East Meets West Circus Birthday Party

Celebrating my baby’s 1st birthday 😀 😀 😀 😀

His birthday was on December 24th actually, but of course, who would wanna come on Christmas eve day, right? So we pushed it back to January 😀

The house is decorated with circus themed decorations bought at Party City. The dessert table is filled with what normally can be found at a circus ground such as pretzels, popcorns, and candy floss. And the ticketing box is actually our fun and simple photo booth 🙂

Decorations

While banners and wall decorations can be purchased at local stores or online, for our table, we created a circus tent for decoration behind the table. We couldn’t find red tape but only one and we went to 5 stores and none had it in stocks. Our plan was to make a lot of strips on the blue cloth instead the white, but since tape was limited, we had to make do for our tent.

For this tent you will need:

2 blue plastic table cloth – Dollar Store

1 white plastic table cloth – DS

Push pins and red tape

Attach white cloth on wall and make strips with red tape, by gluing them to the white cloth as shown. With the two blue cloth, attach them somewhat overlapping the white cloth on left and right side, creating a tent door looking, as shown.

Tables

For the main table, there is:

Soft pretzels

Peanuts

Clown decorated lemon poppy seed cake

Milk cookies

Glass bottled Coca Cola

Meringue candies

Juice

Fruit cake slices (since it uses a lot of colorful dried fruits, kids love them)

Popcorn bags

And as this is east meets west, we provide Indonesia foods. Since this is celebrating a baby turning one, we served the guest with cone shaped coconuty yellow rice, which is a special kind of delicacy for celebrations in Indonesia.

We also have popcorn and candy floss machines and this station is the most favorited by the kids (and some adults haha)!

Photo Booth

This photo booth is made of used cardboard. Super affordable to make and creates super memory for everyone.

To see steps, please click here

We ordered the clown red noses from ebay 🙂

Indonesian Dishes

Yellow Rice (Nasi Kuning):

2 L rice (regular long grain rice mixed with sticky rice)

3 cans of coconut milk @ 398 ml

4-5 kafir lime leaves 2 lemongrass, bruised and knotted

1-2 thumb size fresh ginger, skinned and bruised

Salt as needed

4 tbsp turmeric powder

Soak rinsed rice in enough water to cover them with 2 tbsp of turmeric, stir and let stand for half hour. Drain. Steam rice for 45 minutes. Simmer coconut milk with the rest of the ingredients and pour in steamed rice and turn off heat. Stir to mix well until all milk absorbed. Steam rice again for 1 1/2 h. Ready to mold (you can eat it as is though, accompanied with side dishes or as is) Molding the rice should be done when the rice is still hot. Line the inside of your mold with clean banana leaf (wash and pat dry), lining into the shape of the mold A rice spoon at a time, press the rice into the mold, pressing them very tightly. Fill up the mold to the rim. Leave the mold upside down for half hour before unmolding.

Banana Leaf For The Serving Plate: With a scissor, cut the leaf to the size of your serving plate. You can also decorate the banana leaf by cutting into square/rectangular portions, then roll each into cone shape as for piping bag, then flatten it, so you would create triangles. Secure these triangles with tooth picks

Potato Patties (Perkedel Kentang):

500 g potatoes, skinned, cubed, fried, and mash while still hot

Add in salt, ground white pepper, garlic powder, freshly grated nutmeg

2 yolks 2 egg whites

1-2 green onion thinly sliced – optional

1 tbsp fried onion, store bought – optional

Mix everything, shape into patties, roll on beaten egg whites and fry

Spicy Beef Stew (Rendang)

many of these spices are available at Asian stores, Canadian Wholesale Club, or online

1.5 kg beef, cubed, brown and drain, set aside (you can use elk, moose, deer)

Spices:

1 medium size onion

4-5 cloves of garlic

1-2 tsp galangal powder

5-6 candle nuts

1 tsp Asian hard shrimp paste, roasted (terasi)

1 small thumb ginger, skinned

7 red bird eye chilies

2 tbsp olive oil or veg. oil is fine

5 tbsp water

1 thumb of tamarind paste, soaked in 1/4 c hot water, strain and collect the water

5 kafir lime leaves

4 salam leaves (you can use bay leaf)

1 stalk of lemongrass

2-3 cubes of beef/chicken knorr

700 ml hot water

3 tbsp Dutch sweet soy sauce

1 tomato, sliced/chopped

Heat a lil oil and saute spice paste and leaves and stalk until fragrant. Add in browned meat and stir to coat. Add in hot water and let it boil. Turn down heat to medium, cook for 20 minutes. Turn down heat to low, stir and add in knorr cubes, cook for 15-20 minutes. Add in tomato, cook for 10 mins. Add in tamarind water, stir, then pour in sweet soy sauce. Cook for another 15 mins or until water level is low and tomatoes dissolved.

Acar (Indonesian cucumber pickles):

Carrots

Cucumber

Onion

Green bird eye chilies

Water

Salt, sugar and vinegar

No measurement here. All you have to do is slice skinned carrots into matchstick sizes, place into a bowl. Slice round cucumbers without skinning them, and cut the outside of each round into 4 sticks, throwing away the middle part (seeds), place into the bowl. Quartered onion (if you shallots, they are perfect, if not, onion will do). Add in as many green chilies as you like. Pour water salt sugar and vinegar, stir to combine. Adjust flavor, let stand in the fridge for at least 2 h or overnight.

Grilled Whole Chicken (Ayam Panggang)

1 whole chicken

Sweet soy sauce as needed

1 thumb length of tamarind, dissolve in 1/4 – 1/2 c hot boiling water, discard the seeds

Sugar and salt to taste

1 medium size onion

4-6 garlic

6 bird eye chilies, more if you like it spicy

5-6 candlenut

1/2 tbsp turmeric powder

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c water

Grind onion, garlic, chilies, candle nut, oil, and water into a fine paste, mix in turmeric powder. On nonstick pan, saute paste. Add in rest of ingredients, stir well. Place cleaned washed whole chicken into the pan, coat with spices, inside and out. Turn chicken over to coat the other side as well. Cook until thickened and water much much lessen. Place chicken on a baking pan and bake for 1 1/2 h on 350 F, or until chicken juice is clear

Bihun Goreng (fried mung bean noodle/clear glass noodle):

Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and brown 250 gram ground chicken, set aside

Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, and scramble 3 beaten eggs, set aside

1 package of mung bean noodle, soften in lukewarm water, drain, coat with 3-4 tbsp sweet soy sauce

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and saute paste of 1 medium size of onion with 3 garlic. Add in the rest of the ingredients (you can also add cubed carrots, peas, corn, mushroom), stir well. Add in seasoning such as Royco brand or Vegeta brand (or just as simple as salt and a little white pepper). Drop 3-4 drops each of soy sauce and sesame oil Just before taking off from heat, stir in sliced/chopped green onion and parsley (not the curly ones tho!). If you can find Asian celery, that is also yummy to add.

Basically, you can add many side dishes for this cone shaped rice 🙂 Sometime you will find sliced omelet, spicy hard boiled eggs, soy bean goodies like tempe and tofu. Assembling The Whole Thing Once you decorate the serving platter with banana leaves, unmold the rice in the center and surround it with the meat and such, then place vegetable decorations here and there.

Sweets and Snacks

For Schuimpjes, click here

For Milk Cookies, click here

For bread (pretzels):

4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 1/4 c lukewarm water

1 tbsp oil or melted butter

3 – 4 c flour

1/4 – 1/2 c sugar

2 tsp salts (or more if you like saltier)

1/2 c baking soda

4 c hot boiling water

Coarse salts for sprinkling

Bloom yeast with sugar and water. Combine dry ingredients and make a well in center. Pour oil and yeast. Knead. Let rest for an hour until doubled in size. Preheat oven 450 F. Punch dough, shape into long ropes, then shape ropes into pretzels. Dip each into baking soda solutions and place them on greased sheets. Sprinkle with salts. Bake for 8 mins

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake:

400 ml egg whites

1 tsp cake stabilizer/emulsifier (am using Indonesian brand Koepoe-Koepoe, available at Asian stores or online)

175 gr sugar

175 gr flour

25 gr corn starch

200 gr butter, melted (you can use margarine as well)

at least 2 drops of lemon oil

1-2 tbsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 180 C

Prepare two 9 inch round pan with grease, then parchment paper, and grease again. Beat egg whites and stabilizer until fluffy. Add in sugar gradually while keep beating until firm stiff peaks. Add in a mixture of flower and cornstarch, fold lightly. Pour in melted butter, keep folding lightly. Divide batter into two portion, one with yellow food and lemon oil, one with poppy seeds Into a pan, drop amount of yellow, then top with amount of poppy seeds, then yellow again, then poppy seeds again. You are creating a zebra like cake. Into another pan, do the same. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted, comes out clean. Cool on rack. Cover and decorate the cake as you like (I used swiss meringue buttercream for layers and whole cake, fondant for decorations)

Print Recipe

East Meets West Circus Birthday Party

recipes and tutorials dump 😀

Equipment

• 2 blue plastic table cloth – Dollar Store
• 1 white plastic table cloth – DS
• Push pins and red tape

Ingredients

Yellow Cone Rice

• 2 L rice regular long grain rice mixed with sticky rice
• 3 cans of coconut milk @ 398 ml
• 4-5 kafir lime leaves 2 lemongrass bruised and knotted
• 1-2 thumb size fresh ginger skinned and bruised
• Salt as needed
• 4 tbsp turmeric powder

Potato Cake

• 500 g potatoes skinned, cubed, fried, and mash while still hot
• Add in salt ground white pepper, garlic powder, freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 yolks 2 egg whites
• 1-2 green onion thinly sliced – optional
• 1 tbsp fried onion store bought – optional

Beef Stew

• 1.5 kg beef cubed, brown and drain, set aside (you can use elk, moose, deer)
• 1 medium size onion
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 tsp galangal powder
• 5-6 candle nuts
• 1 tsp Asian hard shrimp paste roasted (terasi)
• 1 small thumb ginger skinned
• 7 red bird eye chilies
• 2 tbsp olive oil or veg. oil is fine
• 5 tbsp water
• 1 thumb of tamarind paste soaked in 1/4 c hot water, strain and collect the water
• 5 kafir lime leaves
• 4 salam leaves you can use bay leaf
• 1 stalk of lemongrass
• 2-3 cubes of beef/chicken knorr
• 700 ml hot water
• 3 tbsp Dutch sweet soy sauce
• 1 to mato sliced/chopped

Fresh Cucumber Pickle

• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Onion
• Green bird eye chilies
• Water
• Salt sugar and vinegar

Grilled Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• Sweet soy sauce as needed
• 1 thumb length of tamarind dissolve in 1/4 – 1/2 c hot boiling water, discard the seeds
• Sugar and salt to taste
• 1 medium size onion
• 4-6 garlic
• 6 bird eye chilies more if you like it spicy
• 5-6 candlenut
• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 c water

Fried Noodle

• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil
• 250 gram ground chicken
• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1 package of mung bean noodle
• 3-4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium size of onion
• 3 garlic
• Vegeta powder to taste
• 3-4 drops each of soy sauce and sesame oil
• green onion/parsley

Pretzels

• 4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 c lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp oil or melted butter
• 3 – 4 c flour
• 1/4 – 1/2 c sugar
• 2 tsp salts or more if you like saltier
• 1/2 c baking soda
• 4 c hot boiling water
• Coarse salts for sprinkling

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• 400 ml egg whites
• 1 tsp cake stabilizer/emulsifier am using Indonesian brand Koepoe-Koepoe, available at Asian stores or online
• 175 gr sugar
• 175 gr flour
• 25 gr corn starch
• 200 gr butter melted (you can use margarine as well)
• at least 2 drops of lemon oil
• 1-2 tbsp poppy seeds

Instructions

Circus Tent

• Attach white cloth on wall and make strips with red tape, by gluing them to the white cloth as shown. With the two blue cloth, attach them somewhat overlapping the white cloth on left and right side, creating a tent door looking, as shown.

Yellow Cone Rice

• Soak rinsed rice in enough water to cover them with 2 tbsp of turmeric, stir and let stand for half hour. Drain. Steam rice for 45 minutes. Simmer coconut milk with the rest of the ingredients and pour in steamed rice and turn off heat. Stir to mix well until all milk absorbed. Steam rice again for 1 1/2 h. Ready to mold (you can eat it as is though, accompanied with side dishes or as is) Molding the rice should be done when the rice is still hot. Line the inside of your mold with clean banana leaf (wash and pat dry), lining into the shape of the mold A rice spoon at a time, press the rice into the mold, pressing them very tightly. Fill up the mold to the rim. Leave the mold upside down for half hour before unmolding.
• Banana Leaf For The Serving Plate: With a scissor, cut the leaf to the size of your serving plate. You can also decorate the banana leaf by cutting into square/rectangular portions, then roll each into cone shape as for piping bag, then flatten it, so you would create triangles. Secure these triangles with tooth picks

Potato Cake

• Mix everything, shape into patties, roll on beaten egg whites and fry

Beef Stew

• Heat a lil oil and saute spice paste and leaves and stalk until fragrant. Add in browned meat and stir to coat. Add in hot water and let it boil. Turn down heat to medium, cook for 20 minutes. Turn down heat to low, stir and add in knorr cubes, cook for 15-20 minutes. Add in tomato, cook for 10 mins. Add in tamarind water, stir, then pour in sweet soy sauce. Cook for another 15 mins or until water level is low and tomatoes dissolved.

Fresh Cucumber Pickle

• No measurement here. All you have to do is slice skinned carrots into matchstick sizes, place into a bowl. Slice round cucumbers without skinning them, and cut the outside of each round into 4 sticks, throwing away the middle part (seeds), place into the bowl. Quartered onion (if you shallots, they are perfect, if not, onion will do). Add in as many green chilies as you like. Pour water salt sugar and vinegar, stir to combine. Adjust flavor, let stand in the fridge for at least 2 h or overnight.

Grilled Chicken

• Grind onion, garlic, chilies, candle nut, oil, and water into a fine paste, mix in turmeric powder. On nonstick pan, saute paste. Add in rest of ingredients, stir well. Place cleaned washed whole chicken into the pan, coat with spices, inside and out. Turn chicken over to coat the other side as well. Cook until thickened and water much much lessen. Place chicken on a baking pan and bake for 1 1/2 h on 350 F, or until chicken juice is clear

Fried Noodle

• Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and brown 250 gram ground chicken, set aside
• Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, and scramble 3 beaten eggs, set aside
• 1 package of mung bean noodle, soften in lukewarm water, drain, coat with 3-4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and saute paste of 1 medium size of onion with 3 garlic. Add in the rest of the ingredients (you can also add cubed carrots, peas, corn, mushroom), stir well. Add in seasoning such as Royco brand or Vegeta brand (or just as simple as salt and a little white pepper). Drop 3-4 drops each of soy sauce and sesame oil Just before taking off from heat, stir in sliced/chopped green onion and parsley (not the curly ones tho!). If you can find Asian celery, that is also yummy to add.

Pretzels

• Bloom yeast with sugar and water. Combine dry ingredients and make a well in center. Pour oil and yeast. Knead. Let rest for an hour until doubled in size. Preheat oven 450 F. Punch dough, shape into long ropes, then shape ropes into pretzels. Dip each into baking soda solutions and place them on greased sheets. Sprinkle with salts. Bake for 8 mins

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

• Preheat oven to 180 C
• Prepare two 9 inch round pan with grease, then parchment paper, and grease again. Beat egg whites and stabilizer until fluffy. Add in sugar gradually while keep beating until firm stiff peaks. Add in a mixture of flower and cornstarch, fold lightly. Pour in melted butter, keep folding lightly. Divide batter into two portion, one with yellow food and lemon oil, one with poppy seeds Into a pan, drop amount of yellow, then top with amount of poppy seeds, then yellow again, then poppy seeds again. You are creating a zebra like cake. Into another pan, do the same. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted, comes out clean. Cool on rack. Cover and decorate the cake as you like (I used swiss meringue buttercream for layers and whole cake, fondant for decorations)