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JAVANESE FRIED NOODLES INCLUDE CHICKEN, LAMB, SEAFOOD AND VEGETARIAN
GONE TO SEED {BY AL HOFF} Last week, I checked a Japanese hot pepper out of the library. Actually, what I took were three santaka seeds, from the Seed Library at the Carnegie Library’s Main Branch, in Oakland. They are among the nearly 150 seed varieties available — everything from flowers and herbs to Yugoslavian finger fruit squash and heirloom tomatoes. The Seed Library, which resides in a handsome wooden card catalog, is designed as a self-sustainable community resource, explains librarian Jude Vachon, one of the project’s three facilitators. Ideally, users will replenish the seeds they take after the plant has grown. Newcomers to growing are encouraged. Users can: check out seeds (a library card is not required); collect information on seed-starting and seed-collecting; join a Facebook page with other seeders; and attend upcoming informational sessions with Grow Pittsburgh. Folks can also donate seeds to the library, including leftovers from commercially grown seeds. (The library cannot accept hybrid or genetically modified seeds.) Envelopes are provided for both seed check-out and donation. The benefits are obvious: Users can grow a variety fresh food; learn about and help maintain critical heirloom seeds; and be part of a supportive growing community — all for free. It’s a resource, Vachon says, that can make a difference when “someone becomes excited and competent about growing.” Seeds truly are about promise. As such, I couldn’t resist picking up a creeping cypress — the hand-written note accompanying the donated seeds enthused, “This plant is great to watch.” AHOFF@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Main Library (first floor), 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. www.facebook.com/CLPFirstFloor
FriedFish
Report ST. ALPHONSUS
201 Church Road, Wexford 724-759-8659 or 412-799-4042
4:30-7:30 p.m. on Good Friday A simple meal that’s all about the hand-breaded fresh fish. $9 gets you a generous portion of fish, creamy mac-and-cheese, tomato Florentine soup or clam chowder, and fantastic coleslaw.
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A TRIP TO
INDONESIA {BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
T
HE COUNTRY of Indonesia is comprised of more than 10,000 islands, which has given rise to a thrillingly vibrant and diverse culinary culture. But Indonesian cuisine was not on the menu in Western Pennsylvania until last year. Then, like so many immigrant-borne cuisines, it debuted quietly in a suburban strip mall. Fortunately, Kusuka Indonesian Cuisine’s location — right on Route 30 in North Huntingdon — meant that it caught our eye, and we made it a point to return. Recreating the ambience of an Indonesian eatery in wintry Western Pennsylvania isn’t easy, but Kusuka does its best with verdant spring-green paint, colorful posters and shelves of bazaar handicrafts to examine while you wait for your food. The decor is pleasant, but simple; the focus is on the food. Wisely, Kusuka’s menu provides plenty of photographs to assist diners exploring Indonesian dishes for the first time. While the country’s indigenous ingredients and preparations have been influenced by
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 04.16/04.23.2014
{PHOTOS BY HEATHER MULL}
Stewed chicken with yellow rice, anchovies, shredded egg, crackers and hot chili sauce
neighboring China, India and the Muslim traditions of the Middle East, as well as European trade partners and colonial occupants, diners will find little replication of other cultures’ cuisines and much that is new, and distinctly Indonesian, to discover. And while the “Spice Islands” are part of the Indonesian archipelago, Indonesian cooking is not all that spicy, although seasoning is a complex and important part of every dish’s flavoring.
KUSUKA INDONESIAN CUISINE Ponsi Plaza, 13380 Lincoln Highway, North Huntingdon. 724-382-4968 HOURS: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun. noon-8 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers $3-5, entrees $7-12 LIQUOR: None
CP APPROVED We began with several appetizers and a cup of soto ayam, described on the menu as simply “Indonesian chicken soup.” Colored yellow with turmeric, the soup con-
tained — in addition to chicken — vermicelli noodles, a quartered hard-boiled egg, and a few vegetables and herbs. It was more brothy than dense, with top notes of flavor and little underlying savor. Arabic-derived martabak, a popular Indonesian street food served here as an appetizer, folded a straightforwardly flavored, satisfying combination of beef, egg and scallion in a thin, crisp-fried pancake. Tahu goreng — fried tofu prepared in the style of the west Java city of Sumedang — had a robust, crunchy exterior which provided good contrast to the soft, almost creamy interior. A tartly pickled little salad served alongside, consisting of finely diced carrot, cucumber and onion, was a good counterpoint to the tofu’s mildness. Shumai dumplings were dense, firm little fish cakes, and pleasantly savory. They were served with a coarse, deepbrown peanut sauce for dipping that was just a little spicy and not at all sweet. Small morsels of beef satay were tender but meaty and grill-charred. Instead of the peanut sauce that typically comes with CONTINUES ON PG. 22