The other week I spent time discovering Indonesian organic produce and having the most delightful Indonesian meal created by London Marriott County Hall executive sous chef, Chef Budiono Bin Sukim. The meal was a celebration of Indonesian cuisine showcasing the region’s organic produce. I’ve been to the Marriott and you can read more about it here: Tea at The Library
Indonesian Organic Food Luncheon in London – December 2018
Before the delicious meal, we were introduced to some Indonesian producers who had travelled thousands of miles to London to exhibit their products here.
There were plenty of food samples, and I discovered a couple of ingredients I never knew existed. My favourite discoveries were organic dehydrated dragon fruit chips, they not only look pretty but are super tasty, and salacca or salak, a fruit originally from Java and Sumatra. There were also seminars by industry experts and local producers, and a very popular cooking demonstration.
Salacca
tasting Salacca
organic dehydrated dragon fruit chips
The theme of one particular seminar was “Go Healthy with Indonesian Organic Food” – there they discussed the organic food industry in Indonesia, the export challenges they face, working in international markets and the nutritional value of organic ingredients.
The speaker from Javara, Helianti Hilman – is a promoter of Indonesia’s food biodiversity heritage. They bring indigenous food products from remote Indonesia to a broader audience. Hilman explained how they work with farmers to help them develop organic farming methods to support biodiversity and soil health, and thereby cultivate indigenous organic produce. Helianti Hilman has been mentioned by Forbes Magazine Indonesia’s 20 Global Rising Stars.
An Indonesian Luncheon in London
The Library at London Marriott County Hall overlooking the Thames and Big Ben.
This part of the event was by invitation only from the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, Ireland and International Maritime Organization, H.E. Dr Rizal Sukma.
The meal took place in the beautiful room The Library at London Marriott County Hall overlooking the Thames and Big Ben. The perfect setting for the event.
The Indonesian Lunch Menu
What a feast! It was an exquisite experience tasting the Indonesian produce plate by plate.
There are 17,508 islands that form Indonesia, with 726 local languages. The entire archipelago is called Indonesia with a population of 263 million people is the 4th largest in the world. Being a country of a multitude of ethnic-groups each island has its own history, and therefore each plate was a revelation.
Trio of starters – Indonesian Organic Food
Trio of starters
Bebek Betutu
A Balinese style duck, a highly seasoned and spiced dish.
Gado Gado
A dish from the islands of Java and Sumatra, it is a
salad of vegetables and quail eggs, tofu and tempeh, and coriander served with a fantastic peanut sauce dressing and decorated with a wedge of prawn cracker — a tremendous and textured recipe. Gado-Gado is one of 5 national dishes of Indonesia.
Aneka Makanan Laut Asap
An Indonesian smoked fish dish with a nod to Scotland using Smoked Scottish salmon and served with a side of cucumber-chilli pickle
Main courses
Indonesian Organic Food
With the Main Course we had an amazing chilli sambal made with lemongrass, ginger, galangal and chilli – ooooh! Delicious!
Rendang Sapi
Grilled rib eye with Rendang sauce
A famous Indonesian recipe, originally from West Sumatra. It’s incredibly flavoursome and rich in taste.
Ikan pepes
Seabass steamed in banana leaves – Pepes is an Indonesian cooking method using banana leaf, in essence, wrapped parcels.
Oseng Sayur Cah Vdang
Simple stir fry of Vegetables and Shrimp with Green Mustard
Desserts – Trio of starters –
The grand finale: An assortment of desserts
Wingko Babat
traditional Javanese snack made from coconut.
Bubur Ketan Hitam
“black glutinous rice pudding” made with coconut milk and palm or cane sugar.
and the ever mouth-watering Marriot Lemon meringue pie
A very enjoyable lunch and in some respects it reminded me of home, some of the cooking methods, ingredients and pure vivacity and enthusiasm of the Indonesians are not unlike Brazilians. I can’t wait to visit Indonesia and explore more of the country, especially the cuisine.
PIN FOR LATER
Disclosure: I was a guest of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Kingdom, Ireland and International Maritime Organization. All views are my own.
