NASTAR (Indonesian Pinapple Cookies)

Recipes & Photos by Natali F. Sitaniapessy

Nastar is Indonesian cookies with sweet pineapple filling, typically made during holidays. The cookies are popular treats especially for Eid ul-Fitr and Christmas celebrations in Indonesia. Nastar itself is originally hereditary recipe from Dutch colony in Indonesia. This cookie made during dutch colony in Indonesia. Indonesian called it as Nastar as the main ingredient of the cookie filling is ananas (Dutch word for pineapple) or nanas (Indonesian word for pineapple). And the word "Tar" came from word "Tart" which means cake or kue in Indonesian language. The word Kue is usually used for all kind of baking products. So they call it as NASTAR (ananas tart) means kue nanas or if we translate to English it means Pineapple cookie.

Ingredients:

150g butter
100g margarine
50g Confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks
300g all purpose flour
50g milk powder
Pineapple jam for filling
3egg yolks for egg glaze

How to make:

1. Blend butter, margarine and confectioner's sugar for about 2 minutes with electronic hand mixer.
2. Add in egg yolk one at a time, and beat until fluffy for about 3minutes.
3. Mix in flour and milk powder little by little, mix till become a firm and non-stick dough, mix it well with rubber/wooded spatula until become dough.
4. Weight the dough for about 8gram each and shape it round, make a hole in the middle. Place the pineapple jam filling into the hole and brush with egg-glaze.
5. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for about 20minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool on wire racks before storing.

Make for 500gram.

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A Worth Journey to Taj Mahal

Being a person who really appreciates and enjoys history, I have read many history books in my life especially about the Taj. The journey to Taj Mahal was like a dream came true that I will always remember. When I read about the Taj and its history, I told myself that one day I will walk my feet on its marbles and imagine about the endless love and devotion of Shah Jahan and Arjumand Banu Begum—Mumtaz Mahal. It's more amazing than what I was always imagining.

It's been 2 years since I and family visited Agra, but the wonderful feelings are still there. Everybody knows Agra as the city of Taj. Where one of masterpieces of the world's heritage and UNESCO World Heritage Site was perfectly constructed over there—Taj Mahal.

After 6 hours journey from Bhopal to Agra by Shatabdi Express Train which is called superfast train in India, we stayed in pre-booked Hotel Mandakini Villas which is situated very near to Taj Mahal—about 3 minutes walking distance to Taj Mahal's main entrance gate. A comfortable one to take a rest before the journey started in the next day.

Next morning, eagerly we got up early to have free breakfast from the hotel and then directly headed to Taj Mahal. It was cloudy but nice weather in the beginning of November. Once we reached at Taj Mahal, I was amazed with the crowth of people in long lines. So many guides offered their services but we didn’t need one as my mother-in-law who is a history educator and very good at it, was more than enough to guide us. While it was first time for me to visit Taj Mahal, that was the forth one for her.

After getting the tickets in hands—which costed Rs. 20 for Indians and Rs. 750 for foreigners—we got to stand and wait for checking in. The rows were different for male and female. I had to show my passport and my handcarry bag. Sadly I had to throw chips and toffees I had in my bag.

I will not talk about the history or architecture or artistic style of the building of Taj Mahal—as readers are more than wise to find out the accurate ones by utilising search tools in internet. All I know that Taj Mahal represents the excellent and unique of Muslim art in India and is one of the masterpieces of the world's heritage.

Being amazed and stuned, now I was there at Taj Mahal and like everyone I felt so magnificent and started taking pictures. I saw it for some times and walked toward the building. Feeling so blessed that finally I got chance to visit this masterpiece. We spent almost 4 hours over there and enjoyed the view of Yamuna river too which is situated at the back of Taj Mahal. We also entered the mesjid by the side of Taj Mahal.

Being in Agra for 4 days, we also visited Agra Fort (Red Fort), Itmad-ud-daulah (Baby Taj), Akbar’s Tomb and ofcourse some bazaars. Before leaving Agra, both sisters-in-law decided that they had to visit Taj Mahal one more time while my mother-in-law, my husband and I decided to roam around the outside area of Taj Mahal by wheel horse cart and also to purchase some item made by marbles and famous sweets of Agra—Petha.

Four hours were not enough but one day I will visit Taj Mahal again.

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