A taste of Indonesia at La Brasserie

George Bernard Shaw had once said: “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” I have no doubt that these words must have echoed in the minds of all who attended the food festival in Riyadh, launched by the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities. As a part of this gastronomic event, the Al Faisaliah Hotel, a Rosewood Hotel, opened their doors for an Indonesian food festival, titled “A Taste of Indonesia,” at the La Brasserie restaurant. It is a culinary extravaganza, from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, where we got to sample authentic Indonesian cuisine. The dinners are modestly priced at SR 185 with an added 5% service charge while the Friday brunch could put you back at SR 285 per person. It is said that food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture. For a person like me, whose idea of Indonesia begins and ends with a plate of Nasi Goreng, this was the most brilliant opportunity to get a taste of their culture. There was dancing by young boys from the local Indonesian school in their brightly colored costumes, the restaurant had been decked up with artifacts and beautiful paintings and the staff moved around serving cold lychee drinks dressed in their traditional attire. The beginning was intriguing; I was now keen to know more. The Indonesian Ambassador, Mr. Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, welcomed everyone to the festival with a short speech, telling us about the diverse cultures of his country and the approximately 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia. He also spoke of the 6,000 inhabited islands that have their own culinary traditions. Mansyur asked us all to visit his country with the promise that everyone would return for more because of its extraordinary food culture. As we headed for our tables, ready to sample the fare, I realized I had done well to read up a bit about their culinary culture beforehand. Indonesian cuisine just corroborates the fact that the islands have always been a center of trade due to its abundant resources and geographic location. Their cuisine, as a result, is a mixed bag of various cultures, like Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and an unmistakable European influence. Food in Indonesia can be extremely hot, and for an ignorant tourist, can be quite an experience. But the uniqueness lies in the mastery in their use of spices and aromatic herbs that lend such a beautiful flavor to each dish. Ingredients like lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, shrimp paste, screwpine (pandan leaves), kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), sambal (chili sauce), palm sugar and coriander leaves, all add that extra taste to an otherwise simple dish. The fare prepared by the in-house Indonesian chefs of La Brasserie was enough to give us a glimpse of the diverse ethnicity and culture of the archipelago. There were dishes from their main islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali among many others. We started with delectable starters that were a mix of tradition and fusion. The Salada Oyong Dan Udang (sea food salad) was a simple seafood salad made delicious with the addition of the correct blend of spices and herbs. The Fish mousse or Ikan Berbumbu Kuning with prawn and squid was also quite superb. The simple salads tasted so fresh; the tanginess of lime and heat of red chilies brought out the best of each plate. My favorite table that night was definitely the salad bar. Main course comprised the most popular Indonesian dish of all: Mie Goreng. It is believed to have been derived from the Chinese Chow Mein and is popular not only in Indonesia, but in Malaysia and Singapore as well. It is made with thin noodles, fried with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken or beef, sliced meatballs, chili, vegetables, tomatoes, egg and pickles. There was a live counter where a chef cooked up the dish while we chose the ingredients. It tasted delicious with the right amount of chilies in it! There was also the irresistible, slow-cooked Rendang, a spicy meat dish, from the island of Sumatra. It is cooked with ginger, garlic, shallots, galangal, lemon grass, turmeric and coconut milk; the slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender. A CNN online poll in 2011 chose Rendang as the number one dish among the “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods” list. Now I know why! Then, we piled our plates high with the national dish of Indonesia, Nasi Goreng, a kind of fried rice cooked with chicken, spices and sweet soy sauce. In Indonesian, nasi means cooked rice, and goreng means fried. It can be made with leftovers of the night before and had for breakfast with a fried egg! There was also Opor Ayam, a chicken curry from Java and Bebek Barempak, a duck breast in a spicy sauce, which was simply delicious. We also helped ourselves to Gado Gado, a mixed vegetable salad with peanut sauce and colorful crackers. The most popular counter at the dinner was possibly the Satay counter where people crowded around to dig into marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce of one’s choice. The choice of meat included chicken, mutton or beef. I took one spoonful each of the green chilly sauce, sambal and peanut sauce, dipped the meat into them and took a mouthful. It was perfect. Indonesian dessert is mostly made with coconut. The other important ingredient is the Pandan or Screwpine leaf, which other than adding a mild flavor, also adds a soft green color to the food. I had a taste of the green rice balls stuffed with palm sugar and also the sweet coconut stuffed pancake and found them to be very satisfying. It was the chef who later told me about the Pandan leaf and how he had used it to color the rice balls and also the pancakes. The idea of holding a food festival is not only to showcase the cuisine of a country, but also to encourage people to learn more about the culture of that country. The festival at La Brasserie will perhaps invoke a lot of enthusiasm about Indonesia as a possible tourist destination, and also bring the country closer to people who cannot make it across. For a person who has never been to Indonesia, this was a chance to get a good look at the country and its people. I will definitely be hoping for many more such events in the city that would go a long way in opening my eyes to the world I live in.