Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2014 | Page 95

Explore | Flavours

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For the international Ubud
Writers & Readers Festival,
literature and gastronomy go
hand in hand. This year is no
exception, with another fourday food programme being
dished up, from October 2 to 5,
showcasing Indonesia’s
celebrated chefs and food
personalities.
The action this year happens in The Kitchen
– the festival’s culinary theatre – located at
Toko-Toko, just across the road from Indus
restaurant. With such a seductive feast
planned, our taste buds are guaranteed to be
tantalised, and I for one can’t wait to see so
many master chefs under one roof.
Heading the line-up is former journalist
Bondan Winarno, who is perhaps Indonesia’s
answer to Anthony Bourdain, without the
cowboy boots and bad-boy bravado. Fondly
known as Pak Mak Nyuss, Winarno has
travelled to just about every corner of the
archipelago, filming and feasting on street
food, collecting recipes, and talking to
grandmas and village cooks. There are few
who know Indonesian cuisine so well.
Winarno presents a session in The Kitchen,
the festival’s cooking school, talking about
Minang food from West Sumatra, certainly
one of my favourite cuisines (along with just
about every Indonesian I know). Winarno
will focus on a well-known Minang dish
known as sampadeh or pangkek tuna, braised
tuna, and generous samples will be provided
throughout his session.
“This nation is truly blessed with an enormous
collection of traditional dishes,” says Winarno.
“One nation, millions of flavours. Not only is
our traditional cuisine provincial, each one
also displays a unique terroir (local character).
Indonesian cuisine belongs in the category
of dangerously delicious food.”
Winarno’s new cookbook, 100 Mak Nyus:
Best Street Food of Indonesia, is a national
bestseller and includes treasured recipes
from his extensive travels. The English
version will be launched at the festival.

my all-time favourite curry. Marco Padang
is breathing new life into Indonesia’s beloved
Padang food, and his new interpretations
of old classics have taken Jakarta by storm.
He will unveil the secrets of this national
treasure in the Festival Kitchen.
Award-winning chef Chris Salans, from
Mozaic, will present a food demonstration,
displaying the extraordinary culinary skills
that have elevated him to rock-star (or is that
wok-star?) status in Bali. Chris single-handedly
put Ubud on the international fine-dining map
and is known far and wide for his elegant
fusion cuisine: Balinese meets West and the
rest. His demo will focus on pink torch ginger,
presenting two glorious dishes – sesamecrusted tuna and ginger-flower sorbet.

Winarno will also appear in the main
programme in a session called ‘A Taste of
the Archipelago’, and he is guaranteed to
charm the audience with his extensive
stories of the fabled Spice Islands, mixed
with a lavish dose of Indonesian food facts.

New kid on the block Eelke Plasmeijer,
of Locavore fame, will discuss his ecofriendly food philosophy of utilising the
finest locally grown produce with love
and wisdom, demonstrating how to make
some gourmet pieces with minimal fuss
and maximum flavour.

Jakarta-based chef Marco Padang, from
Marco Padang Grill, will lift the lid on
rendang, on e of Indonesia’s iconic dishes and

Those with a sweet tooth should not miss
well-known pastry chef Will Goldfarb,
who will whip up some literary inspiration

Award-winning chef Chris
Salans, from Mozaic, will
present a food demonstration,
displaying the extraordinary
culinary skills that have
elevated him to rock-star (or is
that wok-star?) status in Bali.