THE FOODIE MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2014

Mommy & Me * INSIDE

Revo: Wonderkid Chef Bal Arneson with Anoop & Aaron Mini Love Bites Chef Roxanne & Mom Sonia

OCT 14 | volume 1, Issue 09 Rp. 55,000 | S$ 8.00

P U B L I S H E R ’ S N OT E

MOMMY & ME Founder I can say, without at doubt, that my love for food was really passed on to me by my mom. I’ve said this before: growing up, I was well fed. Mom always prepared great home-cooked meals. On Saturday mornings, I would accompany her to the market and learned a lot from these trips. Coming back home from these market visits, we would always cook my favorite dishes of sinigang, adobo or nilaga. These memories and experiences with food are what I draw upon when I write, plus they have always served as my foundation with food and cooking.

Thank you, Mom! Our Mommy and Me issue is full of kids, moms and food! On our cover is wonderkid Revo, who joined Junior MasterChef Indonesia. This young man is really a whiz.

I’ve seen him in action and he is amazing. I recently had the opportunity to be with him at Marina Bay Sands’ Epicurean Market and even there he excelled showing off his knowledge and passion for food. I foresee a bright culinary future for Revo. Chef Bal Arneson of the Asian Food Channel’s Spice Goddess was a recent Jakarta visitor and had her kids Anoop and Aaron with her. We got to meet mom and kids and chatted with them about food and their travels. We visit the kitchens of Mini Love Bites and join founder Venita Daben and her daughters Keira and Kimi as they bake us some delicious cupcakes. Another boy wonder is Claudio, who at 11 years old, makes his own sushi. I watch in admiration as he prepares me his dragon roll.

Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta’s chef Roxanne Castillo of SATOO is visited by her mom Sonia and we catch up with them over lunch.

These two ladies are both experts in the kitchen in their own right.

In Went There Ate That, I continue with my experiences in Auckland and share some of the delicious food I had while I was there. For Taking It To The Streets, we have features on Bopet Mini and Jajanan Sekolah Menteng. While in Stuff of Legends, we feature lady nutritionist Ibu Tuti Soenardi.

Remember that you can now get your own copy of The Foodie at fine bookstores. We are also distributed in hotels, restaurants and cafes. Let us know what you think, write in on foodies@ thefoodiemag.com with your feedback.

Mommy & Me *

Enjoy the issue!

INSIDE

Revo: Wonderkid Chef Bal Arneson with Anoop & Aaron Mini Love Bites Chef Roxanne & Mom Sonia

OCT 14 | volume 1, Issue 09 Rp. 55,000 | S$ 8.00

Photograph by DENNIE BENEDICT

4 | www.thefoodiemag.com

JED V. DOBLE

Richmond Blando

Publisher Jed V. Doble

Managing Editor

Kyle Gregorio

Art Director

Juke Bachtiar

Photographer

Dennie Benedict

Contributors

Himawan Sutanto Rian Farisa Adithya Pratama Reza Setiawan Rendha Rais Ellyna Tjohnardi

Administration

Boedy Astuti

Distribution

Mukti Pelupessy

PT. NUSA BINTANG LESTARI Jl. Gunawarman no. 16 • Kebayoran Baru South Jakarta • Indonesia Tel: +62 21 2905 3959 www.thefoodiemag.com

C O N T R I B U TO R S

THE GUEST LIST

HIMAWAN SUTANTO

RIAN FARISA

ADITHYA PRATAMA

Reza SETIAWAN

RENDHA RAIS

ELLYNA TJOHNARDI

Himawan did portraiture for editorial, advertising and design clients for many years and also had a stint doing commercial photography. His love for food and travel brought him naturally to turn his lens on food and lifestyle which he thoroughly enjoys. He has recently been traveling to take photos for a global hotel chain. When not away shooting photos he tries to spend as much time with his newborn son.

Once a foodie, always a foodie. Rian started his popular food blog gastronomy-aficionado. com in 2009. He has since become a culinary contributor for lifestyle and inflight magazines and newspapers. His job ranges from having intriguing conversations with celebrity chefs to memorizing the French names of Michelin-starred dishes he encounters. But at the end of the day he enjoys his scouring the city for good soul food with his beloved wife.

After two diplomas in pastry and bakery arts, Adithya left the jacket and opted for the ink.

While still engulfed in chocolate and butter, he’s also an aspiring food and travel writer, food stylist and an avid scuba diver. Join his mouth-watering discussions on Instagram @adith1801 … You’ve been warned!

A PR professional by day and all-around foodie, loves to explore food from all over. Be it in Jakarta, his hometown of Bandung or abroad. He loves noodles: instant noodles, mie ayam, Japanese ramen, pasta, all kinds. Given the chance, he wants to travel the world, eating at the world’s food capitals. His next stop, Melbourne.

Rendha views photography as a part of her life. It all started as a hobby and a passion for cameras.

She entered the world of photography when she was in senior high school and began her professional career in 2008. Rendha specializes in stage photography and food. She says that she enjoys taking photos of people and being able to capture their emotions. She loves Indonesian food, especially ayam penyet! www.rendharais.com

Ellyna is knee-deep in a love- hate relationship with food (like most girls are), she started my food blog culinarybonanza. com more than 2 years ago. As an acute sweet tooth, she has no difficulty eating dessert as the main course. Despite being Asian, she believes that she was born with a Westerner’s palate because of inexplicable affinity for bread, wheat and cheese instead of rice and noodles.

Photographer

Writer

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Writer/Stylist

Writer

Photographer

Writer

nachos

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

The Foodie magazine volume 1, Issue 08

Things That Make You Go Yum 12 Japanese Lunch Box

At The Dinner Table by Richmond Blando 14 Pizza Class Part 2

The Foodie’s List 16 18 20 22 24

Sweet Temptations Koiki Eatery Linamnam! Flavours of the Philippines Festival Akira Watanabe Epicurean Market Diary

Cover Feature: Mommy & Me 28 Spice Goddess 34 Wonderkid 40 A Tasty Treat For Mommy 44 Sushi Boy 48 Mommy’s Little Helpers 52 Suwe Ora Jamu 56 Celebrating With Chocolate 60 A Fabulous Foodie Festival

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Went There Ate That 66 A Foodie’s Auckland

Tried And Tasty 70 Mocktails for Mommy

and Kids

Taking It To The Streets 72 Bopet Mini 74 Jajanan Sekolah Menteng

Iconic 76 Soto Betawi H. Ma’ruf

A Foodie’s Life 78 Lita Hamzah

Confessions Of A Foodie 80 Joanna N. Lasmono 82 Anak Jajan: Julia Veronica

& Marius Tjenderasa

Maya’s Musings 84 Maya’s Lunchbox Ideas

Tried And Tested 88 Chef Deden’s

Snowball Treats

Stuff Of Legends 92 Tuti Soenardi

– The Lady Nutritionist

Pantry 101 96 Veggies For All Ages

What Chef Eats 98 Landawati Setionegoro

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T H I N G S T H AT M A K E Y O U G O Y U M

by RIAN FARISA

Things That Make You Go Yum is monthly column featuring our choices of the best food photos on Instagram. If you think you have a great photo worth sharing with us, tag it with #TTMYGY and @TheFoodieMag

@15mana

@capturebylucy

@duestrade

@cher23song

@emma _ nara

@crostata _ pera

@erii _ tiger

@green _ lilou

@goodfoodheals @horensomama

@hanko _ pan 12 | www. thefoodiemag.com

@jessica _ lemaitre

T H I N G S T H AT M A K E Y O U G O Y U M With lunchboxes like these, we are sure your kids will be the stars of the cafeteria! ... We scoured Instagram for you best lunchbox photos! See who’s photos we have chosen. Check them out!

@kelyrinbento

@kobukobu55

@k7e1s8s9 @loveseasound @masurobatayaki

@leckerbox @naganojii

@nao.k.d

@norikoeve @therootcauseau

@tomomiema

@oguraazuki

www. thefoodiemag.com | 13

AT T H E D I N N E R TA B L E B Y R I C H M O N D B L A N D O

Pizza Class Part 2 Previously, in the Publisher’s corner (I’ve always wanted to say that): Last summer, I enrolled in New York City’s, Pizza A Casa Pizza School, a Self Sufficiency Center, with the goal of creating the NYC pizza here in Jakarta.

And Now… “Every great thing starts with the very basics.” - Anonymous

A

ny legendary athlete, coach, or chef could have easily coined that phrase, in fact, that was what my mother and teachers have always

told me.

“Pizza making is like any other form of art, it takes more than just practice and knowledge, it takes love,” says Mark Bello, pizza purist extraordinaire.

Mark was born and raised in NYC, so his conviction about how great pizza should be is seen in his energy and creativity. In short, he’s not all talk. He started Pizza A Casa Pizza School in 2010 with his wife Jenny.

Four years, hundreds of students of all ages and thousands of pizzas later the school runs seven days a week with private and

14 | www.thefoodiemag.com

public classes.

Let me start off by saying, for me, the best type of pizza is the Thin Crust Pizza, if you are a fan of the Deep Dish Pizza, then you may as well turn the page and read past this article… you are dead to me, capisce?

So with that morsel of wisdom, I will impart not my victories, but the lessons I learned through my mistakes over the years, because there is more to learn from mistakes than the momentary victories.

With so many how-to websites to choose from, it is not a wonder why I have failed so many times, and without a teacher it is easy to blame it on everything, from the flour, to the yeast, to the kneading, to

the temperature, to the website and most of all, to myself. But with Mark, taking the role of mentor here are a few things I learned.

1. Love the Dough – A thin crust cannot be forced or flattened into submission.

Rolling pins is a no-no, just use your hands.

2. Soggy or Smokey or both - Be selective, and know your ingredients. The integrity of a crispy crust must not be challenged by overloading it with toppings it cannot carry.

3. OCD - Obsessive Circular Disorder. Hey you’re making it at home, the challenge is in the texture and taste, not the shape, as it is flat, crispy and delicious you’re ok.

AT T H E D I N N E R TA B L E B Y R I C H M O N D B L A N D O

LET’S ‘DOUGH’ IT! Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

(preferably unbleached)

plus more for dusting/stretching 355 ml Water (45oC) 1 packet Active dry yeast (highly

active or instant yeast

will work too) 1/8 tsp Sugar 1 tbs Salt (fine granulation) 1 tbs

Extra virgin olive oil Semolina flour or medium granulation corn meal

STEPS

• Dissolve the yeast – Pretty straightforward

• Mixing: Castle and Moat method Make a castle of flour in the middle of the bowl and then pour the yeast water, on the outermost part making a moat. Stir constantly in one direction only until all the ingredients are incorporated together making the stirring utensil useless.

• The need to knead Kneading for about 5 minutes develops the glutens, which gives it the elasticity needed to stretch it. Just don’t over-knead, which will give the “dough of no return” which means it will snap-back if you stretch it.

• Divide and stow (30 minutes for the first rise) The recipe is enough for 4 pizzas. So divide it into four containers.

• Stretch your Dough Place your dough on a flat surface, pat them softly starting from the

PIZZA A CASSA PIZZA SCHOOL | Historic Lower East Side Shop, 371 Grand Street, New York, NY E: jenny@pizzaschool.com

center, but do not thin out the center too much as this will be your ‘slack’ as the perimeter gets thinner.

• Before you put toppings, dust corn flour on the pizza peel

A FEW MORE TIPS:

• Don’t toss if you are not ready to toss.

• In the absence of a pizza stone heat a pizza tray 20 minutes in the oven. It may not give the same result, but it will do for home cooking.

There you have it, pizza dough as taught by a NYC pizza purist. I’m still practicing every weekend. But it feels good not being in the dark anymore. If you want this information in the palm of your hands download DIY pizza pie app, for a small price you would have gained the knowledge at the comfort of your own house.

www.thefoodiemag.com | 15

F O O DI E L I S T S

01

SWEET TEMPTATIONS

by JED DOBLE

16 | www.thefoodiemag.com

Young or old, chocolate is one treat that everyone will enjoy. Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta’s newly opened Sweet Boutique will surely satiate your sweet and chocolate cravings.

F O O DI E L I S T S

F

or those of you who know me or have read my articles, you will know that I am a huge chocoholic. I love chocolate! Any kind of chocolate.

So it was with a bit of excitement and a hop on my step, that I headed to the opening of Sweet Boutique by Kempinski. I wanted to try their chocolate creations! And what an event it was! They had a fashion show and free flow champagne. But of course, I was there for the chocolate.

“I have combined the finest and purest ingredients into sophisticated creations using European techniques and recipes.

The team and I went through hundreds of trials to find the perfect sweet spots in our customers’ palettes,” says Executive Pastry Chef Jacques Poulain.

The sweet delicacies available at the boutique are made from ingredients sourced from all over, milk chocolate from Java, sea salt from Bali, dark chocolate from Central America and Central Africa, green tea from Japan, hazelnuts from Piemonte, Italy and almonds from

HOTEL INDONESIA KEMPINSKI JAKARTA | Jalan M.H. Thamrin No.1, Jakarta | T: +62 21 2358 3800 www.kempinski.com/en/jakarta | Facebook: SweetBoutiqueHI | Instagram: @sweetboutiquehi

California. All these choice elements have been hand-picked by Chef Jacques, who has more than 20 years of experience under his belt.

Sweet Boutique by Kempinski, aims to serve the city’s ever-increasing demand for elegant desserts and bespoke cakes.

For tourists, the idea behind the opening of Sweet Boutique was to provide hotel guests with a unique reminder of their visit to Jakarta and their stay at the country’s first luxury property. Here, you can find an elegant memento to take home without the trouble of last-minute shopping at the airport.

Showcased in a stylish atmosphere, the boutique’s chocolates, macarons, sweets and cakes are arrayed like gems, ready for discerning guests to take away. With its high-quality products and the sophistication of both the shop and the packaging, Sweet Boutique by Kempinski is bound to be a hit with those with a sweet tooth. As I left the event that night, with a box of pralines and a box of macarons, I was a happy man.

www.thefoodiemag.com | 17

F O O DI E L I S T S

02

Koiki Eatery

by REZA SETIAWAN photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

18 | www.thefoodiemag.com

Koiki Eatery is a chic Japanese Restaurant located at Senopati Suites, one of most exquisite boutique apartments in Jakarta. Koiki means stylish, but can also be interpreted as to enjoy. This name was especially chosen to create an environment where people can enjoy both their meal and each other’s company.

N

atural elements such as wood and stone welcome you as you enter Koiki. It immediately gives you a warm and cozy feeling, adding to the fact that it only seats 50 people. Guests may sit in the standard dining area with its wooden chairs and tables, at sofa lounges or at the sushi bar for a direct encounter with the Japanese Master Sushi Chef Takaishi Akira who hails from Nishinomiya district close to Kobe and Osaka. Chef Akira is famous for his talented skills and Kaiseki techniques.

His special menu is the omakase course and bespoke sushi-sashimi along with sake or sochu which he selects himself. Chef Akira also embraced the Indonesian palate by adopting Koiki’s all time favorite Makimono or Sushi Rolls such as Koiki Rolls (Chopped salmon, chopped chili, tempura flakes, spring onion and flying fish roe) and Buffalo Rolls (Chopped shitake, asparagus and tobiko wrapped with sushi rice, thin sliced aburi beef Angus meat and fried garlic).

Apart from sushi and sashimi, Koiki Eatery broadened its menu selection by serving High Quality Japanese Meat from Kagoshima cooked as Shabu-shabu, Sukiyaki, Yakiniku and Hoba Yaki. Koiki also serves authentic Japanese soba, ramen, and udon noodles. The most recommended is Koiki’s soba since the main ingredient of soba is buckwheat – a primitive grain rich in protein (20 amino acids including Arginine, Lysine and Choline), fiber, minerals (iron, phosphorus and copper), Vitamin

E, and Vitamins B1and B2. The regular consumption of protein-rich soba by the Japanese people has been associated with many benefits such as the maintenance of healthy hair, skin, regular blood pressure and liver function; guarding against depression and fatigue; longevity, and reduction of body fat. Koiki Soba is the perfect combination of Koiki’s sushi and sashimi, both with light, refreshing taste that complement the other.

For younger customers, Koiki has special menus that include Hanae sushi (special custom-made sushi in cute shapes), children’s bento, okonomiyaki, takoyaki and some special desserts like Matcha / Green Tea fondue, Chocolate Melt Cake and Japanese Dessert Sampler.

Koiki Eatery embraces the Japanese tradition of creating remarkable food presentation. They believe that how the food looks is no less important than how it tastes, and Koiki variety of intricate ways of cutting, arranging and serving guarantee that the eye will be as satisfied as the stomach.

Koiki Eatery’s motto is ‘Serving from the heart.’ Koiki Eatery are not so much in the food business as in the service sector, and they are committed to achieving excellence in this area as well as our customer’s complete satisfaction.

So, for those of you craving for new eatery in town that serves dishes using fresh ingredients, it’s about time for you to try this chic Japanese eatery on Senopati.

KOIKI EATERY | Senopati Suites G/F, Jalan Senopati Raya No. 40, Jakarta

F O O DI E L I S T S

03

Linamnam!

Flavours of the Philippines

by ELLYNA TJOHNARDI

20 | www.thefoodiemag.com

F O O DI E L I S T S

It is a puzzle why a cuisine so rich in cultural influence and flavour is almost unknown around the world. Foodies in Jakarta were given a taste of Filipino food recently and are looking for more.

M

abuhay! (Long life! Welcome!)

Celebrating 65 years of friendship between Indonesia & The Philippines, Shangri-La Jakarta, the Philippine Department of Agriculture and the Embassy of The Philippines to Indonesia, organized Linamnam! Flavours of the Philippines. This year, the feast was hosted at SATOO restaurant from 3 - 10 September 2014, during the period, guests were treated to Filipino Chef Jam Melchor’s contemporary take on Filipino cuisine.

First of all, let us all talk about Filipino food. Somehow, I can imagine curious or anticipating looks from you who are reading this article. It is true, that unlike Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, or even Vietnamese food, Filipino food is somehow not as well known to the masses as compared to other South East Asian neighbours. Take for example Jakarta, a multicultural metropolis and culinary capital of Indonesia, where one can find ample choices of Thai, Singaporean, Vietnamese even Greek restaurants, but no Filipino restaurant in sight. Well, I’m partially correct, because apparently there is one stall tucked in a food court at one of the shopping malls, but it is hardly a restaurant.

Even as a food blogger who goes around eating all sorts of food at all sorts of places, I’m not that familiar either. The only fleeting experience with Filipino food was when I got some polvoron sweets from my friends. Polvoron is a powdered milk-based, heavy, sugary and melt-in-the-mouth Filipino candy, the most well known brand from the Philippines is Goldilocks.

Actually, besides polvoron and balut (15 to 18 days fertilized duck egg), there are a lot more about Filipino cuisine that’s not yet well known to the food connoisseurs around the world. But the battle is not lost yet in introducing Filipino food to gourmands and foodies, which is evident in the collaboration of the Philippines Department of Agriculture and Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, to host Filipino food festival for the past few years already.

This year, Linamnam! Flavours of The Philippines features the young and talented Filipino Chef Jam Melchor. Tours to promote national food such as this is a task traditionally entrusted in senior chefs, but this year, Chef Jam Melchor receives the honour, evidently because of his passion and creativity.

Jam is not even 3 decades old and his list of achievements and activities shows that age is nothing but mere digits. Born in The Philippines and grew up in the United States, Jam discovered his passion to cook

in his teenage years and recently returned to his homeland and today resides in Makati City. Jam is a regular face on the local TV station and when he is not shooting at the studio, he would either be teaching at the Culinary Faculty, of Lyceum of The Philippines University, or he would be busy managing his other businesses as co-owner of BITE Contemporary Cuisine restaurant in Makati City, or running his own healthy food delivery service, Healthy Eats. On top of the extremely packed days, Jam feels the urge to share and spread the pride in Filipino cuisine, which, according to him, is disappearing among the younger generations due to widespread westernization.

The day before the Linamnam! Flavours of The Philippines started, Shangri-La Jakarta hosted a private media lunch, which was graced by the presence of Her Excellency Maria Rosario C. Aguinaldo, Ambassador of The Philippines to Indonesia. The six-course, modern Filipino set menu was specially crafted by Chef Jam, but these are different from what he would showcase at the buffet.

For one week, guests who dined at SATOO were able to sample some favourite Filipino food served amongst the regular dishes. But one that must not be missed is certainly the Lechon from the Pork Station.

Lechon is simply traditional spit-roasted suckling pig with tender juicy meat and a crackling skin, and Chef Jam serves it with the sweet and sour Lechon sauce.

Other than Lechon, another personal favourite of Chef Jam’s is the Rellenong Bangus, or stuffed milkfish, which requires very laborious cooking procedure. Firstly the milkfish has to be completely deboned (milkfish is notorious for being much bonier than normal fish and the bones are sometimes quite fine that they may be missed during deboning), then the flesh is mixed with the spices and other ingredients, stuffed back into the fish, grilled and served with creamy milkfish-based gravy sauce. I still chewed some fine bones every now and then, but the unbelievably divine taste wouldn’t stop me from getting my second helping. For dessert, there were Halo-Halo shaved ice with mixed toppings of jelly, leche flan, fruits, cereal, yam and condensed milk, Mango Cheesecake made with Filipino mangoes imported fresh from The Philippines, but my favourite is the Otap, a crispy puff pastry topped with meltin-the-mouth cream and fresh strawberries.

Very much looking forward to the next Filipino food festival and to meet other talented Filipino chefs next year.

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, JAKARTA | Kota BNI, Jalan Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1, Jakarta | T: +62 21 29229923 www.shangri-la.com/jakarta | Twitter and Instagram: @ShangrilaJKT

www.thefoodiemag.com | 21

F O O DI E L I S T S

04

AKIRA WATANABE

The successful chef and restaurateur, Akira Watanabe from Japan, just recently opened his first ever franchise abroad and we were intrigued at how he defines his Italo-Japanese cuisine for the curious foodies of Jakarta.

by RIAN FARISA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

T

he professional chef who happens to be a contender in Iron Chef, a highly successful cooking show franchise from Japan, arrived in Jakarta some time after his first ever venture outside his native country opened.

As a restaurant PASTAHOUSE AWkitchen is certainly not just another Italian restaurant. Chef Akira Watanabe may have a high level of admiration with Western cuisine like in his other ventures involving pizza with Pizzeria Sole & Luna and sandwich with Panino Vino or through his lifelong experience with Italian and French cuisines. However, true to his motivation, he would like to make a Japanese twist out of it and that encompasses not just creativity but a healthy take on it.

“I would like people to not only fancy Italian food with its oily and fatty content, but also to be able to enjoy a touch of Japanese into it that incorporates healthiness and fresh vegetables”, said the chef specifically.

Why vegetables one might say? Chef Akira Watanabe assumes that vegetable can also become delicious if it comes from

22 | www.thefoodiemag.com

a fresh source and prepared with care. “For the ingredients, we have prepared the best from local and imported ones and by that we mean, highest quality”, he said.

Overall, the menu comprises of cold and hot appetizers, cold and hot pasta, risotto, pizza, and the secondi main dishes alongside the desserts. Even from the start, you can tell that the chef is not short in creativity when playing with so many ingredients. At times, he would direct his chefs and staffs to observe in detail what he does to the dishes and if they require more touch in it.

His smart move starts even from the appetizers. Not just the Caesar salad that is rich and refreshing, but also with his Black Angus beef tataki with soy truffle sauce or the traditional tomato bruschetta with a dash of honey to make it colorful.

Heading to the mains, we were offered the chance to create our own pizza, but the highlight from PASTAHOUSE AWkitchen’s pizza was this thick crust that makes it more chewy but juicy as well. The Neapolitan topping made it more wholesome than ever.

For the pasta, the chef prepared us spaghettini in garlic oil with spicy cod roe and Japanese mushrooms and the pappardelle in cream sauce with salmon and broccoli. We were given the chance to try his tomato sauce version as well and indeed, he does make vegetables appealing in every aspect from taste to presentation.

Sometime after being served his renowned chocolate profiterole and fruit terrine as the desserts, Chef Akira Watanabe entertained the guests while occasionally discussing the summary of his meal with everyone. There were more pros than the cons for sure, but I was personally more than happy to finally taste a working chemistry between Italian and Japanese.

When asked about the plan to expand, he sincerely said with his ear-to-ear smile that he’s more than positive with Jakarta’s market. He is high in his hopes that the crowd would become more knowledgeable with this kind of twist and that pretty soon, another PASTAHOUSE AWkitchen will be opened in an undisclosed location right in the middle of the city.

Looking forward to it, chef!

PASTAHOUSE AWkitchen by AKIRA WATANABE | Plaza Senayan, Level P4, Jalan Asia Afrika no. 9, Jakarta | +62 21 5790 6071 Facebook: AWkitchen Jakarta | Twitter: @awkitchen _ jkt | Instagram: @awkitchenjkt

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F O O DI E L I S T S

05

Epicurean Market Diary

The Marina Bay Sands’ Epicurean Market not only satiated my food cravings, it also fed my fervent foodie longings.

by JED DOBLE photographs by HIMAWAN SUTANTO

I

t was with eager anticipation that I recently flew to Singapore to attend the Marina Bay Sands Epicurean Market. The annual food and wine fair was high on my list of regional food events and we were very privileged to be invited. I had seen the itinerary they had prepared for The Foodie, quite hectic but inwardly, I was very excited.

After arriving at the sprawling Marina Bay Sands hotel, we were all set for our first event, lunch! Off we went to Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne. Here executive chef Jonathan Kinsella had prepared a decadent and filling three-course menu specially for us. This was also an opportunity for the visiting Indonesian media to chat and get to know each other. After the main course, chef Jonathan popped over to our table for a quick chat. He welcomed us to his restaurant and said that he was looking forward to the Epicurean Market as we all were. I thought to myself, this was going to be a good weekend.

The remainder of the afternoon was a bit hectic but all very fulfilling. On my schedule was one-on-one interviews with three of the Marina Bay Sands’ celebrity chefs, namely: David Myers, David Thompson and Nancy Silverton. My plate was full, but I was smiling from ear to ear.

Chef David Myers arrived and we quickly jumped into our chat. He was bright and smiley, extremely pleasant. I told him that I had read about his restaurants and that I was looking forward to sampling his food. He tells us that he is a chef that has used travel as his inspiration for the type of cooking that he does. Chef David has opened French restaurants, Italian restaurants and fine dining restaurants, all of which are closely linked to his travels. His most recent restaurant, Enoki and the Bird, has a distinctly Californian vibe, but with an Asian, Japanese and Southeast Asian edge. “I have a lifelong interest about travel and the ingredients and foods from other countries around the world. So that has been my guide in opening restaurants,” chef David says. “ For this new restaurant, his idea is to bring all his experiences throughout the years, together with his love of California and the incredible ingredients there and fuse that with Singapore and the great ingredients they have there. Coupled with a very unique and exciting cocktail

program. “The restaurant will really be a direct influence of the type of food that I like to cook right now.” “It will have a California edgy, which I describe as light and vibrant, with a huge Asian component.”

He continues to say that the restaurant will have all small plates, with a fun and buzzy environment. Multiple little tastes of food with some really good cocktails.

Chef David gives us a snapshot of what we can expect. “The dishes that we are doing for the Epicurean Market are indicative of the small bites we will serve at the new restaurant.” “We have a preserved green papaya soup with pearl tapioca that has been marinated in brown sugar. The soup is flavored with chilies and kaffir lime leaves, which gives it a beautiful flavor and scent.

So I think it is a perfect balance of California and my view of Asia.”

Singapore has played a huge part in shaping David’s style of cooking. He tells us that he got his start in Singapore with the Raffles group in 2001. He launched a new concept for them in Los Angeles, Jaan, which they also opened in Singapore. He was part of the opening and was sent over. “That trip really turned me onto the food of Singapore and Southeast Asia. I went to the farmers market and started to work with unique ingredients like soursop and dragonfruit, and all these incredible ingredients that I have never worked with before. So that became an early on influence.“ With David opening his restaurant next year, it will serve as a homecoming of sorts.

This time he will not be surprised with the bounty of ingredients he will find in Singapore but will be taking full advantage of them in his cooking. David’s new restaurant at Marina Bay Sands is slated to open by the middle of 2015.

Our second interview was with Chef David Thompson. With continuous accolades garnered by Nahm, it is not surprising that Chef David has now sought to open in Singapore. Long Chim will be opening by the fourth quarter of 2014 and will be serving Thai style streetfood which everyone can appreciate.

“Nahm for me is the epitome of what we have been trying to do. It is the culmination of 20 years of cooking Thai food. The first incarnation was in Darley Street in Sydney in

MARINA BAY SANDS | 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956 | T: +65 6688 8868 www.MarinaBaySands.com | Facebook: Marina Bay Sands | Twitter: @marinabaysands

the 1990s. I came back to Sydney after living in Thailand for a few years and just fell into a restaurant,” David tells us.

As David looks back, he says that the food he cooked at Darley Street was very different from his food now. His food has become more and more Thai, as he has learned more and lived more in Thailand. As he has become more established and has learned more and more about the food, the ingredients and the culture.

“Long Chim is a different beast altogether.

Nahm is about food that is unusual, Thai but also quite stringently authentic. Long Chim is food of the streets, and thus by its nature, is casual and very yielding.” The food will be a hybrid of Thai and Chinese cuisines.

So consequently you will not come across those arcane, fermented, spicy ingredient you see in traditional Thai food. “It makes

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F O O DI E L I S T S for a much easier and acceptable type of food because people who come to Thailand, are familiar with that type of food. It’s the most accessible, most people have Pad Thai, have stir fried noodles, fried rice or som tam. These are things that you will not see at Nahm, since food served at Nahm is Thai food at home.” David explains in length.

He further says that the food will be very friendly. Dishes will not be spicy but you can add your flavors and spices as you wish on the side.

We are definitely looking forward to the opening of Long Chim and sampling its Thaistyle street food, with the David Thompson touch of course. That is certainly worth a trip back to Singapore for.

The afternoon was rounded off with an interview with the ever gracious Nancy Silverton of Mozza. We will reserve that story for another issue. Watch out for it.

The following day was the beginning of the Epicurean Market. With a champagne toast, Marina Bay Sands Vice President for Food & Beverage Tamir Shanel opened this year’s Epicurean Market with the celebrity chefs on stage. Chefs David Myers, David Thompson, Justin Quek, Tetsuya Wakuda and Nancy Silverton. Then we were off to try the food! Each of the celebrity chef restaurants had their own booths which served signature dishes at a bargain price. The Mozza booth served pizzas and orecchiette, Waku Ghin by Chef Tetsuya Wakuda served an amazing short rib dish and a spanner crab salad. CUT by Wolfgang Puck had a soaked roast beef sandwich, a flavorful pulled pork sandwich and some ice cream sandwiches which were to die for. db Bistro was serving charcuterie platters and desserts which were being queued upon by visitors. Sky on 57 was serving a special every day of the fair plus Chef Justin Quek’s decadent truffle Xiao Long bao.

Together with the celebrity chef restaurants, there were wine and other food distributors booths, restaurants and kitchen equipment booths. Visitors literally had their full with wine and food throughout the fair.

Part of the fair’s schedule were masterclasses by the different chefs and mixologists. A special highlight was a mystery box challenge between chefs Jonathan Kinsella of db Bistro Moderne and David Almany of Osteria Mozza, which Chef Jonathan won. I attended a few classes wherein the chefs taught valuable cooking techniques which you can do at home. My favorites where the classes conducted by chefs Tetsuya and Nancy.

I can safely say that the three days I spent at Epicurean Market were well spent.

I ate and drank my way around fair and enjoyed the different classes and events which were part of the fair. I am absolutely coming back next year to see what Epicurean Market has to offer.

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SPICE GODDESS

by KYLE GREGORIO photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

The Foodie Magazine gets to know chef Bal Arneson and her daughter Anoop and son Aaron as they share their story on how it all began and how they experience a lot in their travels.

T

he Spice Goddess is indeed far from where she was 18 years ago. Coming from a tiny Punjabi village where it was considered taboo for girls to run, climb trees and dream, Bal is now a cookbook author, food columnist and the star of her own cooking show. But it didn’t all come to her served on a silver platter.

Bal had to work hard to get to where she is right now.

After leaving India for an arranged marriage in Canada at the age of 20, her inner voice told her that she was on the wrong path and she started over.

Bal cleaned houses, studied English and eventually graduated from university; then she got a master’s degree in education. To pay her student loans, she catered dinners and soon, word got around: Bal could cook.

For her current cooking show, Spice Goddess, Bal acquired the name of the show with the help of her daughter Anoop.

“I run everything by Anoop. I asked her, what do you think the name of the show should be?” Bal says. “Mom has always been the goddess of spice for me. So I thought, how about Spice Goddess.”

Anoop says.

One of Bal’s favorite dishes to cook is her no-butter chicken. Her children Anoop, who is 21, and Aaron, who is 11, love the dish very much. Anoop loves it so much that she requests that her mother cooks it for every special occasion that they celebrate. “Even my daughter’s friends who come over love it. They always request for the no-butter chicken. It’s healthy and is quick to make.”

Bal says.

The spice goddess is not the kind who will just sit down and say or decide that “today I’m going to do a show” or “today I’m going to write a book.” “My kids inspire me! They both have a sophisticated palette.

Apoon has travelled around the world and

now, Aaron is also traveling around with me. So when I make something at home and they both like it, I’m like, yes, they love it!

So I write down the recipe. That is the seal of approval. If they both like it then it is going to be good.“ Bal explains.

The three have been travelling for over a month now. They have been in Asia for three weeks already. “We love the heat. We call Vancouver, Raincouver, as it always rains all the time.” Apoon says.

“We see to it that we are able to go to authentic markets whenever we go to a new country.” Aaron adds. “We are very lucky to be able to experience the cultures and flavors of different countries. I had a blast in the Philippines, I love the mangoes.

I hope to travel back there soon in March 2015.” Bal says.

Apoon is following in mom’s footsteps in cooking and Aaron is striving to become a baker as he loves how technical baking is.

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BUTTER CHICKEN Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS: 2 tbsp 2 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 pc 2 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 2 pcs 1/4 cup

Oil Garlic, minced Ginger, minced Red onion, diced Tomato paste Cumin seeds Garam masala Brown sugar Red chili flakes Salt Turmeric Chicken breasts, cubed Yogurt

STEPS

• In a skillet over medium­high heat and add the oil.

• Add the garlic, ginger and onions, and cook until the onions are golden, about 4 minutes.

• Add the tomato paste, cumin, garam masala, brown sugar, chili flakes, salt and turmeric, and cook for 2 minutes.

• Add the chicken and stir well to coat.

• Stir in yogurt and 1/2 cup water and cook until the chicken is done, 8 to 10 minutes.

• Let cool, and then shred the meat using a fork or your fingers.

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SWEET POTATO AND YAM SAMOSAS WITH FRESH MANGO CHUTNEY Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS: Dough 1 cup 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1 1/2 tbsp

All-purpose flour Paprika Salt Turmeric Oil

Filling 1/2 pc 1 pc 1/2 tsp 1/4 cup 1/2 tsp 1/4 tsp

Sweet Potato, boiled Yam, boiled Salt Defrosted peas Ground cumin Ground cardamom

Mango Chutney 1/2 pc 1/4 tsp 1/8 tsp 2 leaves 2 leaves

Mango, chopped Paprika Ground cardamom Mint Basil

STEPS

Mango Chutney • In a food processor combine the mango, paprika and cardamom. Pulse until slightly chunky.

• Add the basil and mint, and pulse until herbs are chopped.

• Transfer to a bowl and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Dough • Combine the flour, paprika, salt and turmeric, and mix with a fork.

• Add the oil and 3/4 cup water and mix until dough forms in the bowl.

• Transfer to a floured counter and knead with your hands until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Cover the dough and set aside to rest.

Filling & Assembly • In a large bowl combine the boiled potatoes and yams, the peas, cumin, cardamom and season with salt. Mix with a fork and set aside.

• Portion off a golf­ball­size piece of dough and roll it into a ball. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough ball into a thin circle.

• Cut the circle in half. Take one of the half circles and make a cone by taking the two pointed and folding them together. Wet the edges with a little water to glue the seam, and pinch together to seal.

• Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the cone, moisten the top of the edges and close the cone, pressing to seal it.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

• Working in batches, carefully add the samosas to hot oil and deep fry until both sides are golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Drain on a paper towel.

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We are very lucky to be able to experience the cultures and flavors of different countries we’ve visited.

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WONDERKID

by KYLE GREGORIO photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT location PANTRY MAGIC

The Foodie Magazine sits down with chef Revo and his Mom, on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, to talk about how Revo started cooking and shares with us some of his own recipes.

J

unior MasterChef Revo was first introduced to cooking by his mom.

They would watch cooking channels, YouTube videos, read recipe books and watch Revo’s Grandmother cook together.

“It basically all started because he loves to eat!” mom laughs.

Every Sunday after church, Revo is not allowed to play games or watch TV. He either studies, reads a book, sleeps or cooks. He usually just cooks so from that moment on, he cooks dinner for his family. “I also make him focus on the costing aspect of cooking. Usually after church, we will go to the super market and I will give him a certain amount of money and with the given money, he will shop for ingredients enough to feed 5 people. So his math kicks in, he knows how to calculate and how to choose meat properly.” Mom explains. She encourages him by taking him out for lunch or dinner, to different areas and places for

him to gain knowledge and experience. “She motivates me a lot; her criticism motivates me to be better.” Revo says.

Mom, who works in the F&B business, even brings Revo to work to be able to meet other chefs who are mostly her guests or clients. There, Revo can converse with the other chefs and learn a lot from them. “When I hear them talk to each to each other and I see that Revo understands the other chef, I am amazed that Revo understands the terminologies used in cooking.” Mom says.

Not only is it obvious to see that Revo is clearly enjoying himself in cooking, as well as excelling in it, Revo also does better in school. “In the kitchen, when I’m cooking, I’m focused and this has helped me focus more in school as well.” Revo says.

At the moment, Revo is in between cooking and baking. He would be happy to be in a hot kitchen cooking his Revolution

Chicken but he also likes to bake deserts like chocolate cake and chocolate mousse.

Although Revo admits that desserts are the hardest for him to do. “I enjoy making creamy mushroom pasta and udang telor asin pasta for mom. I know it’s her favorite.” Revo says. I don’t cook so Revo happily cooks all the time for the family.”

Mom adds.

Revo’s inspiration is his love to eat good food. Whenever he gets to eat great tasting dishes, he will automatically get intrigued on how to replicate the same dish at home. He will even try to outdo the he is trying to reproduce and make it taste even better.

Revo’s stint in Junior MasterChef Indonesia has taught him a lot, especially to never give up on a dish even if the start isn’t how you hoped it to be. “Never give up!

Cooking is all about enjoying so don’t cook if you don’t enjoy it. Do your best when you are cooking.” Revo exclaims.

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Instagram: @chefrevo | Twitter: @Revo _ juniorMCI

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“Cooking is all about enjoying so don’t cook if you don’t enjoy it.”

PANTRY MAGIC | Jalan Kemang Raya no. 14B, Jakarta | T: +62 21 781 2573 www.pantry-magic.com/jakarta

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REVOLUTION ROAST CHICKEN BREAST Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

2pcs Chicken breast bone in 127g Butter 100g Baby potatoes 7sprigs Thyme 3 sprigs Tarragon 150ml Cream 50ml Chicken stock 200g Mushrooms 6 cloves Garlic 6 cloves French shallots 50ml Olive oil

STEPS

• Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. On a pan, add oil and sear chicken on high heat until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Then transfer it to the oven with thyme, garlic and butter in the pan. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven or until the internal temprature hits 165 farenheit and then let it rest with foil cover for 10 minutes.

• Place white button mushrooms in a pan, over medium heat, add olive oil, shallots and garlic. Saute until golden and add a little bit of cream. Reduce the liquid until it almost evaporates and add salt to taste. Turn off the heat.

• Put baby potatoes in a saucepan and parboil until they are 3\4 cooked and add it into a pan with butter, thyme and salt. Roast the potatoes until golden and crispy. About 30 to 40 minutes.

• Add cream, chicken stock and tarragon.Then reduce it until a saucy consistency. Then add seasoning to taste.

• Assemble the dish and eat.

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A Tasty Treat For Mommy

by ADITHYA PRATAMA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

In between her busy schedule of managing the buffet spreads at SATOO at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Chef de Cuisine Roxanne Castillo spends a nice afternoon to prepare a special meal for her visiting mommy.

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e greeted Chef Roxanne in her zone as she knelt down at Shangri-La’s very own herb garden, picking up some basil for her dish. As the new Chef de Cuisine of SATOO, Roxanne visits the garden often where she harvests various herbs, tomatoes, eggplant and lemongrass that are grown organically there.

“I have prepared two dishes for Mom, but I will need some of the basil to prepare a quick pasta dish for her too – she will love it.”

When we were back in SATOO, Chef Roxanne stepped behind the pasta station where freshly made pasta are served daily to guests with a variety of sauces from classic Bolognaise to creamy Carbonara. As the pan heats up, the ravishing chef threw in some garlic, onion and chili powder into the olive oil. She then added in the basil that she had finely chopped, a good helping of penne and topped it all with a house tomato sauce to craft a perfect Arrabbiata.

She then invited us to join her mom, Sonia Castillo, at the table for lunch where she had prepared a salad of grilled vegetables with couscous, feta cheese, olives and rocket that is dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice alongside perfectly roasted salmon with capers, tomato, fennel and dill. Sonia greeted us with a gentle and warm smile –just like any mother would.

“Mommy loves salmon so much. Its a

safe call to prepare this roasted salmon for her.” Explained the chef with her sweet smile as she sat down with us for the meal.

Within minutes, we learned that The Castillos are a bunch of foodies. Not only do Chef Roxanne or Mommy Sonia cook, but also the father and the eldest son like to prepare family feasts. Although Roxanne admitted that she only cooks on special occasions like Christmas and Sonia cooks mostly Filipino food on weekends.

When asked what her favorite dish made by mommy was, Chef Roxanne quickly answered with Caldereta which is a traditional Filipino dish of braised beef in tomato sauce and liver pate that gives the creaminess to the sauce.

“I always put the tomato last so that texture will not get too sticky –that’s my secret to a perfect Caldereta,” adds Sonia, “Roxanne also loves my Tinola with the green papaya and green chilies.”

Tinola is another traditional Filipino dish of poached chicken in ginger and fish sauce broth. Sonia would add a side of fish sauce with kalamansi juice to give the extra oomph to the dish. It is a simple, healthy and refreshing dish with subtle hint of spiciness.

Growing up, Sonia never thought that Roxanne would pursue a career in the kitchen. As the only daughter in the family, Roxanne is the daddy’s little girl.

“Roxanne was a princess as a child.

She would have our helpers to keep her company after school and was pampered by her daddy. But one thing that never changed is her fascination towards food: I remember she would ask my permission to finish up the remainder of my roasted turkey during Thanksgiving alongside the Spanish roasted ham that I have prepared with pineapple sauce. Roxanne loves to eat!” recalled Sonia as she laughed together with Chef Roxanne.

Back at home the two will never be able to cook next to each other. Chef Roxanne always drives Sonia away from the kitchen whenever she’s preparing her dishes in the kitchen.

“I always tell her: there can never be two chefs in the kitchen, Mom and I would chase her out of the kitchen” explained Chef Roxanne, “and Mommy would stand by the kitchen door and I can see from her eyes she’s like: did she put too much salt?

Did she forget this? Did she forget that?”

“But Roxanne has a good palate,” adds Sonia, “Especially when she prepares a pan of paella for me –that is the most favorite dish that Roxanne has ever cooked for me” Spending some time with her mommy brought the widest smile to Chef Roxanne’s face and to prepare a feast for Sonia is only the first thing she would do to welcome her to Jakarta. A little birdie told us that she had prepared a few shopping trips and spa treatments to pamper her mommy with

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As chef de cuisine at SATOO, Chef Roxanne helms a team of over 70 chefs and staff who churn out food for approximately 1,000 diners daily. Heading such a huge operation keeps Chef Roxanne on her toes, making sure every dish which comes out is perfect for their discerning guests. With her new role, she will bring more live cooking to the restaurant’s buffet station.

“SATOO is a show kitchen and there has to be more action cooking, more a la minute cooking with more fresh options,” Roxanne says.

Before joining Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta she was chef de cuisine at Edsa Shangri-La, Manila. She first joined the Shangri-La family in 2009 at Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa, Philippines .

She studied at the famed Culinary Institute of America and trained in the Philippines’ well-known kitchens and restaurants. One really significant experience for her was training in the kitchen led by Chef Rolando Laudico, one of the top chefs in the Philippines.

“Being in the kitchen is my element, because I enjoy every single moment I’m in it,” said Chef Roxanne.

Having her mom visit only served as a huge inspiration for Chef Roxanne to continue to create even more amazing dishes for her diners to enjoy.

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SATOO, SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, JAKARTA | Kota BNI, Jalan Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1, Jakarta | T: +62 21 29229923 www.shangri-la.com/jakarta | Twitter and Instagram: @ShangrilaJKT

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Sushi BOY

by JED DOBLE photographs by RENDHA RAIS

Kids do the darndest things! Who would imagine an 11 year old making his own sushi.

Meet Claudio Chandra.

I

have always loved Japanese food. I remember as a kid, as early as 4 years old, I was already wielding chopsticks to eat at my family’s favorite Japanese restaurant. I loved how different the cuisine was, compared to Filipino food of course.

How unique the experience was, that we had to use chopsticks plus the different flavors.

The second attraction was eating raw fish! Sashimi and sushi were again these unique dishes. In the beginning I was hesitant, but as I saw my parents eat them, I started

to try and eventually enjoyed them.

So when I heard about Claudio and his ‘talent’ for making sushi, I was immediately impressed and saw a little bit of me in him.

Although, I never even dared to try to make my own sushi at his age.

One Saturday morning, we made our way to the Chandra home. As we were greeted by his parents, Harry and Diana, Claudio was busy doing his prep work in the kitchen. As I walked in, I saw the young boy fussing over his ingredients. He had already made a few sushi rolls for us. I suppose for

practice. I tell him that we wanted to shoot him in action, preparing one of his rolls.

Immediately, he said that he wanted to make a dragon roll.

Claudio quickly zips into action.

Assembling his ingredients. I help a bit to style the kitchen counter (for picture’s sake) and ask your young sushi master some questions. How old were you when you started to make your own sushi? I ask. He shouts out: “Eight years old!” Wow, looking back, I don’t even know what I was into when I was eight. I guess I was just playing

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C O V E R F E AT U R E with my toys and playing with my friends on the streets then. Claudio begins to prepare the salmon he will use for the roll. With some tweezers, he makes sure that all the bones from the fish are removed. “It would be bad if you bit into a salmon bone when you eat my sushi!” I ask: What inspired you to start making your own sushi? Claudio replies: “I love the flavor and the unique art behind making it.“ Such intense passion and appreciation for a young boy.

After giving his approval on the piece of salmon, Claudio draws his sushi knife and starts to slice the salmon. With good precision and knife technique, he slices the salmon into thin strips for the sushi. Next thing I know, Claudio is already assembling his dragon roll. Pretty cool!

I guess you like Japanese food, right?

“Of course!” What are your favorite Japanese dishes? “I love sushi, sashimi, all kinds of teriyaki and Japanese salad.” What are your favorite Japanese restaurants?

“Sushi Masa, Sumire, Sushi Sei, Kyadon and Keyaki.” Again, I cannot help but admire his discerning palate. Aside from Japanese, what cuisines do you like to eat? “I also like Chinese foods and Korean grill!”

All of a sudden, Claudio looks under the counter and brings out his torch. You are doing this to show off, aren’t you? I ask in jest. With a sly smile, Claudio replies: “I like it when the salmon is seared outside, it also makes the roll look nicer.” Our talented young sushi master says.

Have your friends and classmates ever tasted your sushi? “Yes they have! They even want more!” That’s a stamp of approval if I

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do say so myself. I am happy that he is able to share his talent with his friends, and they appreciate in return.

As Claudio starts to plate his dragon roll, I ask: Do you want to be a chef when you grow up? All eyes are on him, including that of his parents. “Maybe, I don’t really know yet.” And what sort of food will you cook, if you become a chef? “Japanese of course!” says our cute sushi master.

As I sit down to try Claudio’s sushi, his mom Diana teases him that he only decided to learn to make his own sushi so that he could eat them all. I tell her that that is the same way of how I started to cook.

But he is starting way earlier that I ever did. So I see a bright future for your young sushi master. I taste Claudio’s sushi and my verdict: expertly done, good composition and great flavor. He get’s an A+ from me!

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s both voice over talent and an entrepreneur, Venita Daben could be your definition of a “Supermom”. Amidst her busy schedule of managing her cupcake boutique; Minilovebites, she manages to drive her two daughters; Keira and Kimi, to school everyday while spending couple of hours to do her yoga routine in between them. As a bonding time with them, Venita regularly ask her two angels to join her in the kitchen and shares her passion for baking with them.

Minilovebites started out as an online cupcake store back in 2011. Together with her sister, Ifa, Venita started Minilovebites as a remembrance to their late mother who have spoiled them with plenty of sweet treats from her store in Dharmawangsa back in the days. It is through her baking that Venita found joy in sharing an almost identical love that she had acquired from her mother. Dated today, Minilovebites has successfully claimed their spot as a leading cupcake store in Jakarta with two mini outlets and online order service that never stops ringing.

Cheerful grin flashed on Kimi’s face when Venita asked her to join her older sister, Keira, as she slowly cracked the eggs needed to craft the sinfully delicious chocolate cupcakes. Climbing up on her little booster, little Kimi helps to throw in the dry ingredients into the batter and started the mixer to incorporate them.

When given a set of spatula, Keira gently scraped down the side of the bowl to allow all the ingredients to combine well.

“It is necessary to do this, otherwise there will be some bitter flour and cocoa lumps inside the cupcakes later” explained Keira.

After scooping up the batter into lined cupcake trays, Venita sent it into the oven for it to bake as the two girls helped out to clear the dirty dishes. It was not long until the room was filled with a sweetsmelling aroma of chocolate and the cupcakes were done.

“They are not old enough to deal with the oven. So this is the part where I will take charge where they can help clean and keep time for the baking.” Venita then sent the cupcakes into freezer for it to cool down.

Baked and chilled, the cupcakes were ready to get frosted and decorated. This is the part where Venita let the girls have all the fun with the vanilla buttercream and options of candies and sprinkles to garnish their cupcakes personally.

“Baking with my two girls has always been my favorite way to bond with them.

It is my way to guide them in following instructions, understand precisions and to share my love and passion for baking with them too”

MINI LOVE BITES

by ADITHYA PRATAMA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

Minilovebites’ Venita Daben spared her afternoon to bake for The Foodie Magazine with her two little helpers.

MINI LOVE BITES | Jalan Gunawarman No.32, Jakarta | T: + 62 811 9409 109 www.minilovebites.com | Facebook: minilovebites | Twitter and Instagram: @minilovebites

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CHOCOLATE MALTED CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA FROSTING Serves: 20 Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder 1/2 cup Sugar 3/4 cup Brown Sugar 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Salt 1 cup Milk 1 1/4 cup Malted Chocolate Milk Powder 1 cup Vegetable Oil

3 no.

1 cup 1 tsp

Large Eggs Sour Cream Vanilla Extract

Frosting 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter 300 gr Powdered Sugar, sifted 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Sprinkles and Candies, to decorate

STEPS

• For the cupcakes, Preheat oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with cupcake case, set aside.

• Whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt, set aside.

• In another bowl, whisk together milk and

malted milk until all powder is dissolved.

• In a medium speed mixer, beat flour mixture, milk mixture and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add in sour cream and vanilla until just combined.

• Divide batter into lined cups halfway and baked for 20 minutes.

• Stored in fridge to cool down.

• For the frosting, beat butter on mediumhigh speed mixer unil pale and creamy.

• Reduce speed to medium then add in powdered sugar little by little. Once incorporated, increase the speed and beat until fluffy.

• With a plain or star tip, filled a piping bag with frosting halfway full.

• Piped on top of the chilled cupcake and decorate with sprinkles and candies.

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SUWE ORA JAMU

by RIAN FARISA photographs by MELANIE TANUSETIAWAN & RIAN FARISA

Jamu, the traditional medicine made from herbs and spices, has seen around a millennium of existence in Indonesia. Two young and creative minds from Jakarta decided to refresh and revive the passion again for the metropolis citizens and present us these refreshing drinks in form of a modern café.

D

espite the fact that people nowadays, who live in the city, seem to believe more in modern medicine, you cannot simply set aside the fact that traditional jamu is still running strong within the veins of so many people in Indonesia – especially in Java.

From the oldie flicks back in three or four decades ago, there’s always a scene of people drinking jamu. Or there will always be the jamu peddlers who sell these potions from neighbor to neighbor by foot, although some of them use bikes

and plastic bottles now. But of course, in-between houses you can always find a small jamu watering hole open until late night to keep you awake, if you know what I mean.

Traditional big jamu pharmaceuticals are known to employ technology on their jamu recipes. You can now find jamu in form of sachets, tablets, and capsules. In actuality, the tradition is far from gone and is kept alive strong, but is it still appealing for the so-called modern society nowadays?

SUWE ORA JAMU | Jalan Petogogan No. 28, Jakarta | T: +62 21 7279 0590 www.suweorajamu28.com | Facebook: KedaiSOJ | Twitter: @suweorajamu28

That “traditional feel” is probably the reason why and that’s exactly why Nova Dewi, alongside with her business partner, decided to showcase jamu in form of a nice café, served alongside good coffee and good meals.

The catchy name, derived from a classic Javanese song, was chosen as the name for the café. Within a short period of time, Suwe Ora Jamu has gained prominence within the hearts of teens and young adults of Jakarta. Many of them became intrigued to try what their parents

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C O V E R F E AT U R E and grandparents have been enjoying all this time and chose to set aside their usual café drinks for this experience.

Suwe Ora Jamu concocts its own basic potions such as the beras kencur (galangal rice) and kunyit asem (sour turmeric) for drink-in and takeaways, but also provides other interesting options such as those that utilize tamarind, alang-alang (graminae), rosella, temulawak (curcuma), cabe puyang (chili and rhizome), and even vitality potions for husbands and wives.

For those who may be reluctant and afraid with the taste, the café also provides assorted shot glass-sized drinks for you to try. At anytime, you can always ask for honey to make it sweeter. So we guess that there’s no more excuse for not trying our proud ancestors’ drinks and revive the traditional values, in style.

Cheers for good health!

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CELEBRATING WITH CHOCOLATE photographs by RICHMOND BLANDO

It is always a challenge to organize a youngster’s birthday party. The parties become events themselves and require a whole production on their own. Now Dapur Cokelat has special chocolate packages for these occasions. Using the celebrant’s chosen theme, they will develop a cake design and showpieces to make any kid happy. Packages include cupcakes, lollipops, pastries, pralines and even a chocolate fountain with all the fix ins.

These packages are designed to lessen the stress of party planning and at the same time ensure that your dessert table is well stocked with goodies all the kids love. Check them out now.

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DAPUR COKELAT | 13 outlets in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar | +62 21 75880123 www.dapurcokelat.com | info@dapurcokelat.com | Twitter: @dapurcokelat

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A Fabulous

FESTIVAL The Foodie Magazine launched its print edition through a lavish party at the Ceria Room of the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta on Monday, 1 September. It was a launch party indeed fitting a food magazine. 18 food and beverage stations served a wide array of food and drink choices.

With the party lasting longer than expected, the guest left happy and satiated, clutching their hot-off-the-press copies of the first printed The Foodie.

We would like to thank our sponsors and all those who made this wonderful party possible.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! - The Foodie Magazine Team

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W E N T T H E R E AT E T H AT

A Foodie’s Auckland

by JED DOBLE

As an ardent foodie, I now never visit a place without trying my best to experience the local food. Thus on my visit to Auckland, I specifically asked to experience the finest food the city had to offer.

A

uckland is such a picturesque city.

Every where you look is postcard perfect. The exciting part about the city too is that just a few minutes drive out, you are already in the midst of the beautiful countryside. Thus on

NAVIGATOR TOURS LTD. 553 Richmond Road Grey Lynn AUCKLAND 1021 Aotearoa-New Zealand T: +64 9 817 1191 E: john@navigatortours.co.nz www.navigatortours.co.nz

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my second day in Auckland, we zipped out for a picnic by the beach.

I met John Panoho who operates Navigation Tours which conducts personalized indigenous food tours throughout the Auckland region. John took me to the Arataki Visitor Centre which is the gateway to the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which has more than 16,000 hectares of native rainforest and coastline. Here John gave me a brief introduction to the Maori culture and showed me some interesting indigenous plants which are often used in Maori cooking.

The visitor’s center is the beginning of some 250 km of walking and tramping tracks which provide access to beaches, breathtaking views, and spectacular rocky outcrops. But today, we weren’t doing any of that.

We later continued onto Piha Beach.

Piha is one of the most popular beaches

THE BIG FOODY 5Elle Armon-Jones T: +64 21448 1177 www.thebigfoody.com

on Auckland’s West Coast. It has a vast stretch of dramatic, black sand which gives a wonderful feeling of isolation and of being uncrowded. The wild surf at Piha Beach draws seasoned surfers and it’s also a great swimming spot in summer. It was cold that day, so I was not going into the water. So onto the picnic! We found a nice shaded spot under a tree and John laid out his red tartan blanket. John quickly shucked some fresh Fresh Diamond clams from Cloudy Bay and doused them with his home made vinaigrette. John then quickly started his smoker to prepare some smoked king salmon and chicken drumsticks. He also had a fresh rocket salad with garnished this with some fresh fig which he harvested from their backyard. Together with some fresh bread and bagels, plus craft beers and a chilled Chardonnay, a perfect beach picnic!

W E N T T H E R E AT E T H AT

MATAKANA FARMERS MARKET Every Saturday Matakana Square 2 Matakana Valley Road, Matakana www.visitmatakana.co.nz The following day was my date with Elle Armon-Jones of The Big Foody. According to Elle, “Nothing introduces you to a country like its food and wine. And that is exactly what The Big Foody Tours are all about.”

Started in 2007, by Elle who is a passionate foodie, the tours are all about showing off New Zealand and Auckland through your tastebuds. As a city surrounded by water and amongst rich fertile soil and temperate climate, Auckland produces some of the finest fresh produce in the world along with superb wine region and dedicated artisans create a city with a wealth of epicurean delights. My day with Elle bring brought us to the Matakana Saturday Farmers’ Market, a buffalo cheese producer and an olive oil producer.

Just 40 minutes north of Auckland lies the picturesque Matakana wine region, the home of over 30 boutique vineyards, olive groves, restaurants and the famous Matakana Village and Farmers’ Market. The Saturday Matakana Farmers’ Market is a must visit when traveling North. It is a showcase of artisans, growers and farmers in the Matakana region who have a passion for what they do and produce. Choose from luscious fresh produce like fruit, vegetables, delicious artisan baking, cheese, Italian sausages, organic chocolate, flowers, fine wines, olive oil and the all important freshly brewed morning coffee with locally roasted beans.

Nestled on the banks of the picturesque Matakana River, I’m told that the market has grown substantially in the past few years.

With the friendly vibe together with live musical accompaniment, the Farmers’ Market is a unique experience everyone loves.

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W E N T T H E R E AT E T H AT

WHANGARIPO BUFFALO CHEESE CO. 1158 Whangaripo Valley Rd, RD2 Wellsford T: +64 9 426 0501 E: phil@whangaripobuffalo.co.nz www.whangaripobuffalo.co.nz

After the market, Elle took me to the farms of the Whangaripo Buffalo Cheese Company. This was the highlight of my day!

I love cheese and a visit to a cheese factory was just heavenly. I met Phil Armstrong and his wife Annie who run Whangaripo Buffalo Cheese Co. I had a face to face encounter with their buffalo, which I am told are a mix breed of Australian and Asian water buffalo.

They also welcomed me to their farm house, where I meet their sons and Annie’s parents. The next part of my visit was just divine. Annie laid out a complete spread of their cheeses together with some fruit and sausages. Heavenly!

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W E N T T H E R E AT E T H AT

Last stop was The Olive Place. Here they have an olive grove and produce their own olive oil. The lovely Margie Legh welcomed us to their home and took us on a quick tour of the property and olive oil factory. I discover that their Virtuo Olive Oil is award-winning and couldn’t wait to sample some. Meanwhile, Elle had taken over Margie’s kitchen to whip up lunch. I wondered how I could have lunch, after all the food I had eaten at the market and our various stops, but I was able to. Simple home cooked lamb chops and salad, how could I resist.

In all, the few days I spent in Auckland just solidified the fact that the city is a foodie destination. The beautiful scenery together with the great abundance of fresh produce, food artisans and excellent winemakers make a perfect setting for a foodie holiday.

THE OLIVE PLACE

By Appointment Only +T: 64 9 422 3150 www.theoliveplace.co.nz www.thefoodiemag.com | 69

T R I E D A N D TA S T Y

Mocktails for Mommy and Kids

by KYLE GREGORIO

Non-alcoholic cocktails, or better known as mocktails, are refreshing drinks for both mom and her kids, as well as for your guests who are allergic to alcohol. Making different mocktails can also be a fun activity for them to do too!

ROSEMARY CITRUS SPRITZER When mixing non-alcoholic spritzers, use fruit and herbs for a sweet yet grownup flavor – think blackberry and mint, strawberry and basil. Serve this soda as an alternative to mimosas at brunch, or sip outside on a warm afternoon. This can be compared to an Orangina with an herbal note. There’s just enough rosemary to infuse the drink with an intriguing, yet not overpowering, aroma. Lemons give it a refreshing tartness, and honey rounds out the sweetness. This syrup could make a delicious granita, too!

Serves: 10 to 12

INGREDIENTS:

2 pcs Lemons 4 (4-inch) sprigs Fresh rosemary 3/4 cups Sugar 1/4 cup Honey Ice Soda water Rosemary and lemon for garnish (optional)

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T R I E D A N D TA S T Y

NON-ALCOHOLIC SANGRIA There are thousands of recipes for sangria, each using a different combination of wine and fruit, so don’t worry too much about whether this one is “authentic.” For the fruit, use mango, strawberries, grapes. When steeped for several hours, the fruits both flavor the drink and soak up the liquid, turning plump and juicy. The liquid is a combination of black tea and pomegranate juice, which approximate the sweetness, acidity, and tannins of red wine. It’s a beautiful substitute both flavor and color-wise, although caffeine does, of course, have a more stimulating effect than wine. Just before serving, the drink is lightly carbonated, and the result is a punch suitable for young and old, drinkers and non-drinkers, mealtimes and parties.

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups 2 pcs

2 pcs 1/2 cup 3 cups 1 cup

1 pc 16 pcs

16 pcs 3 cups 1 pc

Boiling water Black tea bags (or 2 teaspoons loose-leaf tea in an infuser) Cinnamon sticks Sugar Pomegranate juice Freshly squeezed orange juice Mango, sliced into cubes Strawberries, sliced into quarters Grapes, sliced into quarters Carbonated water Pomagranate (to garnish)

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TA K I N G I T TO T H E S T R E E T S

BOPET MINI

by RIAN FARISA

I

t’s the charm of traditional markets that you will not get from those opulent, air-conditioned shopping malls. Whether you want to just buy fresh groceries or look for tools or trinkets and something cheap, you’ll get almost anything you need from these markets. In our case, we should not ignore the fact that markets like the one in Bendungan Hilir for example, conceals potential eateries inside that are waiting to be discovered. That’s when I set my goal to reach Bopet Mini, no matter what.

Bopet is actually what Padangnese would refer as a restaurant in a smaller scale with less variety of dishes and roughly equal to what we call as warung here in Java. Arriving for late lunch on a fine Sunday, Pasar Benhil appears like a deserted building with only a handful of shops left seen open and much less crowded than usual.

Upon heading deeper inside the market, what I found out was actually

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Finding a real diamond may be hard and expensive, but if your kind of diamond is a one-stop, affordable and marvelous Padangnese treat in the middle of the city then Bopet Mini is the diamond you are seeking for. surprising. Bopet Mini is not small at all!

It occupies a large portion of area in the heart of the market which defies the real definition of bopet!

A self-service buffet table offers what you will assemble for your Padangnese lunch, but you can only have so much coming this late, even on a Sunday! However, I was quite content whenever there’s rendang, Padangnese-style omelette, and vegetables. Although I was running out of the usual young jackfruit and cassava leaves, I chose to go with sliced bamboo shoots with plenty of green chili sambal as the condiment. It’s a mainstream choice but will forever satisfy me.

What makes Bopet Mini remind me of another ‘real’ bopet back in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra is the bubur kampiun. Usually another type of bubur is a standalone version of banana with coconut milk like in kolak pisang or with bubur sumsum

for example. But with bubur kampiun, it incorporates so many elements from soybeans, banana, sumsum, biji salak, and glutinous rice – all drenched in a bowl of sweetened coconut milk soup. During hot days, all you have to ask is additional ice cubes to make it highly irresistible.

If you don’t feel like having nasi Padang, Bopet Mini offers other fantastic selections from soto Padang, ketupat sayur, to snacks such as serabi and lupis.

Despite the old, dilapidated traditional market feel that surrounds it, Bopet Mini is clearly a jewel waiting to be discovered for those who haven’t and an endless gold mine for the regulars.

So if you’re looking for the best time to visit the place, come early for brunch during Sundays. It’s easier to navigate the usually crowded street, easier to park, and not letting yourself run out of the fantastic delicacies. Enjoy!

TA K I N G I T TO T H E S T R E E T S

BOPET MINI | Pasar Bendungan Hilir, Jalan Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta | +62 21 570 0282

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JAJANAN SEKOLAH MENTENG

by RIAN FARISA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

Rather than discussing specific street food that we always do in every issue, The Mommy and Me theme actually gave me an opportunity to do something a bit different but related with kids and schools. If you guys know what it means, then it’s time for jajanan sekolah time!

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his conversation started perhaps six to seven years ago when I was neither a food blogger nor a food writer. I overheard my colleagues discussing about where to go for lunch. One of them suggested her group to give jajanan sekolah a go in front of St. Theresia church.

And of course, they quickly concurred but the idea of going back and forth Menteng and my office in Sudirman, under one hour, was simply dreadful and I personally never had the chance to try it.

So here we are, many years later, and inspired by my eavesdropping, I decided to give jajanan sekolah a go during a one hot, sunny afternoon. It was tricky to get a spot to park a car in around these hours so you might want to really peel your eyes.

Turns out, if you exactly arrive at

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12 o’clock, you will encounter a decent amount of jajanan sekolah stockpile in front of these two famous schools in Jakarta, St. Theresia and St. Bellarminus. By the way, what I mean with jajanan sekolah are the snacks that the kids usually like and are sold in pushcarts in front of schools. However, some of them are actually food for adults as well.

I enjoyed my time having the chocolate flavored kue lekker. It’s a traditional thin crepes made in an instant by pouring the batter on a spinning pan. Sometimes it is also flavored with strawberry syrup and bananas.

There are also other traditional stuff such as kue rangi and rambut nenek (literally means “grandma’s hair”).

Other highlights during my short trip there was a really good mie ayam nearby

St. Bellarminus on Jalan Lombok and the bakso sold on a bicycle in front of the church. Another rarity that I discovered that afternoon was this particular pushcart vendor who sold Semarang’s version of lumpia filled with diced bamboo shoots and ultimately for dessert, the one and only es goyang filled with soybeans and showered with chocolate and nuts for only three thousand Rupiah!

So be sure to drop by here whenever you can and enjoy the nostalgia that you’re longing so much. As adults, of course we can easily buy all these delicacies that we’d love to try when we were kids. However be sure not to unleash yourself too hard or you might have an uneasy stomach having all those treats at once!

TA K I N G I T TO T H E S T R E E T S

ST THERESIA & ST BELLARMINUS STREET FOOD | Jalan H. Agus Salim & Jalan Lombok

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I CO N I C

SOTO BETAWI H. MA’RUF

by RIAN FARISA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

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Soto Betawi may be commonplace for us here in Jakarta but let us take some time off to see something unusual about it, how the founder started it since 1940s and the story behind a specialty restaurant that has been serving soto for many years.

I CO N I C

W

e live in an era where Betawi cuisine has become alienated from our daily taste buds.

Even with the knowledge or fondness about it, one must go a bit far to the outskirts of Jakarta to look for it.

However, we have to be grateful that at least soto Betawi can still be easily traced around many neighborhoods.

Despite that, looking for traditional players behind the kitchen with a longstanding reputation on preserving the values of old may prove to be another challenge.

For instance, in our feature during the previous Flavors of Indonesia Issue, we were able to find a warung that has been serving gabus pucung and pecak gurame for decades and happens to be owned by a native Betawi.

Needless to say, to uphold the same standard and especially for the Iconic rubric, The Foodie Magazine strives to find the same characteristics for soto Betawi and that’s when we stumbled upon Soto Betawi H. Ma’ruf inside the vicinity of Taman Ismail Marzuki. One of the reasons was because the first generation owner, H. Ma’ruf Sr. himself, started the business back in the 1940s.

In a time where the use of wheels for hawkers were still considered a rarity, H. Ma’ruf senior started his soto business by lifting his merchandise around and stationed nearby Gondangdia Station. Despite attracting numerous fans as evidently shown from newspaper articles dated before the 1960s, H. Ma’ruf Sr. was a grateful man who appreciates the result of the hardship, even if that forced him to move around between neighborhoods. Now, his venture is settled for good at Taman Ismail Marzuki.

Since then, the soto Betawi business legacy has been inherited to his seventh son. Being a passionate native who also wishes to see Betawi recipes becomes a renowned cuisine again, he managed to convince the local municipality to support the preservation of the family business and argue that the whole thing is also in line with Taman Ismail Marzuki’s concept as an institution that strives to preserve local art and culture.

During our last visit there, we found out that even if the restaurant is located a bit deep inside Taman Ismail Marzuki, people would still come in and enjoy their dinner. If you’re talking about competition then this restaurant is not short on one.

SOTO BETAWI H. MA’RUF | Taman Ismail Marzuki – Jalan Cikini Raya no. 73, Jakarta | T: +62 21 314 8817 Opens everyday from 8am – 9pm

Warungs with different types of food and even another restaurant surround this Soto Betawi H. Ma’ruf but it appears that loyalty and reputation are the factors that win them over the competition.

Good service may be something that you will least expect from a local restaurant like this, especially when the staff are facing an influx of hungry customers waiting for famed soto and satay. However, I personally felt that we were taken care of well during our incognito visit there. Despite the lukewarm soup, I can still feel the potential of the whole flavor when compared with those that I find on the streets. The meat and the innards were also of good quality but what impressed me as well was the presence of lamb satays.

Nevertheless, judging from the survival instincts inherited by the late H. Ma’ruf, I personally feel that the restaurant will still see a good, long way to go; provided that they remain faithful with the quality, despite the skyrocketing price nowadays. In time, we might see more of Betawi dishes there as promised by the second generation owner during an interview that I witnessed the other day. Let us hope so!

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A F O O DI E ’ S L I F E

LITA HAMZAH

by RIAN FARISA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT & SIENTY-ARIEF

The one, true lifetime aspiration may come “late” for some.

For those who finally achieve it and are grateful about it, know that it all comes in good time. That’s why we need to see how it all happened to Lita Hamzah, one of the brains behind the succesful Life Is Sweet.

T

o begin with, there’s always spirit to share and pride in any movement – especially with premium ventures in the F&B business. Life Is Sweet, for example, organizes cooking classes and caters private dinners. But not just that, Life Is Sweet is also known to always push the boundaries of the interactivity with its clienteles to make the programs more interesting.

Derived from the spirit of wanting to dedicate her life for the good of others, Lita Hamzah found her aspiration rather inadvertently when she shared her opinion to Ruby and Michael - the founders of Life Is Sweet. “In the beginning, Life Is Sweet emphasized more on international themes in its programs and I was really excited when they’re keen with my idea on how we should also do something Indonesian”, said Lita.

Her passion, as well as her invaluable contributions, brought Lita to be elected as partner and the unique combination of skills between the three of them was what made Life Is Sweet more harmonious than ever.

With her down to earth personality, Lita did not forget to credit the brilliance of her two other partners.

In the beginning, Lita Hamzah worked as an HR specialist in engineering and mining companies. She was left contented leading a seemingly normal life as a career-driven woman, as well as a caring mother for her children. “However, when I reached a certain turn in my life, I started to question everything that I had achieved and whether all of those was the thing that I actually need in the long run”, explained Lita.

“How grand the opportunities will be if I try to explore my real aspiration and how I may contribute more to the community”, she continues. For quite some time she pondered upon so many choices and even tried-and-tested one of them, such was the time when she became the buyer of Balinese handicrafts and exported them to Singapore. “Takashimaya accepted my proposal to display the crafts but eventually, it didn’t last long and I had to search for another alternative”, said Lita.

For a while, she became a full-time

mother until finally she met Life Is Sweet and the story continues still. “It was all in good time, my children have grown bigger and it is easier for me to navigate between family and work in harmony”, said Lita emphasizing the importance of family for her as she continues, “I don’t have a driver to take my kids in and out of school. I prefer to do it myself so that I can have the quality time with them every day on the road as well.”

Life Is Sweet’ effort to revitalize awareness on Indonesian cuisine quite recently caught the attention of the ambassador of Peru for Indonesia. “The ambassador would like to invite us for a trip to Peru and to learn from them on how to promote the local cuisine better. Apparently, they have started such initiative years ago and we’d really love to learn more from them”, said Lita.

As we all can see, Lita Hamzah’s future is now on an open road once again and clearly, it’s an exciting road to tread upon.

Best of luck to you on the trip and long live Indonesian cuisine!

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CO N F E S S IO N S O F A F O O DI E

JOANNA LASMONO

by ADITHYA PRATAMA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT & JOANNA LASMONO’S PERSONAL COLLECTION location LA GALERIE DE DIETRICH

Even the term ‘Domestic Goddess’ would be an understatement for her. The Foodie Magazine sat down with Joanna Lasmono in sharing her love for cooking, her kids and her guiltiest pleasure.

N

o questions got ignored on the comment section of every image on the Instagram account @fourseasonsdelights –Joanna’s personal social media platform. There she shares her daily routine from preparing meals for her two kids; Savanna and Danno, to her love for home decorations and even share her personal stories with an intimate touch that lets her followers get to know a little bit more about who Joanna really is.

Her first affair with cooking came way back during the elementary school days when Joanna lived with her sister and the husband who was the Head Chef at The Hilton Hotel Jakarta back in the 1980s.

Without any maids in the house, Joanna’s brother-in-law would prepare dinner for them almost every night. She would then lend a hand while casually observing the way her in-law cooks. After many years, the memories remained with Joanna and helped during her college days in Los Angeles all the way until now.

When it comes to her kids, Joanna never forced them to assist in cooking. She recalled that it comes naturally for the kids, especially for Savanna –the eldest, to bake when she feels like it. Savanna would flip a cookbook and prepare her own stuff as mommy assists in few little things.

“They’re very moody when it comes to cooking –that is why I do not want to force them. When they feel like cooking or baking, they would come and join me in the kitchen anyway.”

She felt blessed for having kids who are not hesitant to eat any food. When they eat out or travel together, Joanna would

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observe what their favorite things to eat are.

These observations will then come to her as an inspiration to prepare new and creative dishes at home for her family.

Joanna has also been actively involved in volunteering for activities in her kids’ school –particularly in the kitchen where the moms will take turns to prepare snacks for the students to buy. Joanna admitted that she learned a lot through this activity in order to prepare even healthier meals under the guidance of the school. This is another story that she shares a lot with her followers; she believes that this is an important activity that would allow the parents to oversee what is happening within the school complex.

“And I get to know every single mom that volunteers for the school. So after we drop the bags and put on the apron, we are all the same: volunteer moms.”

Joanna has a true Indonesian palate –she loves Indonesian cuisine. Through her web series ‘Dapur Jo’ on Youtube, she often shares simple recipes of Indonesian cooking like Bubur Manado and Rujak Pengantin to change the mindset of the food for being complicated and difficult to prepare and preserving the traditional Indonesian cuisine for the future.

Being a clean person that she is, Joanna’s guiltiest pleasure lies in street food. From the Soto Mie just outside SD Ar-Rahman Motik in Kuningan to Mie Ayam that she and her husband had on the way to their very own wedding reception, dressed and all!

“There’s a time that we would just lose it! Cause’ my husband and I love to jajan so much!”

Instagram: @fourseasonsdelights

CO N F E S S IO N S O F A F O O DI E

ANAK JAJAN: JULIA VERONICA & MARIUS TJENDERASA

by RIAN FARISA photographs by JULIA VERONICA’S PERSONAL COLLECTION

Two food bloggers whom I meet up with fairly often during food events are Julia Veronica and Marius Tjenderasa, who are better-known by their pseudonym - Anak Jajan.

M

ostly people know Anak Jajan from the persona of Julia herself, but if we follow their history, Marius plays a really important role as the photographer. During a tea time event months ago, Marius told me that he wanted to always become better and better so that Anak Jajan will grow even bigger.

That and thanks to Julia’s perseverance with productivity on the blog and Instagram, Anak Jajan has now become popularly known and the work of this couple has brought them to win bloggers competitions, to become the speakers for talkshows, and opportunities to travel abroad.

“We started in 2011 with the spirit to share our foodie journeys and make a diary out of it. The name came up simply as well.

Since we love to nibble and graze anywhere, hence we decided to name it ‘Anak Jajan,’” Julia said.

When things start simply, it may often be best to leave it simple as well and that’s what Anak Jajan is now. “Basically we blog about the things we love from food and traveling. We occasionally share recipes as well on the blog. The spirit is to befriend everyone and not compare ourselves with anyone”, said Julia straightforwardly as I have always known from her personality.

Their straightforward approach to blogging is apparently well-received and

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combined with the stylish approach from the images they share on Instagram, they have now amassed thousands of page viewers every day and almost 30,000 followers on Instagram.

Unlike common bloggers, Julia and Marius don’t just share the best experiences they have during travels or food searches. “The best moments for us are when we share with other food bloggers and when we hang out with friends who share the same interest with us”, they said.

The open road ahead for Anak Jajan, said Julia and Marius, will be filled with improving content and photography to make the blog more enticing and informative as well for the readers and followers. I personally admired their efforts when they decided to make an e-magazine which is downloadable for free from their blog, however the project is currently on hold as the couple is pretty busy nowadays.

Ending our meet-up, I decided to ask the food that they really enjoy most. “We all know how the Japanese take it seriously with their food and in the end, it’s always a pleasing moment for us with any sort of Japanese food”, said Julia who pretty recently just returned from a trip to Japan.

But being true Indonesians both of them say the same thing about the cuisine they love the most from their country. “Padang food!”, they exclaimed.

www.anakjajan.com | Instagram: @anakjajan

CO N F E S S IO N S O F A F O O DI E

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M AYA ’ S M U S I N G

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Instagram and Twitter: @maya _ aldy

M AYA ’ S M U S I N G

MAYA’S LUNCHBOX IDEAS

by MAYA ALDY photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

We have all seen excitedly what Chef Maya Aldy has been preparing for The Foodie Magazine since day 1. Either it’s her latest cool trip in and out of Indonesia or the intelligent, flavorful yet healthy meals for us to try at home or at parties.

This time, Chef Maya presents us her fun and colorful take on kids’ meal, and by that we mean, the lunchbox!

F

or parents, it might be tricky to fix up a good meal for the kids. In some instances, kids might not like their fruits or vegetables on the plate. So here I’d like share some stuff that I think both parents and kids would find balanced, both from the nutrition and ingredients side, and is also appealing to see.

Other than just on how to make it look nice and all good, the activity together on making it is also important. Kids from my cousins usually come by to my mom or my place and ask me all the time to cook something for them. I’d do baked pasta or something fun for us to do together, like what I just did with Ben and Abi, my beloved nephews for The Foodie Magazine.

So here, I’ll be sharing with you on how to make a simple omurice (Japanese-style omelette with fried rice) that you can prepare

in the morning. Also, I have the ‘leftover’ mac and cheese that uses only an egg, a dash of milk or cream in the mixture, and then you just need to bake it good. Indonesians usually refer this as macaroni schotel. Next we also have the breakfast quesadilla with scrambled eggs, cheese, and tomato wrapped in tortilla cooked on a pan.

Lastly for the sides, it’s the fruits and vegetables. I’m making an easy salad out of apple and cucumber with a simple dressing of light mayo, egg, and a dash of mustard.

Also, there are fruit kebabs for the kids and it will only take you five minutes to do it.

All you have to do is to shape it with cookie cutters and funny shapes will certainly delight the kids.

So, everything here is suited for daily lunchboxes or fun activity with the children.

Bottom line is to do something smart with

the fruits and vegetables, like with the funny shapes and certain methods on cutting the vegetables, putting it together in a mixture of cheese inside the macaroni and then it wouldn’t be obvious for kids to perceive as broccoli or carrot.

So, there you have it, easy recipes for kids and something for parents and children to do together in the morning or weekends. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Love,

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M AYA ’ S M U S I N G

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M AYA ’ S M U S I N G

OMURICE (JAPANESE-STYLE OMELETTEWRAPPED FRIED RICE)

CHICKEN NUGGETS

FRUIT KEBAB

Serves: 2

STEPS

Serves: 2

200 gr Chicken meat, boneless and cubed Panko (bread crumb)

INGREDIENTS:

Fried Rice 1 cup Cooked rice 1/2 cup Cooked chicken meat, shredded garlic soy sauce kecap manis salt and pepper Omelette 2 ea 1/4 cup Salt and pepper

STEPS

Egg Milk

• Cook your fried rice, set aside • Make your omelette using a non-stick pan • To ensemble: put the fried rice in the middle of the omelette and make a parcel • Serve

INGREDIENTS:

Soak the chicken overnight with: 1 tbsp Yogurt 1 cup Milk Herbs (of your choice) Salt and pepper

STEPS

• Heat the oil • Drain the chicken from the marinade • Drench the chicken in panko • Fry until golden • Serve

• Mix fruits of your choice • Shape the fruits with cookie cutters • Skewer the fruits • Serve

BREAKFAST QUESADILLA Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS: 2 ea 1/2 cup 2 ea 1 ea

Tortilla sheet Cheese, shredded Egg, to be scrambled Tomato, sliced

STEPS

• Heat the pan and dress it with enough oil • Ensemble the quesadilla • Put the egg, cheese, and tomato inside the tortilla sheet • Cook until the surface is crisp • Cut in wedges • Serve

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TRIED AND TESTED

DE DI ET RICH ><

Chef Deden’S SNOWBALL TREATS

T H E FOODIE

by RIAN FARISA photographs by HIMAWAN SUTANTO

T

his month in Tried and Tested, Chef Deden Putra shares with us some treats! During his quick holiday in Jakarta, we cornered Deden to share something for our Mommy and Me issue.

He tells us that he thought long and hard on what to make for the kids. Then he had a brilliant idea. As Halloween approaches, the young ones will definitely be craving for fun and exciting treats. Thus Chef Deden’s recipe for Chocolate Snowballs hits the spot. This is perfect for parents who are often looking for creative and interesting things to do with their kids.

Chocolate, in many forms with cute edible accessories, would certainly captivate the kids, especially when it involves something colorful and fluffy. Here, Chef Deden shows us in detail how to make an outstanding dessert. Rich chocolate cake is enveloped in fluff and shredded coconut.

You can get the kids together and ask them to help in decorating the Snowballs.

After baking the chocolate cake / cupcakes and preparing the fluff, assemble the differently colored shredded coconut.

Get the kids involved with personalizing the decorations for each snowball. The final touches are left up to you. Little confections, gummy worms, coated chocolate or any colorful candy can be used to brighten up the snowballs. Make faces, give the snowballs eyes, ears and mouthes. All of a sudden, it is an activity for the kids.

To share them, we suggest small cupcake boxes wherein you can put the snowballs in so that they are easier to distribute. Not only are the chocolate snowballs easy to do, they are also colorful and interesting, plus they make for easy presents which anyone will enjoy. Try the recipe at home.

With this creative delight, we are sure to be knocking on Chef Deden’s door on Halloween to see what treats he will have in store for us!

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Our master of pastry from New York, Chef Deden Putra, fresh from his 2nd place win at Pastry Live 2014, returns with something other than his success story - a chocolate cake recipe for kids!

B R O U G H T TO Y O U B Y D E D I E T R I C H

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TRIED AND TESTED

SNOWBALLS Serves: 24 ea

INGREDIENTS:

CHOCOLATE CAKE 227gr Butter 298gr Chocolate 63 % Fechlin 472gr Hot water 344gr All-purpose flour 453gr Sugar 11gr

Baking soda 6 ea

Eggs FLUFF 227 gr 680 gr 272 gr 200 gr 1 ea

Egg whites Corn syrup Sugar Water Vanilla bean

STEPS

CHOCOLATE CAKE • Melt chocolate and butter.

• Add in hot water while keep stirring. Sieve flour, baking soda and sugar into mixing bowl.

• Using a paddle attachment, stir in chocolate mixture at medium speed.

• Scrape down and continue stirring.

• Break the eggs and add in to the chocolate mixture.

• Continue stirring until well blend.

• Pour on to prepared sheet pan, bake at 325 °F for about 25-30 minutes.

FLUFF • Combine sugar and 200 gr water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

• Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and simmer syrup without stirring until the thermometer reads 240 °F, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush.

• Meanwhile, place egg whites, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment.

• Whip on high until frothy. Slowly add remaining sugar.

• Whip until soft peaks form.

• Continue whipping until medium peaks form.

• Reduce speed to medium, then pour hot syrup into meringue in a slow, steady stream while whipping.

• Increase speed to high and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and whip until meringue is cool.

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B R O U G H T TO Y O U B Y D E D I E T R I C H

FINISHING TOUCH • Prepare shredded coconut for garnish.

• Color the shredded coconut with food coloring.

De Dietrich DOP1145B - 45cm Multifunction Plus Oven Multifunction Plus Pyrolysis oven : De Dietrich culinary excellence...

• Pipe the fluff on the chocolate cake and press it down on colored coconut.

• Using both hands, start rolling the cake and shape like a ball.

• Serve.

With a capacity of 40 litres, DOP1145B reveals the same talents as its large 60 litres counterpart. It is equipped with the most avant garde programming with the latest technological advances. Easy to use and access, cooking is a joy.

Among the various cooking functions on the De Dietrich Multifunction Plus Oven, fan cooking is the ideal cooking method to explore your culinary adventures. The fan uniformly diffuses the heat produced by the heating elements; thus allowing simultaneous cooking of different dishes on various shelf positions without transferring flavours and aromas.

Besides being energy efficient, the new ovens also do not need any warm up time as the temperature heats up quickly; saving you time and effort!

Pyroclean – when dirt turns to dust!

De Dietrich ovens are self-cleaning! By heating the oven’s cavity to a temperature of around 500oC, the dirt inside the oven is carbonized into fine ashes. The presence of the front heating element and the new Pyro-Turbo system allows a thorough cleaning of even the most inaccessible areas of the oven. As a safety measure, the oven door locks automatically after a few minutes of pyrocleaning.

Become the conductor of an enchanting symphony of new flavours now.

For more information on stockists, visit our La Galerie De Dietrich today!

LA GALERIE DE DIETRICH Jl. Kemang Raya No. 17, Jakarta 12730 Tel: +62 2171 80349 Marketing@kitchenatelier.co.id

TIPS Make chocolate cake one day before and keep them in the fridge. The cold chocolate cake will be easier to shape.

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TUTI SOENARDI – THE LADY NUTRITIONIST

by RIAN FARISA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT AND TUTI SOENARDI’S PERSONAL COLLECTION

After William Wongso appeared our virgin flight issue for Stuff of Legends rubric, there’s an open road ahead in search for senior culinary minds out there. Among these unparalleled pioneers is none other than Ibu Tuti Soenardi, an experienced persona with know-how in French cuisine and an expert nutritionist.

STUFF OF LEGEND

Q

uite recently I just realized that us, as the young minds of nowadays F&B provocateurs, are actually continuing what the founding fathers had been doing two or three decades ago. In hopes of perfecting what the elders have been striving to do, it becomes our obligation to learn everything from these legends.

It took us so many years to finally realize that food is more than just something that we consume everyday and now we appreciate it as a form of art, and that any culinary think tank would ponder upon what to create next. Now in Indonesia, we have so many graduates from foreign culinary academies, experienced hot kitchen chefs who decide to go public, and fundamental instruments readier than ever from cook shops, cooking schools, and test kitchens.

However, many do not know that the breakthrough initiative to introduce the culinary arts was started in 1988 with the appearance of LKI (Lembaga Kuliner Indonesia). It was a noble cause to promote, not just about cooking, but also to entice public interest with food, to introduce the people behind the kitchens, and most of all, to promote Indonesian cuisine.

The name Tuti Soenardi, alongside William Wongso, Hiang Marahimin, and Haryanto Makmoer, is among the founders of LKI. After several years of vigorous attempts, the public interest was not there yet to fully grasp this cause. LKI was soon disbanded, but the high hopes and dreams were never given up by the founding fathers of this organization until this very day.

That is exactly why I would like to meet

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Tuti Soenardi in person so much and ask her to tell her life story. So on a breezy sunny afternoon, I arrived on the leafy Jalan Langsat and found her nutritionist clinic almost immediately. After I knocked on the door, a mild-mannered lady with glasses greeted me warmly and introduced herself right away. “Welcome, I am Tuti Soenardi”, she said.

Her clinic in Jalan Langsat has been there for quite some time after her return from Paris years ago. Inside you will see right away that it’s actually quite an elaborate office for her practice as a nutritionist and with a huge kitchen as well.

I opened up our conversation by showing Mrs. Tuti Soenardi her old pictures during the time when LKI was still standing. “Look how young I was back then!” she said filled with nostalgia.

Dedicating her life for the advancements of Indonesian cuisine and specializing as a nutritionist, Mrs. Soenardi has been in the business since she graduated in 1959. First, she started as a lecturer in Akademi Pendidikan Nutriotionist Bogor (now known as POLTEKKES). Thanks to the support of her late husband, she began to cater for parties and events for military officers and government officials.

One time, she was dejected by an article in a newspaper regarding her catering business as it was deemed a taboo for non-professionals to run such business back in those days. “I was crying and asked my husband for his permission to let me study more about cooking abroad”, she confessed.

As per her late husband’s support, she began to pursue the excellence in cooking at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris in the 1970s.

Like Julia Child, Mrs. Soenardi was fearless when she’s put in a class of filled with professional cooks as her peers. “I learned a lot about kitchen management as well as cookery skills. I was also highly confident to face the tutors and everything that was written in French!” said Mrs. Soenardi.

After some time, Mrs. Soenardi returned to Indonesia and started to focus more in her nutritionist business. She eventually restarted her catering business, but this time in a more personal level, “My first client was a friend of my husband who got sick and needed a special diet course. I accepted his offer and began to customize his diet”.

Her reputation started to bloom and until this very day, after the days of LKI and her lecturing years, she continues to serve the public with her vast knowledge on nutrition. Even in her 80s now, Mrs. Tuti Soenardi is still asked to become a speaker in many conventions around the country and appears very healthy with a sound mind as well.

However, her true dream has always been about how to devise elaborated yet delicious, healthy, and nutritious meals for hospitals in Indonesia. “I am still, until this day, working day and night to prepare the best course for the sick in hospitals.

I want hospital food to be, not just cooked ordinarily, but I want it also to be wholesome and even the patients would like it”, said Mrs. Soenardi in full confidence.

Certainly, the foremost thing we have to learn from her is her undying spirit, tried and tested by time but never wavered. Next is her spirit to always learn something new and to share it with the rest of the world.

TUTI SOENARDI HEALTHY FOOD | Jalan Langsat I no. 2, Jakarta | +62 21 7062 1028 www.tuti-soenardi.com

STUFF OF LEGEND

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PA N T R Y 1 0 1

VEGGIES FOR ALL AGES

by KYLE GREGORIO

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

BROCCOLI

SPINACH

It’s easy to despise these mini-cabbages without even trying them. The bitter taste, odd texture, and vague aroma of feet are enough to scare anyone off. However, the same qualities are attributed to fine cheeses. Very high in fiber and protein, it can be a filling but low-calorie side dish.

Scientists also believe the vegetable may protect against cancer because it’s rich in indole—a phytochemical—and vitamin C. Buy fresh Brussels sprouts that are still on the stalk. These will taste much better than the frozen. Slice each one down the middle and cook them in extra-virgin olive oil with freshly chopped garlic on the stove. Salt and pepper to your taste. To “gourmet-it-up,” add walnuts, shallots, grated cheese, and bacon in moderation.

These “mini-trees” pack a healthy dose of vitamin K that you typically find in leafy green vegetables. No wonder children view florets with contempt; they represent the antithesis of Snickers bars. However, broccoli can be your best friend. Simple to prepare, it’s a filling side-dish or quick raw snack.

Vitamins C, K, and A are all represented in spades in broccoli. As well as being high in fiber, it has multiple anti-cancer nutrients such as diindolylmethane and selenium.

There’s no need to avoid broccoli on the appetizer tray, just dip it in hummus or add a dab of ranch dressing. You can also crumble some florets on your salad; they will make it more filling. Steam or bake them with olive oil for a quick side dish.

Popeye made spinach look great when he used it to beat up Bluto. However, when you popped a can and dug in, it tasted like soggy metal. While these green leaves use to primarily appear in cartoons, now they appear on most menus. So ditch the can and prepare a dish that does the leafy vegetable justice. Like the other vegetables profiled already, spinach’s A and C vitamins, fiber, folic acid, magnesium and other nutrients help prevent cancer, especially colon, lung, and breast cancers, and heart disease. The great thing about spinach is its versatility.

Throw it in omelets with cheese, turkey, or ham. Pour warm bacon vinaigrette over a bed of spinach and chopped purple onions. Want to keep it extra simple? Chop up strawberries and walnuts and sprinkle them over a bed of fresh spinach for a delicious salad.

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PA N T R Y 1 0 1

Vegetables are not only healthy for you but they can also be delicious as well, although most kids will beg to differ.

Here are some vegetables that children and adults have a love and hate relationship with.

EGGPLANT

PEAS

CARROTS

If the eggplant were a superhero, it would be Batman. It’s dark, mysterious, and although it doesn’t have superpowers — it’s bold and rich on different levels. Children can’t get past its spongy texture, but adults should champion its ability to adapt differently to each dish. It has much of the same laundry list of nutrients these other vegetables have offered including fiber, folate, niacin, etc. On top of that, eggplants are a great source of antioxidant called phytonutrients including the potent antioxidant called nasunin, which prevents the damage of cell membranes. Eggplant’s porous flesh soaks in whatever flavors surround it and adds its own, making complex tastes: Eggplant Parmesan, ratatouille, Arabian moussaka, and many Indian dishes. It can even be grilled like a burger.

It’s that vegetable crime again. Over cooking will make most children dislike most things - they’ll then associate all veg with the same soggy, mushy texture.

Peas, whether fresh or frozen, are actually very tasty and it’s a relatively easy veg to incorporate into meals. Frozen peas are as nutritious as fresh, but if you want your child to like them, don’t overcook them.

Try mixing sweetcorn and peas together as kids love sweetcorn. You could also make a Chinese fried rice dish with chicken, peas and sweetcorn. Another option is to add them to pasta or into mashed potato.

There’s nothing like a plate of soggy, over-boiled, bland carrots to put kids off this healthy vegetable for life. Cooked carrots do have a different flavor, so don’t overcook them. On the plus side, kids like crispy raw carrots as they’re slightly sweet and crunchy - great in stir-fries. Make sure they’re super-fresh and not dry if you’re serving them raw as kids’ judge by appearances. If kids don’t like cooked carrots, give them raw carrots with a tasty dip. They’ll love carrot sticks served with humus or a tomato salsa.

Alternatively, mash potatoes and carrots together with a little milk and a knob of butter and use this as a topping for cottage pie or as a side dish.

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W H AT C H E F E AT S

LANDAWATI SETIONEGORO

by RIAN FARISA photographs by DENNIE BENEDICT

Humble, talented, and experienced. Let us meet Mrs. Landawati Setionegoro, the Indonesian cuisine head chef from the exquisite, rijsttafel-specialty restaurant - Oasis.

P

erhaps it’s a working chemistry between pure talent, immense interest in cooking, and growing up in a food loving family that would breed the offspring of culinary prodigies like we see nowadays. Some make it through with one or two prerequisites with extra effort, good networking, and luck; but I am almost certain that people would deem it as an anomaly if any of this came from a generation before us now.

Ibu Landa, as I usually call her, was bestowed with all of these so-called ‘conditions’ and grew mature with her exploration on local Indonesian cuisine.

Her sixth sense, alongside good research and experience, are the things that make her know how to fine-tune any dish in an instant.

Perhaps her biggest strength, as well as her weakness, is her downto-earth personality which makes her relatively unknown to common foodies of now. Nevertheless, I have been quite fortunate to be able to sample her creations for several times and without any hesitation I dare to say that her finesse in Indonesian cuisine surpasses many people that I know.

While being an able cook in her

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household, Ibu Landa also started her canteen business for the employees in an office building in Central Jakarta and began to attract the attention from the owner.

Unbeknownst to her that time, the building’s owner also owns Oasis – the historical finedining restaurant on Jalan Raden Saleh.

Oftentimes, the owner’s organization holds wayang shows and Ibu Landa was entrusted to cater the meals for the

guests. She would usually explore cuisines from specific cities in Central and East Java in accordance with the origin of the puppet masters. Of course the choices that she made were either unknown or nostalgic for the guests, but unanimously they’re keen with the meals and amongst them were the VIPs from the government and business partners. “Sometimes I find it hard to believe that the people came, not to see the puppet show, but to taste my dishes”, said Ibu Landa laughing.

Until one day in 2011, she’s asked to helm the newly renovated Oasis’ Indonesian kitchen and was of course, a big offer for her. “I was surprised at first and didn’t really know how to command a real kitchen. As time went by, I overcame the challenges and now Oasis kitchen is more than ready to showcase different Indonesian cuisines monthly and even provides cooking classes for our customers”, Ibu Landa proudly admitted.

Detouring out of topic but still about food, we always ask the chefs whom we encounter about specific dishes they love. Apparently, despite her Betawi and East Javanese origin, Ibu Landa is an avid fan of noodles and specifically noodles from the South Sumatra province.

“My husband, a true Palembangese, once introduced me to mie celor and I fell in love instantly”, confessed Ibu Landa. “Unlike the Jambi version with beef, I enjoyed the Palembang version with prawns more. My secret concoction is to mix the soup with the sweet, sour, and spicy sauce for pempek”, she said while sipping the rich soup from the pride of South Sumatrans.

LANDAWATI SETIONEGORO| Indonesian Cuisine Chef of Oasis, Jakarta