“Fried chicken, steamed fish with banana leaf, chicken soup, an avocado and grapefruit dessert with coconut milk...” Ade Sukendar, Counsul-General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai, lists some of his favourite traditional dishes from back home. “Indonesian chicken soup is different from that in other places. It has noodles which are made from rice flour and vegetables. That is what I ask my wife to cook; I’m always missing Indonesian food.”
His love for his food is on full display in Chennai at the launch of Indonesian Food Festival at Chap Chay, The Raintree, St Mary’s Road, to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and Indonesia. The event is a formal one, with the women in saris and the men sporting either suits or Indonesian batik print shirts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sukendar carries off his red, orange and yellow printed shirt with dignified elan, as he invites his guests to try dish after dish of sautéed, fried, braised and steamed meat, tofu and vegetables. He waits intently for feedback, pointing out when a dish has been prepared with traditional Indonesian peanut sauce, evidently another of his favourites.
But the welcoming, affable diplomat is just one of the stars of the show: the others are Chef Faisal Martadinata and Chef Sukarno Wibowo, flown in to Chennai particularly to design the menu, for what The Raintree claims to be Chennai’s first truly authetic Indonesian Food Festival.
ADVERTISEMENT
The chefs have a lot to say about the cuisine’s similarities with, and distinctions from, that of other South East Asian countries. They also talk about their creations, which include both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items spread across four set menus and an à la carte one. The focus of this particular set of menus is the cuisine of West Sumatra, say the chefs.
Chef Martadinata shines the spotlight on flat rice and sambal. “Sambal paste is one of the cornerstones of the cuisine,” he says, “There can be many types of sambal, depending on the variety of chilli pepper used, as well as the combination of vegetables and herbs.”
One of the dishes to look out for is soto padang kambing , a vegetable stew served with braised lamb and perkedel (mashed potato cake) and garnished with kerupuk (crispy crackers). Also sample the sho-un noodles; udang sambalado which comprises spicy sambal tiger prawns, string beans, white rice and crackers; bebek bakar ala padang , a marinated duck grilled with spicy sambal sauce; selada kentang kare, a potato salad toasted with coconut curry mayonnaise; and the traditional dessert colenak, made of mashed fermented cassava, grated coconut and palm syrup.
Portions of some of these offerings do the rounds of the small hall under watchful instructions from both the chefs, even as performers give the guests a sample of West Sumatra’s precarious yet graceful plate dance.
Over sticks of lamb satay, the Consul-General sits back to discuss some basics of diplomacy vis-à-vis the city of Chennai. “Our mission in India comprises the Embassy in Delhi, and the Consulate-General in Mumbai, which covers States from Mahahashtra to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, we have an honorary consul who is an Indian citizen. We also have an international trade promotion centre here, for which a gentleman is stationed from the Ministry of Trade. The focus is on how to promote trade between India and Indonesia,” he explains.
Indonesian Food Festival will be underway till April 10, at Chap Chay, The Raintree, St Mary’s Road. For reservation and details, call 42252525.