, I just added like 5-6 tablespoons of homemade strawberry jams and sprinkled some dried edible flower petals on top for extra prettiness :)

And, the usual, my everyday muffins, in mini mould :)

Wish you all a nice weekend!

Add some thoughts / April 5th, 2013

Some Muffins Are Just So Pretty

Woke up early this morning.
Baking with beautiful morning sun.
I was thinking:
1. Nothing could go wrong, when sprinkled with organic rose petals and coconut sugar.
2. And instagram has made me so lazy.





Mulberry, banana, yoghurt, passion fruits and oats smoothies.



Fresh rosella flowers.
I’ve been addicted with these kind of colours and tones lately.

Muffins recipe from my everyday muffins:

Chocolate and Banana Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup mashed banana
75g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Topping:
Organic edible dried rose petals and coconut sugar

Then turn on the oven to 180C
Mix all the dry ingredients
Mix all the wet ingredients then pour it to the dry ingredients, mix until just incorporated, do not over mix
Then fold the chopped chocolate
Butter and flour the muffin pan
Divide the batter to the pan
Sprinkle with rose petals and coconut sugar
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golder brown

Muffin Pisang Coklat

Nyalakan oven ke 180C
Campur semua bahan kering
Campur semua bahan basah, lalu tuang ke campuran bahan kering. Aduk rata, tapi jangan berlebihan
Masukan coklat, aduk rata
Olesi loyang muffin dengan mentega dan tepung
Tuang adonan muffin ke loyang
Taburi dengan kelopak bunga
Panggang 20-25 menit atau sampai coklat keemasan.

Add some thoughts / March 28th, 2013

Pumpkin Risotto

When I saw this beautiful slice of pumpkin at the usual Saturday Ubud organic farmers’ market, first thing came on my mind was risotto. So risotto it was. I rarely make risotto in Bali because it’s too hot here, but with global warming the weather has been unpredictable. So yes, risotto in Bali in March.
Initially I wanted to make this recipe by Jamie Oliver, but I didn’t have any ingredients in hand plus most of the ingredients could not be sourced locally, so I opted for my kind of risotto, a simpler one.

Ketika saya melihat potongan waluh yang cantik ini di pasar petani organik Ubud pada hari Sabtu, hal pertama yang datang ke kepala adalah risotto. Jadilah saya masak risotto. Biasanya saya jarang masak risotto di Bali karena terlalu panas disini, tetapi karena pemanasan global cuaca jadi susah dipprediksi, jadi, ya, risotto di Bali pada bulan Maret.
Pada awalnya saya ingin membuat resep dari Jamie Oliver ini, tetapi saya tidak punya bahan-bahannya dan kebanyakan tidak tersedia secara lokal, jadi saya memilih risotto kesukaan saya, yang lebih sederhana.

Pumpkin Risotto

4 to 5 cups no-salt-added homemade vegetable stock
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
3/4 cups risotto rice (I used organic Singaraja rice and it was great)
1 cup pumpkin puree
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Extra virgin olive oil
A knob of butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Homemade stock:
1 small onion, peeled
1 leek
2 carrots
3 cloves of garlic
7 coriander seeds
5 peppercorns
some twigs of thyme
1 celery
1,5 liter of water

Boil all ingredients for stock for 20 minutes and set aside

Heat the vegetable stock to a simmer (low heat), and continue simmering it while preparing the recipe. Heat a glug of olive oil in one pot (medium heat) then saute onion and celery until it begins to soften.
Turn up the heat.
Add the rice (don’t wash the rice), stir until the rice looks a bit translucent. Add a cup of stock and a pinch of salt to the rice, reduce the heat to low, stir often, cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat with another cup of stock, and continue stirring, adding stock until the rice is almost tender but still has some bite to it.
Stir in the pumpkin and a handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add a knob of butter, stir until it melts.
Turn off the hear, cover for 2 minutes.
Serve with some drizzles of extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Perfect with warm ciabatta.
Buon apetito!

Pumpkin Risotto

Jaga kaldu supaya tetap panas (api kecil), dan biarkan tetap panas ketika menyiapakan resep ini. Panaskan satu ‘glug’ extra virgin olive oil di panci, lalu masak bawang bombai dan seledri sampai mulai empuk.
Besarkan apinya.
Masukkan beras (jangan dicuci), aduk sampai nasinya terlihat agak bening. Tambahkan satu gelas takar kaldu dan satu cubit garam laut. Kecilkan apinya, sering diasuk sampai kaldunya terserap oleh beras. Lanjutkan dan ulangi sampai rasinya matang tetapi masih terasa agak sedikit sekali keras.
Masukan waluh yang sudah dihaluskan dan juga satu genggam keju parut.
Bumbui dengan garam laut dan merica.
Tambahkan satu sendok makan mentega, aduk hingga meleleh.
Matikan apinnya dan tutup selama 2 menit.
Sajikan dengan cipratan extra virgin olibe oil dan taburan keju parut.
Enak sekali dengan roti ciabatta hangat.
Buon apetito!

Add some thoughts / March 19th, 2013

Just Some Thoughts

I feel that I haven’t really been here for a long time. Maybe because there were lots of things happened in life or maybe because these days I feel so uninspired with and by anything and everything. I mean, my life is as beautiful as usual but there are times even beauty bores me. It’s not that I am not grateful, I really am.
I am just. Uninspired.
Maybe because, I saw death of someone I knew. And when I am faced with something so deep as death, everything else feel meaningless. I was so sad I could not really eat for a day that day. I think it still haunts me.
I guess instead of recipe, I will share some instagram photos I took with M’s iphone.

Rasanya saya sudah lama sekali tidak menulis disini. Mungkin karena banyak sekali hal yang terjadi akhir-akhir ini atau mungkin karena akhir-akhir ini saya merasa sangat tidak terinspirasi oleh apapun. Hidup saya masih seindah biasanya tapi ada saatnya, bahkan keindahan itu rasanya membosankan. Bukannya saya tidak berterima kasih dengan hidup saya, saya sangat bersyukur.
Saya hanya sangat. Tidak terinspirasi.
Mungkin, karena saya melihat kematian dari seseorang yang saya kenal. Dan ketika saya dihadapkan dengan sesuatu yang sangat mendalam seperti kematian, hal-hal yang lain terasa menjadi tanpa makna. Saya sedih sekali sampai rasanya susah makan seharian waktu itu. Dan rasanya perasaan ini masih menghantui saya.
Kayanya daripada berbagi resep, saya akan berbagi beberapa foto instagram yang saya ambil dengan iphone milik M.

Add some thoughts / March 17th, 2013

Vegan Banana Bread

Vegan Banana Bread. Should I say more? :)

Vegan Banana Bread
Adapted from Joy The Baker

4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the mashed bananas, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add vanilla extract and salt. Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Add the chopped walnuts.
Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Roti pisang vegan (tanpa bahan yang mengandung produk dari binatang, termasuk susu). Resep ini kayanya kebagusan untuk tidak dibagi dengan kalian dan pakai bahasa Indonesia :)

Maaf, kalau instruksinya agak kacau, kalau bingung bisa email ke saya :)
Semoga berhasil! Enak sekali lho, juga kalau tidak habis, bisa dipotong-potong lalu dipanaskan besoknya untuk sarapan, pengganti roti tawar :)

Add some thoughts / March 6th, 2013

Winter Pasta

This pasta by Heidi was super delicious.
We had leftover and I baked it with simple béchamel sauce. Totally delicious too.
And.
I totally forgot to post this.
And.
It is not impossible to find kale in Bali. Organic and locally grown.





Heidi Swanson’s Winter Pasta
Serves 4-6

4 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 small shallots, peeled
1 small bunch/225g of kale, stalks removed, washed well
1/3 cup/80 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup/56g goat cheese, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons + hot pasta water
fine grain sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
fresh lemon juice – optional
340 g dried short pasta (I used conchiglie pasta)
fresh thyme – and thyme flowers

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the boiling water generously, and add the garlic and shallots. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stir in the kale and cook for another ten seconds. Don’t overcook.
Working quickly, use a slotted spoon or strainer to fish the greens, garlic, and shallots from the water. Use a food processor to puree the ingredients along with the olive oil and goat cheese.
Add a couple tablespoons of hot pasta water if needed to thin things out if needed. Then season with a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste. Depending on your goat cheese, you might need a little extra acidic oomph if your sauce is a bit flat. If so, add fresh lemon juice a bit at a time until you’re happy with it the sauce. Set aside.
Reheat the pot of water and boil the pasta per package instructions. Drain and toss immediately with the green sauce. Serve topped with a few pinches of fresh thyme, and more crumbled goat cheese.

For leftover, if you want to bake it, make this first:

Béchamel Sauce

425ml milk
40g butter
20g plain flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter gently – don’t over-heat it or let it brown. As soon as the butter melts, add the flour and, over a medium heat and using a small pointed wooden spoon, stir quite vigorously to make a smooth, glossy paste. Now begin adding the milk a little at a time. Always whisking briskly.
Turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes, whisking from time to time.
Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat an oven to 200C, place the leftover pasta in a pan, pour the béchamel Sauce over. Bake till the top is golden and crispy.

Add some thoughts / March 2nd, 2013

The Greedy Juice

When I first posted the photo and ingredients of the juices I usually make almost everyday, one of my friends commented, “Wow, you are greedy!” Because I put so many ingredients in the juice. Well, she’s right. My reason is, I actually have some very sensitive teeth, I love vegetables so much, but can’t really chew them properly. This way, I could eat lot’s of fruits and vegetables in one (or two or three a day) big glass of juice. I’ve been making these juices for years, but I didn’t take photo of them because I was too lazy. But. I’ve discovered instagram :) Still using M’s account, still thinking to get an iphone or not :)

Here is some combinations I like:
1. Apple, banana, Chinese celery, cos lettuce, flax seeds and Flores honey
2. One medium beetroot, two mini bananas, one apple, juice from 6 tangerines, a handful of radicchio, a handful of lollo rosso.
3. Apple, 2 kind of banana (king banana and gold banana), peppermint, almond, romaine lettuce, lollo biondo, rucola, raisin, lime, tangerine and passion fruits.
Mostly local and organic ingredients

Here is the photo of a very ripe banana king. Have a nice Monday!

Add some thoughts / February 25th, 2013

These. Cookies.

“These. Cookies.” my friend said “Deserve five stars.”
I nodded and munched.
“These. Cookies.” My friend said “Deserve many stars.”
I nodded and munched
“These. Cookies.” My friend said
-Pause-
“Why did you wait until now to share some with me?” My friend asked
-Pause-
“…Because…Maybe…When it comes to these, I am egoist…” I answered.
-Pause-
Grabbed the last last cookie.
And munched.
Nom.nom.nom.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The New York Times, David Leite, and Jacques Torres
Makes 18 big cookies

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
280 grams unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
400 grams bittersweet chocolate, at least 60 percent cacao content, roughly chopped
200 grams almonds, roughly chopped (optional, just because I like almond :)
Sea salt

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop the chopped chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.
Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
Scoop 6 100 grams mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.
Eat warm, with a big napkin.
With this tea. (Me)
With milk. (M)
And read this Quest For The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Note: I tried to bake these straight away, without resting and I have to say that it tasted less delicious. I guess when you leave it to rest, the flavours fuse and create a delicious ‘bond’. Something like that. So, yes, patience and do the 24-72 hours resting :)

Add some thoughts / February 11th, 2013