Among the five culinary icons of Indonesia as promoted by the Ministry of Tourism, rendang and nasi goreng were on the top of the list of CNN’s World’s 50 Best Foods published in 2017. On the list, rendang ranked number 1, while Nasi Goreng, Indonesia’s renowned Fried Rice, was the runner up.
For Diplomacy&Commerce’s rubric Food Planet, Mrs. Aty Rachmawati, the wife of the Indonesian Ambassador to Serbia talked about the main features of Indonesian cuisine and ingredients for the preparation of traditional Indonesian dishes in Serbia, Serbian dishes and life in Belgrade.
What are the main features of Indonesian cuisines?
As a country consisting of over 17,504 islands (approximately 6,000 populated islands) and 1,340 recognized ethnic groups, Indonesian cuisine covers a vast variety of regional cuisines found across the nation. In most parts of Indonesia, rice, the primary grain, is almost always consumed as a staple accompanied by vegetables, meat and seafood. However, the characteristics of Indonesian cuisine are so vary depending on the region. On the island of Java, some dishes are sweet, while others are savoury. The sweet dishes commonly use sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), palm sugar, peanut paste, or shrimp paste (petis). The savoury ones are usually made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a mixture of indigenous spices like candlenut, coriander, and nutmeg. Dishes from the island of Sumatra often featured types of curried meat and vegetables. Coconut milk is used in most of the dishes in this region. Meanwhile, in Papua, the easternmost province of Indonesia, the general staple food is sago. It is either processed as a pancake or sago congee called papeda. People in Papua usually eat sago with yellow soup made from tuna, red snapper or other fishes spiced with turmeric, lime, and other spices.
“This year, 2022, will be my third year in Belgrade. I really enjoy living here. The city is culturally vibrant, combining various cultural influences with the modern ones”
Despite the various characteristics of each region, Indonesian cuisines are all well known for their rich and complex flavours, acquired from ingredients and a mixture of various spices. In 2018, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has chosen 5 national dishes of Indonesia, they are soto (soup with turmeric, vegetables, and shredded chicken), rendang (coconut beef stew), satay (chicken or beef skewers), nasi goreng (fried rice), and gado-gado (boiled vegetables with peanut sauce).
Among the five culinary icons of Indonesia as promoted by the Ministry of Tourism, rendang and nasi goreng were on the top of the list of CNN’s World’s 50 Best Foods published in 2017. On the list, rendang ranked number 1, while Nasi Goreng, Indonesia’s renowned Fried Rice, was the runner up.
What do you miss the most about your country? Can you find all the necessary ingredients for the preparation of traditional Indonesian dishes in Serbia?
I was born and raised in Indonesia, in the city of Bandung, West Java. After I married, I have lived in several other countries, including Serbia. While I am grateful for this opportunity, I always miss my family back in Indonesia, and the food we have at home. That is why, even here, I often cook Indonesian dishes. It makes me feel closer to home.
One of my favourite Indonesian foods to cook at home is Iga Bakar Saus Madu, or grilled beef ribs with honey sauce, which recipe I happily share here. Iga Bakar Saus Madu was among the kinds of grilled beef ribs that originated from the island of Java but has now spread throughout Indonesia. The dish is often accompanied by broth and vegetable soup, steamed rice, and Indonesian chilli paste or sambal.
Most of the ingredients for Indonesian cuisine can be found in Asian markets in Belgrade. However, there are certain herbs that are quite challenging to find. Usually, we have to travel to Austria or Hungary to get some of those herbs.
Do you like Serbian cuisine and what is your favourite Serbian dish?
While most of the time we have Indonesian delicacies at the residence, I do love Serbian cuisine. At the Embassy we occasionally organise a gathering with Serbian food made by our Serbian friends. I really like gibanica, kajmak, teleca corba, sač, and ćevapi because just like Indonesian cuisine where spices are inherent, Serbian food which I really enjoy is also diverse and spicy with substantial use of meat, vegetables, dairy and dough.
What do you think of life in Belgrade? Did you manage to visit some other places in Serbia and what would you recommend to your friends to see here?
This year, 2022, will be my third year in Belgrade. I really enjoy living here. The city is culturally vibrant, combining various cultural influences with modern ones. The people are very friendly towards foreigners, much like in Indonesia. Belgrade also offers wonderful landmarks and scenery. The Belgrade waterfront and Kalemegdan Fortress are among the many popular sites I particularly love. Belgrade also has many types of restaurants and cafés that serve various kinds of food, from local, European, to Asian cuisines.
I am quite fortunate to have visited other cities in Serbia. They are also worth a visit. However, I adore Novi Sad in particular. Currently the European Capital of Culture, the city offers many great places to visit. The Petrovaradin’s Fortress across the Danube River is one of the most popular tourism site in Novi Sad and it offers a spectacular view of the river. The Fortress has also been the venue for EXIT Festival, which take place every summer.
I would definitely recommend my friends a visit to Belgrade and Novi Sad if they have the opportunity to travel to Serbia. I think both cities are very beautiful and exciting and they showcase unique culture, architecture, and cuisine.
GRILLED RIBS SOUP WITH HONEY SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
– 500 gr beef ribs
– 3 litre water
– 100 gr garlic
– 2 cm fresh ginger
– 200 gr shallot
– 1 pcs onion
– 10 pcs clove
– 1 pcs nutmeg
– 3 pcs carrots
– 2 pcs potato
– 1 pcs tomato
– 1 stick of celery
– 1 stick spring onion
– 1 tablespoon of salt
– 1/2 tablespoon beef powder
– 2 tablespoons of sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
HOW TO MAKE
• Boil the ribs together with ginger, nutmeg, cloves and onions. Then add the sauteed sliced garlic and shallots into the soup.
• Cook until the ribs are 3/4 cooked then remove from the stove.
• Separate the ribs from the soup.
• Add slices of carrots, potato, tomato, spring onions and celery to the soup. Cook until the vegetables are done.
HONEY SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
– 3 litre water
– 3 cm fresh ginger
– 2 stick lemongrass
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 20 gr coriander in grain
– 1 teaspoon pepper powder
– 3 tablespoons of sugar
– 3 teaspoon beef powder
– 4 cloves of garlic
– 6 pcs shallots
– 5 pcs candlenuts
– 5 pcs fresh red chilli
– 10 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce
– 200 gr honey
– 100 ml vegetable cooking oil
HOW TO MAKE HONEY SAUCE
• Put the shallots, garlic, red chilli, candlenut and coriander into a food processor or blender. Then process, scraping down the bowl frequently with a spatula until smooth paste forms.
• Sauté the paste with vegetable cooking oil until fragrant.
• Add water, ribs, ginger, lemongrass, salt, honey, pepper, sugar, sweet soy sauce and beef powder. Cook until the water is half evaporated and ribs are well done.
• Grill the ribs with the honey sauce until its deep golden brown.
SERVING:
The grilled ribs are to be served with the ribs broth with vegetables in a separate bowl aside. Could be completed with red chilli sauce and slices of lemon.
