This past Wednesday, I hosted the Hardemink family over for Nasi Goreng, a Dutch dish that I grew up eating at my Oma’s house. It is fried eggs served over a spicy Indonesian mix of rice and ham. To my delight, this Nasi Goreng packet was discovered in my cupboard upon my arrival in August.
Confession: when I found this, I literally squealed with delight at the familiar sight of a beloved, childhood taste.
As the Hardeminks are Dutch, too, there is no one else I would have rather invited than their family. Despite our hectic schedules, we somehow managed to find a spontaneous, free night to get together and enjoy the familiar flavors. And, it was such fun!
As I was preparing the meal earlier in the afternoon, I couldn’t believe how the sweet and spicy scent of the Nasi Goreng cooking on the stove brought many dear memories back to mind. I could just visualize my Oma standing at her stove with her snow-white hair, wooden spoon in hand, stirring the rice and ham, and taking a small taste every now and then, just to make sure it was tasting good. She liked butter. She used lots of butter in her cooking, too. So, in honor of Oma, I made sure that I made my fried eggs with just enough to make the ends of the egg whites taste crispy and smooth. Boy, was it good…
Now, I’m just waiting for Mom’s care package to come…it contains the Almond Paste that I am just thrilled to get so that I can make Oma’s Almond Cake for my birthday in November 🙂