Released on: June 12, 2008, 10:10 am

Press Release Author: Indonesia Pavilion 2008 at the Expo Zaragoza

Industry: Food & Beverage

Press Release Summary: Indonesia Pavilion at the Expo Zaragoza opens today and the
Spanish public will learn that they have a few things in common. What do Spaniards
and Indonesians have in common? Many! But, one striking feature amongst all is
paella.

Press Release Body: Most Indonesians eat rice three times a day. Breakfast, lunch,
dinner. For breakfast, we usually re-cook leftover rice from the dinner before, add
some spices and meats. Lo and behold: the fragrant and savoury fried rice! Like
paella in Spain, Indonesians also have thousands and thousands of recipes for fried
rice. Each household has its own family favourite.
For breakfast, we also put cold rice from the night before into a bowl of steaming
hot soto - a kind of savoury soup. Not only the rice would become warm again, but
also soft - suitable for early morning fare. Again, we have thousands and thousands
of recipes for soto. Many come in coconut milk, but some others like them clear. The
protein could be anything from beef, chicken, fish, egg, or plain vegetables.
Lunch is the special time for rice. It is at this meal-time Indonesians take rice
more seriously. I mean, quantity wise. Unlike Westerners, Indonesians do not
recognize appetizers - or tapas in Spain. Even soup - including soto - is not drunk
separately preceding the rice dish, but eaten together with the meal.
At lunch, the food accompanying the rice is usually elaborate. For middle-class
people, usually a helping of rice is accompanied with a piece of fried chicken (or
fried fish, or curried beef), and some sort of vegetable dish. Crackers and chips
are options Indonesians like to have, to add texture in the meal.
Dinners vary according to situation and lifestyle. Today, more and more modern
people forego dinners to keep their slim figure. Some also practice
carbohydrate-free diet for dinners. But, in general, dinners are similar to lunches.
Rice remains the centerpiece and the source of carbohydrate. Some even make dinners
more elaborate than lunches for it is the only time of day the entire family
congregate to eat together.

Paella Indonesiana
Our love of rice mirrors in the rainbows of rice dishes in each culture spread all
over the Indonesian archipelago. Wherever you go in Indonesia, you are bound to find
at least one excellent rice dish that you like.
One afternoon, at a modern restaurant owned by a beautiful Australian in Ubud, Bali,
I ordered a dish called Paella Indonesiana. Sure enough, the serving came looking
authentically like a dish of seafood paella. Large shrimp heads and clams sprouted
from the yellow rice. The garnish is somewhat different, however, for the Indonesian
version came with a garland of kangkung (water spinach) - a popular native
vegetable.
However, taste- and aroma-wise, it was somewhat different than the seafood paella I
tasted many years ago in Valencia - the motherland of paella. Apparently, the chef
substituted saffron with turmeric. As such, we lose the mushiness of the rice, and
instead gain crispness. Forgive me, but as a true-blooded Indonesian, I prefer the
last. Indonesians do not like al dente rice. We like our rice well-cooked, fluffy,
fragrant. The texture of our rice must be firm, simply because many Indonesian still
prefer to eat with fingers for added and enhanced dining experience.
Yellow rice or turmeric rice is a popular item in Indonesian cuisine. Until today,
savory yellow rice is a must-have in celebrations and festivals. In traditional
Javanese sacral offerings, yellow rice is shaped like a cone, placed in the center
of a large serving tray, and surrounded with eight to twelve different dishes
consisting of vegetables, chicken, beef, seafood - all resembling the bounty of the
land and sea. The yellow rice is cooked with coconut milk, bay leaves, lemon grass,
and other herbs. Very fragrant and savoury, you can even eat it alone without
accompaniments.
From the culinary point of view, at least to me, Spanish paella is very similar to
Indonesians turmeric rice, and also to the world-renowned Indonesian nasi goreng
(fried rice). I love them all. An Indonesian-born Dutch singer, Witteke van Dort,
climbed to her top stardom by singing "Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng" (Just Give Me
Fried Rice).

Verrrry Hot Salsa
As for salsa, we also have its Indonesian equivalent. It is called sambal.
Simply put, no Indonesian could last a day without sambal. It is stricter than
religion! Sambal is a die-die-must-have at every Indonesian tables. The sambal must
be hot, extra-hot, and super-hot to meet the approval of average Indonesians. It is
because of this sambal we are "laughed at" by the Japanese investors here. "The
Japanese people sweats because of their hard works. The Indonesians sweat when they
eat," they say.
Indeed, the sweat is the proof of the fiery hotness of our sambals. Even your scalp
would be drenched after you eat rice with super-hot sambal. Uh, I must be
exaggerating again. We seem to have millions of sambal recipes in this country. Each
family prides themselves of their special house sambal. Most sambal uses fresh
chillies, and freshly pounded seconds before eaten. Some prefer to parboil the
chillies and other ingredients. Still others grill or fry the ingredients before
putting every bit of it in the stone mortar for final grinding.
We have so many different kinds of chillies. Red or green. Curly or long. Fat or
tiny. Trust me, they are all fiery hot! The most popular sambal in Indonesia is one
using shrimp paste - locally known as belacan or terasi. Approach any Indonesian
kitchen, and you will smell a strong aroma. Don't close your nose. Inhale the
fragrance of the shrimp paste.
Poor Indonesian people would be satisfied eating a heap of rice with sambal and tiny
piece of salted fish. Life is indeed simple at the grassroot level.
We eat practically ANYTHING and EVERYTHING with sambal. Not just tortilla or nachos
with salsa. Forgive our stubborness. Don't be surprised when an Indonesian customer
eats wagyu beef with sambal. Just don't ignore this silly request. It is the only
way for Indonesians to appreciate the beef at its best.
Just a small note before I go to my kitchen. As Spaniards like black olives, we
Indonesians - especially Javanese - like kluwek, a kind of nut usually fermented to
achieve a special flavor. When you grind black olives, and then on the side you
grind kluwek, you would not be able to tell the difference in taste. Kluwek is
widely used in cooking and sambal. Yummmm, sooooooo good!
Selamat makan. Happy eating.


*) the writer is an old-crack journalist,
now a popular TV-host on culinary.


Web Site: http://www.indonesiapavilion2008.com

Contact Details: Liya Djajadisastra
Communications Consultant to the Indonesia Pavilion 2008 at the Expo Zaragoza
Ministry of Public Works
Jalan Patimura 70
Jakarta 12110, Indonesia
Mobile : +62 817 917 1045