~ My life's journey after tsunami in Aceh ~

Eight years a go, we are still remember the terrible Tsunami disaster had rocked Aceh and some other countries such as Thailand,Malaysia, Maldives, Srilanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, Kenya, Myanmar,India and Madagaskar.

In Aceh , more than one hundred thousands people were died ,  more than thirty thousands people missing  and more than  five hundred thousands people had lost their houses. Their live extremely  changed within only few minutes and Allah had showed us that how weak and fragile we are, as human.

Then, how about my life when 26 December 2004 ? well, I must say, digging up my memory about something happened in past need the courage to be published in this room . 

Eight years a go, I was fighting with my love-sick, my heart crumbled into pieces and my live was so horrible. I was like the most useless woman in this planet and my head and mind  being covered by how to leave my job and how to ignore my ex-fiance's face after he cancelled our planning to get married while my position as senior producer , script-writer and Radio DJ in one of female radio station was on the rise. The day when tragedy tsunami rocked Aceh either rocked my heart,  the only thing that I wanted , running to Aceh, giving my heart and love  to those who are really need to be helped but it seemed no way out. For me, Aceh was like  invisible island which impossible to be traced  from the city where I used to worked, Malang, East Java. 

Day by day , I tried to wake up and took back the pieces of broken heart by getting closer to Allah. In every night praying, my tear dropped easily, my life was very complicated, sometime I felt so lonely but sometime I enjoyed my precious time with Allah that I never had before. Losing my fiance did not means I had lost my friends even Allah had sent me more good guys to help me, support me and they were be there whenever I need them, they are my truly friends, Alhamdullillah !.
Just remember some ayah in Surrah Al-Insyirah ; 5-6, So verily , with every difficulty there is relief. Verily, with every difficulty there is relief . Yes, Allah had has proved to me .

How to make Fried Jackfruit ( Nangka Goreng )

Jackfruit is one of my favorite fruit. This is an enormous and sticky fruit that's look like durian but it's larger, can easily be found in some traditional markets in my hometown and other places in Indonesia. It has very sweet taste and smell. We can find the jackfruit in Southeast Asia, South Asia or in Brazil. Sometime I am very lazy to prepare the jackfruit because it's very resinous and sticky , so I must lubricate my hand with the vegetable oil before reaching its yellow flesh of jackfruit. 

The jackfruit can be eaten as fresh fruit or mixed with other ingredients as traditional dishes or making as chip jackfruit. You can also cook raw jackfruit with coconut milk that its texture and taste look like chicken's meat (For Vegan, recommended as substitute of meat , if they want to eat chicken's curry).

Do not throw away the pits of the jackfruit because its taste is savory like chestnut, but we must boil it first until soft. 

Recently, my sister in law brought me a big ripe jackfruit from her own garden . I was very happy because she also share a yummy new recipe, named  fried jackfruit.

WET PAPAYA SWEET ( Manisan Pepaya Basah )

Some papayas in my backyard has already a half ripe and sometime I just let them rotten , "ooo"... really feel guilty , I waste free papaya in my home easily while in other places or even other country the papaya's price is expensive , beside that the papaya contains of high levels of  antioxidant nutrients such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Based on the numerous research studies,  the vitamin C from Papaya is 48 times more than apple, the papaya also very good to maintain our skin , so that's why some cosmetic's product using papaya as its ingredient.

Since I am getting bored with the fresh ripen papaya, recently, I just made one of my favorite dessert in my childhood, Papaya Sweet. This kind of sweet, used to be found from food vendor who dropped by my Elementary School. Then, I browsed some recipe how to make the Papaya Sweet. Here, I prefer to make wet  Papaya Sweet  to dry  papaya Sweet due to lacking of sunshine in this rainy season. And  its taste, close to what I wish.

R.E.A.D

Talking about  the darkness  just striving me to the bad mood. It seems my brain will transfer me a sign of something negative into my mind. The dark will create black color , sorrow and miserable. I wondering when or why some people in this world just agree that the darkness or black engage  to something negative ? Who is the creator that the black color or the darkness for bad things? I am very curious to know it. I don't know why I just hate with the darkness and black color except for my clothes. 

Yesterday , we were living in the darkness due to the electricity was out. All the house in my block were turn to be dark , to be black. No body  like it including me and it got worst after seeing the water was falling through my leak roof because of the storm rain . I and my mother could not help fixing the problem just complaining and grumbling instead .'The suffering day' or 'The horrible day'  and so many negatives feelings had crammed into my head.

I was sitting on the couch in  my living room where my late father used to sit . No light and only the darkness around me and its atmosphere pushed my brain gave a sign the negative feelings , 'the loneliness ', The feeling of missing my father had came out again, The need of his presence was really strong that I want to be until my heart sored..

Eggplant-smoked tuna and Tofu in Coconut Milk( Lodeh Terong, Tongkol dan Tahu )

Eggplant-smoked tuna and tofu in coconut milk

This is one of traditional menus from my grandmother. She used to cook it at the clay crock on wood stove. Sometimes, I really miss the traditional atmosphere when anything run with patience and off course so naturally. This  menu just bring my mind to the atmosphere of my childhood, over past 30 years a go. I don't know, whether I will get it this menu or not for my future. Today I am very lucky, because my mother asked me to help her making this menu again. Since I don't want to loose the recepe, I decide to put it down and record it with my camera step by step how to make it.

Here we prefer using small green eggplant because its taste is little bit bitter but getting fused in our tongue. Well, I think it depend on the taste, if you dislike it, you can use another various of eggplant ( purple eggplant or big green eggplant ). In my hometown, the eggplant is very cheap, it's about $50 sen per one kg. Let's start cooking now...

~ Our extraordinary married certificate ~

"Alhamdullillah .." , Two sheets of blue sea and white yellowish papers, recently sent by my husband, via email. It's not like any other ordinary paper, which may be easily torn or thrown away to the garbage basket as I wish like any other ordinary paper.. "Well .... it's our marriage certificate, which is officially  issued by the government of Bosnia and accepted internationally.

After couple months before , we had to struggle to get  marriage certificate from the government of Indonesia. It had has been long process , taken a lot of energy, countless patience and must stand in positive way, even though facing the various emotion which is up and down. The feeling of suspicious,mad, feeling weak,weary had has popping over my heart , I still stand with my previous decision tough, how to get those sacred papers in our hand. I don't know, why I choose this way . The question has across-ed  in my mind, sometimes ," Aren't you nut,  why you keep holding on a stranger who you knew only for four days  and then now, wait for him to get the married certificate ?"

Why I had have unmoved while some of my relatives, other friends have  doubtfulness to his capability to legalize internationally married certificate and even one of my close relatives, had advised to give it up and offered some ideas to select the available local guys  here and to think twice about my mother who will be stay alone after my father passed away, how could  you leave your mother thousands miles away from you, who will take care of her when she isnot well ? .

Trying various 'Corba' ( Soup ) from Bosna..

When I visited Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010, I noticed some people had has prepared corba ( soup ) before going  to the main dish. It stole my attention due to less common served in my country . Some people in Indonesia only prepare main dishes for their daily meal. This kinds of soup could be eaten with rice and that's all !, more simply than in Bosnia or any other country such as in Europe or USA. We don't have appetizer, soup and/or salad  and the last dessert. Alhamdullillah, I am kind of  woman who are easily get adaptable with many kinds of different foods from any other countries, off course as long as halal  ( allowed by my religion, cause I'm muslim ) food. 

My journey to some other cities or countries  can be used for learning how to know more the local food. It may be very new, strange and different for our tongue but it would be very interested experience knowing something different from ours. This kinds of soups supposed to be my  main dish because my stomach's capacity is smaller than Bosnian people. Since they are taller and bigger than me, this soup is only for the appetizer and after it, usually followed by main dishes and dessert. Hmmm.... preparing for daily meals is more complicated than in Indonesia. But, soon and later I must learn to get used to it, as my hubby is Bosnian and now Bosnia becoming my second home.

Well, I  took some pictures during visiting to some friends who had has served some various soups as my references. 

Here they are the various soups that I ever had during my visiting to some friends in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Most of them, were prepared for my Iftar ( Breaking fast ) in Ramadhan 2010. 

1. This is the first soup that I ate in Trebinje, it's prepared by Khatidza fatihagic. She is very nice woman and very expert cooking Bosnian's food. I hope someday, I had chance seeing her again and learning how to make Bosnian food from her, InsaAllah. I forget asking Hatidza the recipe of this soup and its ingredients.

 I guess this soup mixture with meat, carrot and noodles.