Culinary exchange of ideas in Indonesia
I spent over a week in captivating Indonesia. I ate my way through Central Java and West Sumatra, in the company of Indonesian master chef, food ambassador at large, renowned restaurateur, international food consultant, food critique and cookbook author William Wongso. The chef is hailed as Indonesia’s Paul Bocuse.
Under chef William’s guidance and tutelage, I learned to appreciate the diversity of his country’s cuisine that I explored for miles and miles and hours on end, by land and by air.
I realized that Indonesian cuisine cannot be described. It must be experienced.
Their native fare is best enjoyed in their local eateries to be fully appreciated—amid the bustle and in the company of locals. Indonesian cuisine is interestingly diverse but honest. Hot, complex, and spiced but often comforting, just like its people.
Most of the dishes I tried had a tale to tell. The secrets and cooking techniques to create a specialty dish have been passed down through generations.
Each region has its own way of eating, its own intrinsic flavors, its own blend of spices, and a particular way of serving and eating it.
Different yet similar
As I see it, Indonesian food is a reflection of their way of life, of their identity, and their culture.
I could not help but notice how different yet similar we are as a people. And how Indonesian and Filipino food seem so foreign yet so familiar.
During my time in Indonesia, I kept an open mind and an accepting palate to fully appreciate what they had to offer. I can now truly say that I love Indonesian food and am so enamored by its people.
At a dinner hosted by chef William, he prepared Indonesian dishes similar to ours.
He cooked a giant bangus (milkfish) in a style he believed was closest to our sinigang. The dish was called pindang serani.
It was the perfect time to cook it as extra large bangus are believed to be auspicious when served during Chinese New Year. When we visited Jakarta’s Chinatown, chef William brought me to a place where 3 kilograms milkfish are available in time for the Lunar New Year. The Chinese word for fish (“yu”) sounds similar to the word for abundance thus the wish for continued prosperity and good fortune. For milkfish, it is believed that the larger the fish, the greater the fortune it will bring.
Chef William shared his recipes for Indonesian Sinigang and Indonesian Adobo with us.
Pindang Serani Bangus
1 kg bangus, scaled, cleaned and cut into serving pieces
Aromatics:
- 75 g shallots, sliced
- 75 g garlic, sliced
- 20 g turmeric, sliced
- 20 g ginger, sliced
- 50 g galanggal, sliced
- 2 lemongrass, bruised
- 5 kaffir lime leaves
To finish:
- 300-400 g kamias, sliced
- Handful of Indonesian basil
- In a pot, add a little oil and sweat aromatics.
- Add 1.5 liter water in a pot.
- Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes over medium heat
- Allow all the fresh herbs and spices to infuse the water, strain.
- You may leave the mixture to infuse longer.
- Return the strained liquid to the pot.
- Bring liquid to a boil. Add bangus and let it simmer.
- Add 300 to 400 g sliced kamias.
- Cook until kamias is soft.
- You may add vinegar and salt, to taste.
- Finish with fresh Indonesian basil.
The chef also prepared his Indonesian interpretation of adobo called Babi Cien that tasted similar to Chinese adobo.
Babi Cien
- 1 kg pork belly
- 50 g shallots, minced
- 50 g garlic, minced
- 50 g candle nut, minced
- 25 g sand ginger, minced
- 5 pcs star anise
- Cinnamon stick
- 1 Tbsp palm sugar
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- Simmer pork belly in salted water.
- Cut into cubes accordingly, not too small.
- Make bumble or spice paste by sautéing shallots, garlic candle nut and sand ginger in oil until fragrant. Add star anise and cinnamon stick.
- Add pork belly and saute until some fat is rendered.
- Add palm sugar and fish sauce.
- Add salt to taste.
- Add some water, enough to just submerge the pork.
- Bring it to simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced, and oily. The meat should be soft.
- If the water evaporates even before the meat is tender, add a little more water, doing so a little at a time, until the meat is soft.
- Season to taste with salt or fish sauce and sugar. Make sure to balance sweet and salty.
The chef said he loves this best served the day after.
Join chef William and me as we explore the exotic colors and spices of Indonesia with “Kitchens of the World” from June 8 to June 14. For information, message Fritzie at +63917-5629370.
Follow @iamreggieaspiras on Instagram and Facebook; visit reggieaspiras.com.
