Making prawn and chicken fried noodles at home might not be quite as good as a trip to Indonesia, but it sure broke the drudgery of my usual Monday-night dinners.

I interviewed Lara Lee, author of “Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from My Indonesian Kitchen,” about how she dishes up a little slice of Indonesia with the recipes in her cookbook.

I love how the recipe I tried was inspired by her grandmother’s recipe. It’s a tiny connection to a country I hope to visit in person some day.

Here’s what Lara shared with me, in TODAY.

With vacations on hold, these umami-packed Indonesian recipes scratched my travel itch