A Taste of Indonesia with Silver Spoon

One of the many joys of travel is to be immersed in an entirely different food culture. For the adventurous eater, the sights and the smells of local cuisine are highly anticipated as one ambles abroad. When travel isn’t on the cards, we look to local takes on foreign flavours. On a Thursday evening at Silver Spoon Hospitality Academy, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia is offering just the ticket.

Collaborating with Silver Spoon to offer a taste of Indonesia, the embassy introduces guests to the country’s traditional ginger drink, boneless oxtail soup, an approximation of West Sumatran beef rendang, tofu and egg omelettes, as well as eggplant and balado sauce served with coconut and turmeric jasmine rice.

The three-course meal, also enjoyed by Indonesian ambassador to Namibia Wisnu Edi Pratignyo, is prepared by Silver Spoon’s students, helmed by chefs Terry Jenkinson and Nicky Nolan, and managed by academy founder and director Tom Mutavdzic.

“This event is part of the embassy’s gastrodiplomacy venture to promote Indonesian cuisine to the international community through a special programme called ‘Spice Up the World’,” says Pratignyo.

Silver Spoon has organised Indonesian cooking classes with the embassy since 2016.

“I can tell you that promoting cuisine from Asia, such as Indonesia, is not easy. Even if our chefs cook delicious dishes, it is not easy to convince other people.”

Comparing Indonesian food to Chinese, Thai and even Indian offerings, Pratignyo highlights how Indonesian cuisine has served as a means to raise funds for various local organisations, particularly through food bazaars supported by the spouses of embassy staff.

“These activities are not merely to empower women as a part of the ladies’ programme of the embassy but also to promote Indonesian food to the local community,” Pratignyo says.

“The money we collect is not for our benefit since we are non-profit oriented. We donate the profit to institutions that need help such as the Havana Soup Kitchen at Katutura, Orange Babies Foundation, Rehoboth Old-Age Home, Katora School at Usakos, and LifeLine/ChildLine at Rehoboth.”

After an evening of traditional Indonesian music by embassy staff and a few surprise gifts, the evening is crowned with servings of kolak pisang (banana and coconut milk) and dadar gulung, a bright green coconut pancake which is the hit of the evening.

As the Indonesian embassy and its staff continue sharing the country’s cuisine, cooking for a good cause and fostering connection, those eager to sample some of the country’s cuisine can stop by Indolicious in Maerua Mall. The ambassador also looks forward to the embassy and Silver Spoon’s Indonesian cooking competition scheduled for September.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com

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